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Palermo, the capital of Sicily, has two limestone mountains on its northern edge. Monte Pellegrino is inside the city itself, with rock walls all along the road to Mondello beach. Further north, Monte Gallo rises straight out of the sea and ends in the Capo Gallo headland. Mountain Project calls Pellegrino "the most important rock climbing area in southern Italy" and says Gallo is "similar to the Dolomites".
Many people climbing in Sicily stay at San Vito lo Capo and only pass through Palermo for the airport, but the city is worth a few days of its own. This post covers what to decide before you go: whether it suits your level and style, which months, how to get there without a car, and which areas are under rockfall orders or closed roads. For a season-and-region comparison of Italian crags, see the series overview.
What kind of crag is it
Monte Pellegrino: single-pitch sport in the city
A mountain inside a city. Mountain Project says it is over 600 m high and runs several kilometres north to south, with limestone walls on every side. Most of the climbing is on the west side, across 8 major crags, single-pitch and multi-pitch up to about 200 m. theCrag says "nine climbing sectors".
Where climbing on the island began. Climbing Spot Factory (CSF) says Valdesi and Schiavo are the cradle of Palermo climbing, where the mountaineering schools and local climbers started after the Second World War. The west face of Valdesi averages 60 m high and is compact limestone, grey on the vertical sections and red or yellow on the steep ones, cut by cracks, corners, chimneys and small holes. UKC Logbook says Roccia dello Schiavo is where Sicilian climbing started in the 1940s. It used to be long multi-pitch with little fixed gear. These days people mostly climb the lower pitches, and the upper sections are an unknown quantity. The lower pitches have been re-bolted, but some old gear remains.
Steep caves and multi-pitch. Parete dei Rotoli, above the cemetery on the north-east side, is a steep red wall full of stalactites. Planetmountain reported Rolando Larcher's team opening the 150 m Pompa Funebre here in 2011 (8b max, 7a+ obligatory), and wrote that it is steep enough to keep climbing in the rain.
Monte Gallo: sea-cliff multi-pitch and Bauso Rosso
Mountain Project describes Monte Gallo as an isolated mountain made of several peaks, with walls up to 400 m; every route is multi-pitch, with bolted big-wall routes up to 370 m. The modern lines on Planetmountain are mostly on the seaward north and west faces, such as the 325 m Kaos and the 360 m Mona Lisa. theCrag's Bauso Rosso page calls it a "Long overhanging red cliff with excellent climbing on tufas": single pitch, 105 routes, mostly 6a and up.
The whole mountain lies in the Capo Gallo nature reserve, managed by the regional forestry agency (Azienda Foreste Demaniali).
Scale
Counts by site (checked October 2026):
| Source | Coverage | Count |
|---|---|---|
| theCrag: Palermo | Whole Palermo area | 499 routes, 1,311 logged ascents |
| theCrag: Monte Pellegrino | Pellegrino | 327 routes; Valdesi 106, Roccia dello Schiavo 87, Mariella 28 |
| Climbook: Monte Pellegrino | Pellegrino, 12 sectors | Valdesi 114, Lo Schiavo 89, Mariella 40 |
| CSF: Valdesi | Valdesi west face | 150+ routes |
| theCrag: Bauso Rosso | Bauso Rosso | 105 routes; Inferno 28, Purgatorio 30, Paradiso 38, Artica 9 |
| Climbook: Bauso Rosso | Bauso Rosso | 95 routes |
theCrag's Palermo page says the quality here is "comparable to San Vito": not only sport but also trad, and the multi-pitch especially.
Who it suits. The easier and mid-grade single pitches are concentrated at Valdesi, Schiavo and Mariella. Bauso Rosso and the Pellegrino caves lean towards 7a and up. The long routes on Monte Gallo are for multi-pitch climbers who can change over, abseil and place their own gear.
