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The Brenta group (Dolomiti di Brenta) lies in western Trentino between Madonna di Campiglio and Molveno, the westernmost of the Dolomite groups. Its Campanile Basso is, according to SummitPost, "The most famous pinnacle of the "dolomites"", and the last of the great Dolomite peaks to be climbed.
This post helps you decide what level Campanile Basso's historic routes need, how to approach from Madonna di Campiglio, which hut to stay in, and how to deal with the summer road restrictions. For seasons and regions across Italy, see the series overview; for classic Dolomite towers with a shorter approach, see the Vajolet Towers.
What kind of crag is it
One tower. Wikipedia gives Campanile Basso a height of 2,883 m (Italian Wikipedia says 2,877 m), with almost vertical walls on every side. Partway up, a big ledge circles the tower, the "Stradone Provinciale" (the "provincial road"); most routes meet there and continue to the top on the routes above.
History. SummitPost says Garbari, Tavernaro and Pooli got within 150 feet of the summit in 1897, and the hardest section still bears the name "Pooli wall". Wikipedia gives the first ascent as 18 August 1899, by two Innsbruck students, Otto Ampferer and Karl Berger; the Via Normale was the only route until 1908, when Rudolf Fehrmann and the American Oliver Perry-Smith climbed from the very base of the tower. Gulliver says Paul Preuss climbed the east face alone and unroped from the Stradone Provinciale in 1911, in two hours.
Rock. Dolomite. Idea Montagna's Brenta guidebook page calls the rock of the Brenta spires "quasi sempre eccelsa" (almost always excellent), the best in the Dolomites relative to the group's size.
Size. Alpine multi-pitch, so no meaningful total route count. theCrag lists Campanile Basso classics from IV+ to VI+ and 100 to 470 m; other peaks in the group (Cima Uomo, Cima d'Agola, Val d'Ambiez) carry many modern routes, see Planetmountain's Brenta route list.
Who it suits. The normal route is only IV at its hardest, but the approach uses a via ferrata and the descent takes seven abseils; SummitPost says "There are no easy routes". It suits climbers who have done a few IV-grade long routes in the Dolomites and can build belays and abseil.
When to go
SummitPost: "The best period, when snow and ice is likely to be the least trouble, is July – September". CAI Seregno's 2025 trip report gives summer to early autumn. The Fehrmann corner faces south-west; SummitPost says fast parties in good weather can enjoy it in the afternoon, once the sun has warmed the rock.
The huts set when you can stay up there: Rifugio Tosa Pedrotti (2,491 m) was open 20 June–20 September for summer 2026 and takes online bookings only. Rifugio Brentei (2,182 m) has no dates for the year on the Madonna di Campiglio tourist board page, which advises checking by phone.
Getting there
| Public transport | Driving | |
|---|---|---|
| To Madonna di Campiglio | Trentino Trasporti B201 (Trento–Tione–Madonna di Campiglio), all year | From the A22 Trento exits via Tione |
| To the Vallesinella trailhead | Summer Vallesinella Express shuttle (booking required) | Road closed during the day in summer; book a parking space |
| To the start | Vallesinella → Casinei → Brentei → towards Bocca di Brenta, about 2.5 hours; or via Pedrotti along the Bocchette Centrali via ferrata | Same |
Public transport
The Madonna di Campiglio tourist board: Trentino Trasporti line B201 Trento–Vezzano–Sarche–Tione–Madonna di Campiglio runs all year; the timetable PDFs for 11 September 2026 to 25 June 2027 are on the same page.
The Adamello Brenta Nature Park booking page: the Vallesinella Express runs from the Spinale car park in Madonna di Campiglio to Vallesinella every day from 13 June to 13 September 2026, with time slots between 7:30 and 18:30, and "Booking online is mandatory"; it is suspended on Tuesdays in July and August from 9:30 to 15:00 to leave room for walkers and cyclists.
Driving and parking
The park's parking and transport page: while the shuttle runs, the road to Vallesinella is closed to traffic from 10:00 to 17:30; vehicles with an online parking booking can drive in behind the shuttles, but only until 11 am. Gulliver notes that it is a toll road. Outside the shuttle season you can drive to Vallesinella.
From the trailhead to the tower
CAI Seregno: from Vallesinella (1,500 m) it is about 35 minutes to Rifugio Casinei, then about 1 hour 45 minutes to Rifugio Brentei; continue towards Bocca di Brenta and, below Campanile Basso, take a faint path up to the start of the Fehrmann, about 2 hours 30 minutes in all. For the normal route and the Preuss, cross Bocca di Brenta from Pedrotti and follow the Bocchette Centrali via ferrata to the Campanile Basso notch (SummitPost, Gulliver); bring via ferrata gear.
Rules to know before you go
Protected area and restrictions. The road and shuttle to the Vallesinella trailhead are managed by the Adamello Brenta Nature Park (see above). The sources checked show no climbing ban or registration requirement (October 2026).
The descent. CAI Seregno: descend the normal route with seven abseils on 60 m ropes; each station has a plate showing the length and direction, and the last one lands back on the Bocchette via ferrata. SummitPost suggests splitting the top two 55 m abseils into four to keep the ropes from jamming.
Protection. CAI Seregno says the Fehrmann has pegs on the pitches and at the belays, but not many and all to be checked; it recommends cams up to #3 and 8–10 quickdraws. Gulliver says the Preuss has "la chiodatura non abbondante" (sparse pegs), so bring nuts and cams.
Rescue. Soccorso Alpino Trentino: call 112 and give the exact location, the activity, the number of people and their condition, the weather and the number you are calling from.
