A south-facing limestone sport crag at the mouth of Valle Gesso, about 13 km from Cuneo. Sites list 194–300 routes, mostly 6a to 7c; Noia (1993) is remembered as Italy's first 8c+, and the hardest line is Lapsus, 9a+. Since 1 October 2026 a mayoral order from Valdieri bans all access and climbing until maintenance work is finished, with no reopening date; check the town and park notices before you go.
A gneiss mountain at the mouth of Valle Po, across from Sanfront. Its south and east faces carry a huge number of single-pitch sport routes from 4a to 7c+ (Planetmountain says more than 500), the biggest concentration of beginner and intermediate climbing in the area, and the Bracco Vecchio forest bouldering above the crag has 90-odd problems. South-facing and low, it is best from September to June and only too hot in high summer. Take bus 104 from Saluzzo to Sanfront and walk up, or drive to the Mombracco car park and walk about 30 minutes.
Val d'Ossola, at the northern tip of Piedmont and wedged between the Swiss Valais and Ticino, has more than 30 crags on 8a.nu. The most famous is Cadarese in Valle Antigorio: smooth granite packed with cracks, some sectors bolted only at the belays (bring two sets of cams) and others fully bolted. Croveo and the other sport crags are mostly 6a to 7a, and the forest at Foppiano di Crodo holds a thousand-odd gneiss boulder problems. Cadarese is best in spring and autumn, Foppiano from April to October. Every year the Val Grande park closes the walls around Colloro from February to the end of July for nesting peregrines.
Granitic gneiss on the south side of Monte Freidur above Pinerolo; theCrag lists more than 100 routes of 20 to 200 m, and it has been the training ground of Turin's mountaineers since the 1930s. In the 1990s almost every classic was rebolted, so today it is mainly bolted multi-pitch from 5c to 6b+, the most popular being the 1937 Gervasutti-Ronco (5c, 120 m). South-facing and climbable almost all year except after heavy snow; there is no road to the crag, so park around Talucco and walk 30–40 minutes to Rifugio Melano.
Alpine bouldering in Valle Gesso south of Cuneo, split between the Vallone di San Giacomo above Entracque (about 1,250 m) and the Sant'Anna and Pian della Casa areas above Valdieri. 27crags lists about 540 problems across the sectors and the guidebook more than 500, Font 5 to 8A+. Spring and autumn are best, and the rock can take days to dry after rain. The area is within the Maritime Alps protected areas, which have climbing rules. Public transport only runs in summer: the 82 bus to Sant'Anna ran only from 15 June to 5 September in 2026, and San Giacomo has no bus at all, only the park's bookable shuttle; the rest of the year you need a car.
A valley on the southern side of Gran Paradiso National Park in Piedmont, known for gneiss cracks and the big walls of Sergent and Caporal. Mostly trad with a clean-climbing ethic, though most belays are bolted. Climb Europe gives late May to early October; SummitPost says spring and autumn, plus summer when it is not too hot. By public transport, take the SFM1 from Turin to Rivarolo or Pont, then GTT bus 137 up to Ceresole Reale; services are sparse and most people drive.