When to go
| Spot | Source | Season and aspect |
|---|---|---|
| Valdesi | CSF | Autumn, winter, spring; about 100 m above sea level; the side CSF covers faces west |
| Roccia dello Schiavo | UKC Logbook | Faces west, 123 m above sea level |
| Kaos (Monte Gallo) | Planetmountain | North face |
| Mona Lisa (Monte Gallo) | Planetmountain 2025 | Exposed to coastal weather; pick a day with a southerly wind and "avoid northerlies at all costs" |
| All of Sicily | UKC Sicily guide | Spring and autumn are best; July and August are too hot; most rain falls in late autumn and from late winter to early spring |
Ticks in summer. Planetmountain's Vento d'estate route page warns that in hot weather there are ticks all over Monte Gallo and suggests light-coloured long trousers.
Wait after heavy rain. The rockfall ordinance bans entry to the rockfall zones for 24 hours after heavy rain; see the rules below.
Getting there
| Public transport | Driving | |
|---|---|---|
| North side of Pellegrino (Valdesi, Mariella) | AMAT bus 806 from the centre through Parco della Favorita towards Mondello; get off around Valdesi | Through Parco della Favorita towards Mondello |
| Monte Gallo (Kaos, Mona Lisa) | To Mondello, then walk | Planetmountain (2009) says drive into the reserve and park at the lighthouse |
| Monte Gallo west face (Vento d'estate) | To Sferracavallo, then walk | Park on the Sferracavallo seafront and walk Via Barcarello to the reserve gate |
Public transport
The UKC Sicily guide says Palermo, Catania and Trapani all have international flights, but trains and other overland public transport on the island are "not recommended"; if you want to move around, renting a car is essential. If you are only climbing in Palermo, city buses reach some of the crags.
CSF says you can reach Valdesi on bus 806. AMAT's 806 page gives the route from piazza Don Sturzo via viale della Libertà, viale Diana, via Margherita di Savoia and piazza Valdesi to via Teti in Mondello. AMAT calls the 806 a summer line; that page says it first runs at weekends in spring and daily from May, but does not say which year. AMAT's diversion notice for mid-October 2026 still lists the 806, so it is running in autumn. Check AMAT's route and timetable page on the day.
We did not find bus information for Sferracavallo this time; search the AMAT route page before you go.
Driving
- Valdesi: CSF says to cross Parco della Favorita towards Mondello, go down Viale Regina Margherita, turn right at the roundabout with the petrol station onto Via Monte Ercta, and Valdesi Centrale is on your right after the first left-hand bend. This is a closed road; see the rules below.
- Kaos, Mona Lisa: Planetmountain's Kaos page says to enter the Monte Gallo reserve from Mondello and park at the lighthouse, then follow the road and a path along the sea cliff to the base of the wall: about 25 minutes from the lighthouse, 45 from Mondello. It mentions a €5 fee to drive into the reserve; that information is from 2009.
- Vento d'estate: Planetmountain says to park in Sferracavallo, walk the whole of the Via Barcarello seafront to the Capo Gallo reserve entrance, turn right about 100 m past the gate onto the "Sentiero del Gabbiano", and reach the start in about 40 minutes.
- Bauso Rosso: theCrag gives a 5–10 minute walk-in and says the last part of the road is only passable with an off-road vehicle. Escursionismo.it says hikers park at via Tolomea in Mondello; Bauso Rosso is on the right of the road up to the forestry gate of the reserve.
Parking
CSF says you can park on the pavement by the road at Valdesi, with room for about 30–40 cars. In June 2026 the city banned parking on both sides of the affected stretches, around the clock, for works to stabilise the rock walls above Vergine Maria and Addaura (Ordinanza 1040/2026); check whether the works are still going on before heading to the Addaura sectors.
Rules to know before you go
Entry limits in the rockfall zones (first-hand: Palermo city ordinance). Both mountains are high-risk rockfall areas. The mayor's Ordinanza Sindacale 157/OS of 25 November 2020 covers Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo. Its annex says that in the P3 and P4 rockfall zones mapped in the hydro-geological plan (PAI), "È VIETATO L'ACCESSO PER LA FRUIZIONE E PER LE ATTIVITÀ DI TEMPO LIBERO" (entry for recreation and leisure activities is banned):
- while the Sicilian regional civil protection has an orange or red hydro-geological weather alert in force;
- immediately after exceptional rainfall and for the following 24 hours;
- immediately after a felt earthquake confirmed by the national geophysics institute (INGV) and for the following 24 hours.