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.
The Campanile Basso classics are graded UIAA and sit in the trad table at the end. The four French-grade bands list modern routes from Planetmountain on Campanile Basso and other Brenta peaks. The grade shown is the hardest pitch.
Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)
The sources list no French-graded multi-pitches. Rifugio Pedrotti's website says there is a single-pitch crag by the hut with 35 routes from 4a to 7b, without naming them. The Campanile Basso normal route (IV) is in the trad table.
Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastava un Piumino | 6c (6b obligatory) | 5.11a/b | 180 m, 6 pitches | Pilastro Canino (Val d'Ambiez) | Planetmountain: pitches 5b, 6a, 6b, 6c, 5c, 6c; opened 2016 |
Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via Ladri | 7a | 5.11d | Not given | Campanile Basso | Planetmountain: Faletti, Brenna and the Franchini brothers, 2005–2012; opened in late autumn and early winter to avoid knocking rocks onto the Bocchette and the normal route |
| Bepino | 7a+ (6c obligatory) | 5.12a | 170 m | Cima Uomo west face | Planetmountain: Cagol and Larcher, 2021 |
| Brothers | 7c (7a+ obligatory) | 5.12d | 120 m, 5 pitches | Cima Uomo west pillars | Planetmountain: the Giupponi brothers, 2023–2025 |
Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atommyco | 8a+ (7a obligatory) | 5.13c | 245 m | Cima d'Agola | Planetmountain: opened ground-up without aid, 2014–2017 |
Trad and multi-pitch (UIAA grades)
| Route | Original grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Wall | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via Normale | IV (theCrag IV+) | 5.4 | 270–350 m, 11 pitches | Campanile Basso, starts on the south side and winds round | Ampferer and Berger, 1899; the SummitPost route page gives IV and 270 m; theCrag 350 m, three stars |
| Camino Scotoni | IV+ | 5.5 | 100 m, 3 pitches | Campanile Basso east face | theCrag: a variation of the normal route from the third belay to the Stradone Provinciale |
| Diedro Fehrmann | IV+ (theCrag V) | 5.5 | 350–410 m, 13 pitches | Campanile Basso SW corner | Fehrmann and Perry-Smith, 1908; SummitPost says only one or two moves of V; ends at the Stradone Provinciale, finish by the Preuss or the normal route |
| Via Preuss | V (crux traverse V+) | 5.6 | 110 m, 4 pitches | Campanile Basso east face (upper tower) | Preuss, 1911; three stars on theCrag; CAI Seregno's pitches: V-/V+, V, IV+, V- |
| Spigolo Fox | VI | 5.9 | 180 m, 6 pitches | Campanile Basso SE arête | theCrag: Fox and others, 1937, using 9 pegs |
| Fedrizzi-Armani | VI | 5.9 | 260 m | Campanile Basso south face | SummitPost route list |
| Spallone Graffer | VI+ | 5.10a | 470 m, 14 pitches | SE arête of the west shoulder | theCrag: Graffer and Miotto, 1934; ends at the Stradone Provinciale |
| Maestri-Alimonta | VI+ | 5.10a | 440 m, 12 pitches | Campanile Basso | theCrag: Maestri and Alimonta, 1969 |
| Destràni | VII+ | 5.10d | 110 m | Campanile Basso north face | Planetmountain: Beber and others, 2019; climb the first 6 pitches of the normal route to the Stradone Provinciale first |
Where to look things up
- theCrag: Campanile Basso: pitch grades, lengths and first ascents.
- SummitPost: Campanile Basso di Brenta: history, route overview, season; the normal route page has a pitch-by-pitch description and the abseils.
- Planetmountain: Brenta route list, Campanile Basso routes: topos for modern routes.
- Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
- Dolomiti di Brenta vol. 4 – Massiccio Centrale (Francesco Cappellari, Idea Montagna, Italian, 512 pages, ISBN 978-88-85468-73-3): the publisher says it covers "il cuore del gruppo di Brenta" (the heart of the Brenta group); the German retailer climbing-guide.eu lists it as the 2019 edition.
- The chapter list of Rockfax's The Dolomites: Rock Climbs and Via Ferrata does not include the Brenta.
- Vallesinella Express booking, park parking and transport: the year's shuttle dates and road closure.
- Rifugio Tosa Pedrotti: opening dates and online booking.
References
- SummitPost: Campanile Basso di Brenta
- SummitPost: Campanile Basso Normal Route
- Wikipedia: Campanile Basso
- theCrag: Campanile Basso
- CAI Seregno: Campanile Basso - Diedro Fehrmann + Preuss
- Gulliver: Campanile Basso – Via Normale+Preuss
- Planetmountain: Brenta route list
- Planetmountain: Campanile Basso routes
- Planetmountain: Via Ladri
- Planetmountain: Destràni
- Planetmountain: Bastava un Piumino
- Planetmountain: Bepino
- Planetmountain: Brothers
- Planetmountain: Atommyco
- Rifugio Tosa Pedrotti
- Madonna di Campiglio tourist board: Rifugio Brentei
- Madonna di Campiglio tourist board: By bus
- Adamello Brenta Nature Park: Vallesinella Express
- Adamello Brenta Nature Park: Vallesinella Parking & Transportation
- Soccorso Alpino Trentino: Prevention
- Idea Montagna: Dolomiti di Brenta vol. 4 – Massiccio Centrale
- climbing-guide.eu: Dolomiti di Brenta vol. 4 – Massiccio Centrale
- Rockfax: The Dolomites: Rock Climbs and Via Ferrata