Bosco Scorace: Sandstone Bouldering in Western Sicily | Italy Climbing Crags

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Bosco Scorace lies inland in Trapani province in western Sicily, between the small villages of Ummari and Buseto Palizzolo. Most Sicilian climbing is limestone sport by the sea; this is a wood of eucalyptus, oak and cork oak scattered with sandstone boulders. UKC's Sicily guide says, "If you are a boulderer, the best place is Bosco Scorace."

This post covers what to decide before you go: whether it suits your level, which months, how to get there, and the rules for the private land and the woods. For Sicilian sport climbing see San Vito lo Capo and Palermo; for a season comparison of Italian crags, see the series overview.

What kind of crag is it

Sandstone bouldering, not limestone. 27crags says the boulders are spread over a wooded plateau at about 600 m, on "arenaria praticamente perfetta" (practically perfect sandstone). Gripped's 2025 feature describes pockets, slopers, crimps and holes with a rounded lump of rock in the middle, like "gigantic belly buttons". The rock is so fresh that the friction is excellent and sore fingertips are almost guaranteed. UKC says some people have compared it to Fontainebleau.

A very new area. In 2016 Davide Catalano and Giorgia Borsani, climbers from Varese, began clearing boulders buried under brambles, and later opened the Polvere di Stelle B&B in Ummari (27crags). When Planetmountain reported the first printed guide in 2021 it had 180 problems; Gripped wrote in 2025 that over 400 lines across seven sectors had been cleared, and that Catalano thinks the area could eventually hold 1,500 to 2,000 problems.

Size. The counts vary widely because the area is still being developed (checked October 2026):

27crags groups the problems mainly under Bevaio, Rocche Forbici and Astronave (Spaceship), with newer sectors such as Astrocava and La Methode.

Who it suits. Gripped says the boulders are 2 to 8 m high, lowballs and highballs alike mostly have good landings, and the gentle, shaded terrain is great for families; the grading is fair rather than "holiday grades". UKC also says the landings are "almost always quite comfortable and safe", and the lowest boulders are excellent for beginners.

When to go

Wait after rain. Wet sandstone breaks. Gripped says not to climb for two to three days after heavy rain; after a short shower you can often climb a few hours later if there is enough sun and wind.

Getting there

Public transport

Gripped says, "You'll definitely need a car." UKC also advises renting a car in Sicily, since trains and overland public transport involve long journeys and long waits. If you stay at Polvere di Stelle, UKC says the B&B offers driving, crash-pad hire and an indoor training wall; ask the B&B directly what the driving covers.

Driving

27crags' access note says it is about 15 minutes by car from Ummari, the nearest village, on a mix of asphalt and dirt road. Gripped gives about 1 hour 15 minutes from Palermo and about 45 minutes from San Vito, so if you are staying at a campsite in San Vito you can boulder here for the day and still clip bolts back there.

Parking

27crags says there are two car parks, an upper and a lower one, serving different sectors. Gripped says the walk-in is anything from 30 seconds to 15 minutes depending on where you park.

Rules to know before you go

Private land and livestock. 27crags says that of the three main sectors, two are inside the protected wooded area and one is just outside it on private land; relations with the landowners and the bodies that manage the wood are good, but avoid disturbing the livestock and damaging the plants. Gripped also says the access is sensitive because the bouldering sits among fields and private property: stay on trails, leave no trace, and keep dogs on a lead to avoid run-ins with sheepdogs and their flocks.

No fires, no camping. Gripped says fires and camping are banned in the bouldering area and the woods; ask at Polvere di Stelle for the latest. (Second-hand: Gripped's 2025 feature; we did not find an original notice from the forest managers.)

Sandstone etiquette. Gripped: wait for the rock to dry after rain; chalk is allowed, but use as little as possible and brush holds afterwards, with soft brushes only.

Rescue. All of Sicily uses the single emergency number 112 (Ministry of the Interior, 2019); Trapani province is served by the Palermo 112 centre.

Routes by level

YDS and V-grade conversions follow the Mountain Project international grade comparison chart and are approximate; "approx." marks grades the sources give without a/b/c (such as 4 or 5+). The original grade is the one that counts.

This is a bouldering-only area, so the four levels group problems by the Font grade as written (beginner up to 6A, intermediate 6A+ to 6C+, advanced 7A to 7C+, expert 8A and up); Font boulder grades and French sport grades are not the same scale. The problems below were picked by number of logged ascents on the 27crags route list, as seen in October 2026. The developers keep 27crags updated; for the printed guide, go to Polvere di Stelle.

Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)

Bevaio has the most at this level; the most-logged problems on 27crags are all 6A or easier.

Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)

Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)

Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)

27crags lists a few problems at 8A to 8A+, none with logged ascents yet. Oliunid's 2021 interview says the hardest at the time, an 8a+, was done by Gabry Moroni; Gripped says grades now reach V14 but does not name the problems.

Where to look things up

• 27crags: Bosco Scorace Boulder: problem list and sectors maintained by the development team (ScoraceBoulderTeam); topos are paid.
• theCrag: Bosco Scorace: fewer problems listed, but links to the accommodation and guidebook.
• B&B Polvere di Stelle: the developers' B&B; its site lists crash-pad and rope/quickdraw hire, guided trips to Bosco Scorace and the guidebook by The Crimp for sale. Ask here about current access rules too.
• Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
  • Bosco Scorace, Bouldering in Sicilia Occidentale (Marco Ramerio / The Crimp and Good Life, June 2021, about 70 pages, comic-book style): Planetmountain reported 180 problems at publication; Gripped says you can buy it at Polvere di Stelle or at the Dolmen Climb gym in Trapani. For problems added after 2021, check 27crags.
  • Di Roccia di Sole (Massimo Cappuccio, Giuseppe Gallo, Versante Sud, 2022, separate Italian, English and German editions, 560 pages): single-pitch climbing across Sicily; the publisher says it also covers bouldering, but its page does not say how much of Bosco Scorace is included.

References

• UKC: Destination Guide: Sicily (2022)
• Gripped: Bouldering in Sicily: Exploring the Sandstone Blocs of Bosco Scorace (2025)
• 27crags: Bosco Scorace Boulder
• 27crags: Bosco Scorace Boulder description
• 27crags / thetopo: Bosco Scorace Boulder access
• 27crags: Bosco Scorace Boulder route list
• theCrag: Bosco Scorace
• Planetmountain: Bosco Scorace, new bouldering guide (2021, in Italian)
• Oliunid: Alla scoperta della nuova area boulder del Bosco di Scorace (2021, in Italian)
• B&B Polvere di Stelle: Climbing
• Versante Sud: Di Roccia di Sole (in Italian)
• Ministero dell'Interno: NUE 112 now active in Palermo (2019, in Italian)
• Mountain Project: International Climbing Grades