The ordinance is valid until the "cessate esigenze" (until no longer needed); as of October 2026 we found no notice revoking it. A separate Ordinanza 80/2019 covers the P4 zones of Parco della Favorita along Viale Diana and Viale Regina Margherita and restricts use from a yellow alert upwards; in October 2026 the reserve's notice page still lists it. Which sectors fall inside P3/P4 can only be read off the PAI maps attached to the ordinance. In practice: check the day's weather alert on the city civil protection's regional alerts page before you go, and don't plan Pellegrino or Gallo for the day after heavy rain.
Via Monte Ercta is a closed road. This road from Mondello up to the Santa Rosalia sanctuary has been closed for rockfall since the end of 2011, according to a 2020 la Repubblica report; the reserve's notice page lists Ordinanza Dirigenziale 407 of 1 April 2019, which bans pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The Valdesi approach CSF describes uses exactly this road, and CSF adds that "il divieto è ignorato da tutti" (everyone ignores the ban). That doesn't make the order any less valid; ask local climbers on the spot what the current legal approach is.
Pavement and path closures towards Mondello. PalermoToday reported in December 2025 that rock fell twice from Colle d'Allaura onto viale Margherita di Savoia, on 14 October and 14 November 2025. The mayor closed the mountain-side pavement and cycle path between via Mater Dolorosa and via Monte Ercta, set a 30 km/h speed limit, and closed the Piano Landolina path inside the reserve (Ordinanza 233/2025). Walking from the 806 stop to Valdesi takes you through this stretch; use the pavement on the other side.
Reserve rules. Monte Pellegrino is a regional nature reserve run by Rangers d'Italia (reserve website). The reserve's visitor code says there is no medical post, water or toilets inside; camping, bivouacking and fires are banned; and in thunderstorms, strong wind or heat you should avoid passing under the rock walls. For Ferragosto 2026 (13–16 August), the mayor also banned picnics, fires and tents in the Favorita and the Pellegrino reserve (Amica News, second-hand).
Bolts and protection on Monte Gallo. Planetmountain's route pages say Kaos has bolts that are sometimes far apart, with obligatory moves in exposed sections; Vento d'estate needs a full set of cams and nuts; Mona Lisa was bolted ground-up (S2/3), and a set of Totem cams helps on pitch 5.
Rescue. All of Sicily now uses the single emergency number 112; calls to 113, 115 and 118 are routed to the 112 centre too (Ministry of the Interior, 2019). Calls are free and the service is multilingual.
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 single pitches below come from the most-repeated lists on each Climbook sector page (Climbook says it updated them in January 2024 from the 2022 edition of Di Roccia di Sole); the multi-pitch routes come from Planetmountain and Gulliver route pages. Repeat counts are small, so treat them only as relative popularity.
Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)
Valdesi has the most routes at this level; the ten most repeated routes there on Climbook are all below 6b. Schiavo and Mariella have some too.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimo raggio | 5b | 5.8 | Single pitch | Valdesi | Climbook: 14 repeats |
| La luffa L1 | 5c+ | approx. 5.9+ | Single pitch | Valdesi | Climbook: 11 repeats |
| Ciocca sciocca | 6a | 5.10a | Single pitch | Valdesi | Most repeated at Valdesi, Climbook: 16 |
| 18/06/94 a Roby | 6a | 5.10a | Single pitch | Valdesi | Climbook: 12 repeats |
| Diretta L1 | 5c+ | approx. 5.9+ | Single pitch | Roccia dello Schiavo | Most repeated at Schiavo, Climbook: 7 |
| Manomolla | 5c+ | approx. 5.9+ | Single pitch | Mariella Crack'n Up | Climbook: 3 repeats |
Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)
The most repeated routes at Bauso Rosso fall in this range, and Valdesi and Schiavo have some too. Vento d'estate on the west face of Monte Gallo is a long route at this grade, but you place your own gear.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Gattopardi | 6b | 5.10c | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso | Most repeated at Bauso Rosso, Climbook: 13 |
| Malacoth L1 | 6c (older sources 6c+) | 5.11a/b | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso | Climbook: 11 repeats |
| Spider | 6b | 5.10c | Single pitch | Valdesi | Climbook: 7 repeats |
| Il dormiglione | 5b+, 6a+, 6b | hardest 5.10c | 3 pitches | Valdesi | Climbook comment citing Di Roccia di Sole: pitch 3 belays on a tree; abseil the route or walk down the west gully |
| Daniela L1 | 6c | 5.11a/b | Single pitch | Roccia dello Schiavo | Climbook: 3 repeats |
| Vento d'estate | 6c (6b+ obligatory) | 5.11a/b | 290 m, 9 pitches (6c, 6a, 6b+, 6b, 6a, 5c+, 4a, 6b+, 6a) | Monte Gallo west face | FA Flaccavento and Iurato, 2010; supplement the bolts with cams and nuts (Planetmountain) |
Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)
Most of Bauso Rosso's Inferno and Purgatorio sectors and Pellegrino's Pablo and Preistoria sectors are 7a and up. The two modern long routes on Monte Gallo are here as well.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il Gatto e la Volpe | 7a | 5.11d | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso | Climbook: 5 repeats |
| Anteo | 7a+ | 5.12a | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso | Climbook: 5 repeats |
| 800A forte | 7a | 5.11d | Single pitch | Pablo | Most repeated at Pablo, Climbook: 4 |
| Preistoria | 7c | 5.12d | Single pitch | Preistoria | Climbook: 1 repeat |
| Kaos | 7c (7a+ obligatory) | 5.12d | 325 m, 8 pitches (7a+, 6a+, 6c, 6c+, 6c+, 7c, 7b+, 7a) | Monte Gallo north face | FA Giupponi, Larcher and Oviglia, 2009; bolts sometimes run out; take 12 quickdraws and 60 m ropes; 6 abseils to descend (Planetmountain) |
| Mona Lisa | 7c+ (7a+ obligatory) | 5.13a | 360 m | Monte Gallo, just past the lighthouse | Opened 2024–2025 by Rivadossi and Consiglio up the tallest part of the wall (Planetmountain 2025) |
Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)
The 8a-and-up routes are concentrated in the Inferno sector of Bauso Rosso and in Preistoria and Parete dei Rotoli on Pellegrino; Climbook shows only a handful of repeats for each.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucifero L1 | 8a | 5.13b | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso (Inferno) | Climbook: 3 repeats |
| L'Arcangelo | 8a | 5.13b | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso | Climbook: 2 repeats |
| Mio cugino l'esorcista | 8b | 5.13d | Single pitch | Bauso Rosso (Inferno) | No repeats logged on Climbook |
| Il giudice | 8a | 5.13b | Single pitch | Preistoria | Climbook: 1 repeat |
| Pompa Funebre | 8b (7a+ obligatory) | 5.13d | 150 m, 5 pitches (7a+, 8b, 7c, 7c, 4c) | Parete dei Rotoli | FA Larcher, Giupponi and Sartori, 2011; pitch grades from Climbook (Planetmountain 2011) |
Trad and multi-pitch
Monte Gallo also has classics where you place almost all your own gear. The pitch grades below are UIAA; the overall grade is French.
| Route | Original grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Wall | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canto del Gallo | 6a+ (6a obligatory) | 5.10b | 400 m, 11 pitches (UIAA III to VI+) | Monte Gallo (Santa Margherita), faces north-west | Gulliver: "quasi interamente da proteggere" (almost entirely self-protected), with bolted belays; somewhat loose rock on pitch 8; walk up from Via Barcarello in Sferracavallo |
A 2009 Planetmountain news item also mentions that in the same month Pinotti and Oviglia opened Fatti non foste on Monte Gallo (215 m, 6b/c max, 6b obligatory).
Where to look things up
- theCrag: Palermo: routes, heights and logged ascents by sector; the page also points to paid topos on AllClimb and ClimbAdvisor.
- Climbook: Monte Pellegrino: route lists and most-repeated lists by sector, based on the 2022 edition of Di Roccia di Sole.
- Climbing Spot Factory: Valdesi: crag description, parking and approach.
- Planetmountain: Kaos, Vento d'estate: pitch-by-pitch grades, gear and descent for Monte Gallo multi-pitch.
- Palermo civil protection and Monte Pellegrino reserve notices: rockfall ordinances, path and road closures.
- AMAT routes and timetables: current service and diversions for the 806 and other city buses.
- Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
- Sicily (Daimon Beail, Rockfax, March 2021, English, ISBN 978-1-873341-68-1): San Vito plus Palermo; the Palermo chapters are Mariella Crack'n Up, Valdesi, Roccia dello Schiavo and Bauso Rosso. Rockfax says a new edition is in preparation; also on Rockfax Digital.
- Di Roccia di Sole (Massimo Cappuccio, Giuseppe Gallo, Versante Sud, 2022, separate Italian, English and German editions, 560 pages, Italian ISBN 978-88-85475-83-0): single-pitch climbing across Sicily, plus bouldering and DWS; the publisher says multi-pitch will come out as a separate volume.
- Climbing Guidebook Sicily – Multipitchclimbing around Palermo (Verena Friedl, tmms-Verlag, 2021, German/English/Italian, 136 pages): multi-pitch of 100–300 m around Capo Gallo, 5b to 6c (mostly 6a). climbing-guide.eu listed it as out of stock in October 2026. theCrag's description says these routes were set up by Heinz Grill, Florian Kluckner and their circle.
References
- Mountain Project: Palermo Area
- theCrag: Palermo
- theCrag: Monte Pellegrino
- theCrag: Bauso Rosso
- Climbook: Monte Pellegrino
- Climbook: Valdesi
- Climbook: Lo Schiavo
- Climbook: Mariella Crack'n Up
- Climbook: Pablo
- Climbook: Preistoria
- Climbook: Parete dei Rotoli
- Climbook: Bauso Rosso
- Climbing Spot Factory: Something about Valdesi
- UKC Logbook: Mount Pellegrino – Roccia dello Schiavo
- UKC: Destination Guide: Sicily (2022)
- Planetmountain: Pompa Funebre (2011)
- Planetmountain: Kaos – Monte Gallo
- Planetmountain: Kaos – Monte Gallo (Italian page, with the 2009 news item; in Italian)
- Planetmountain: Mona Lisa added to Monte Gallo (2025)
- Planetmountain: Vento d'estate – Monte Gallo (in Italian)
- Gulliver: Gallo (Monte), Santa Margherita – Canto del Gallo (in Italian)
- Wikipedia: Riserva naturale orientata Capo Gallo (in Italian)
- Escursionismo.it: RNO Monte Gallo e Bauso Rosso (in Italian)
- AMAT: Percorsi e orari (in Italian)
- AMAT: Linea estiva 806 (in Italian)
- Comune di Palermo Protezione Civile: Ordinanza Sindacale 157/OS of 25/11/2020 (in Italian)
- Comune di Palermo Protezione Civile: Avvisi regionali (in Italian)
- Comune di Palermo: Ordinanza Sindacale 80/2019, Parco della Favorita (in Italian)
- Comune di Palermo: Ordinanza 1040/2026, no parking for rock-wall works (in Italian)
- Riserva Monte Pellegrino (in Italian)
- Riserva Monte Pellegrino: News e avvisi (in Italian)
- Regione Siciliana: Monte Pellegrino reserve visitor code (PDF, in Italian)
- PalermoToday: Cadono massi da Monte Pellegrino (29 Dec 2025, in Italian)
- la Repubblica Palermo: Sei crolli e una frana in pochi anni (11 Aug 2020, in Italian)
- Amica News: Ferragosto 2026 anti-bivouac ordinance (in Italian)
- Ministero dell'Interno: NUE 112 now active in Palermo (2019, in Italian)
- Rockfax: Sicily
- Versante Sud: Di Roccia di Sole (in Italian)
- climbing-guide.eu: Climbing Guidebook Sicily – Multipitchclimbing around Palermo
- Mountain Project: International Climbing Grades