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Pennadomo is a small village in the province of Chieti in Abruzzo, in the middle Sangro valley next to Lago di Bomba. Planetmountain's write-up is by the crag's developer, Giorgio Ferretti, who describes the village as surrounded by "incredibili lame calcaree" (incredible limestone blades) rising out of the hills; locally they're called the "Lisce". He bolted the first routes in the late 1980s, and the crag became an important chapter in Abruzzo's climbing history.
This post covers what to decide before you go: whether it suits your level, which months, how to get there, and which sectors are currently off-limits or in poor shape. For Molise, one region south, see Frosolone; for a season-and-region comparison of Italian crags, see the series overview.
What kind of crag is it
Rock and style. falesia.it describes "Durissimo calcare grigio e giallo con alcuni tratti di conglomerato" (very hard grey and yellow limestone with some conglomerate). Planetmountain says the style is mostly technical, from slightly slabby walls to overhanging crimps (tacche); Abruzzo Verticale adds "in tutti i casi richiede molta forza di dita" (whatever you climb, it takes a lot of finger strength), with an average grade around 6c.
Sectors. All are around the village. Planetmountain lists:
| Sector | Character (Planetmountain) |
|---|---|
| Cima Fumosa | Right of the village; short, intense 10–30 m routes on slabby to slightly overhanging rock |
| Solitudine | A small railed terrace with vertical routes of about 10 m |
| Dietro le Placche | 4 routes, 5c–6a |
| Placche dell'Oasi | Lake view, a two-metre-wide ledge, 15–25 m routes; developed in 1992, home to one of the region's first 8a's |
| Resegone | A blade of rock rising from clay ground, developed from 1995, faces west; the other face is Resegonest |
| Gole | Two long lines (25 m and 40 m) by the stream bed |
| Paretone (Liscia di Santa Maria) | Above the village and the first wall developed; its 12 routes "non sono attualmente scalabili" (are currently not climbable) |
Alpinisti d'Appennino wrote about Resegone in March 2026: orange conglomerate with big holes low down, small edges on grey streaks higher up, and many routes where you can link two pitches into one with an 80 m rope, which is "talvolta non sufficiente" (sometimes not long enough).
Scale. The sites differ (checked October 2026):
| Source | Count |
|---|---|
| theCrag | 46 routes |
| Planetmountain | 72 routes, 4b–8b, up to 40 m |
| Climbook | Resegone/Resegonest 41 routes; Cima Fumosa and two neighbours 34 routes |
| falesia.it (updated 30 May 2025) | 101 routes, 4b–8b+ |
Who it suits. Sport climbers who like technical slab and have strong fingers. Cima Fumosa and the first pitches on Resegone have some 5a–6a routes for less experienced partners, but the overall average is around 6c.
When to go
| Source | Season |
|---|---|
| Planetmountain | Hilly terrain and walls facing different ways, so climbable all year; Resegone faces west and suits cold weather |
| Abruzzo Verticale | About 400 m, climbable all year when it's not raining; Solitudine and Placche dell'Oasi get morning sun, Resegone and Dietro le placche afternoon sun |
| Climbook, Cima Fumosa page | Cima Fumosa is in shade until noon; Solitudine goes into shade from noon |
| Climbook, Resegone page comments | Resegone is an autumn–winter wall; from March it's very hot in the sun |
How to plan it. In winter, go to Resegone in the afternoon for sun; in summer, pick Cima Fumosa in the morning shade or Solitudine after noon. The altitude is low, so midsummer runs hot overall.
Getting there
Public transport
Regional buses in Abruzzo are run by TUA, whose site lets you search PDF timetables by departure and arrival town. In October 2026 we couldn't pull up any service to Pennadomo (the search box only works interactively in a browser). It's a small hill village, so in practice you'll need a car, or ask your accommodation about a lift.
Driving
Planetmountain: from Pescara take the A14 towards Bari, exit at Val di Sangro, follow the SS652 towards Perano, and at Bomba turn right up to Pennadomo. Alpinisti d'Appennino gives two more options: from Rome via the A24/A25; from the south, take the SS652 to the Fallo exit and the SP132 into the village.
Parking
Abruzzo Verticale says to park in the village centre; Alpinisti d'Appennino says there are a few car parks once you're in the village. From there you walk to each sector:
- Resegone: from the small square, go a few metres past the bar and down the gated stairway on the right, take the dirt track left at the fork, past a water-treatment plant and a small bridge, then the path; about 20 minutes (Alpinisti d'Appennino).
- Placche dell'Oasi: from the small square take Via Roma, then up Via S. Nicola and Via della Croce until you see sector signs (Abruzzo Verticale).
- Gole: on the road up to the village, park before the small bridge and drop into the San Leo stream bed, 1 minute (Planetmountain).
Rules to know before you go
No climbing ban found. In October 2026 we saw no closure or ban notice on Planetmountain, falesia.it, theCrag, Climbook or Abruzzo Verticale, and found no town or protected-area order. That doesn't prove there isn't one, so watch for signs on site.
Sector conditions.
- Paretone (Liscia di Santa Maria): Planetmountain says its 12 routes are currently not climbable.
- Dietro le placche: Climbook flagged it in autumn 2024 as "settore in stato di abbandono" (abandoned sector).
- Cima Fumosa: on Climbook, routes such as Bimba, Bimbo, Sto cengio and La fratta are marked "Richiodata" (rebolted), with anchors replaced by two glue-in bolts or chains.
- Elsewhere: Abruzzo Verticale wrote in 2020 that the bolting is "Ottima" (excellent), with chains to lower off every route.
Etiquette. On Climbook's Cima Fumosa page a local commenter writes about crowding in a single day and asks people to behave well at the small walls. The crag is right beside the village, so parking, noise and litter affect residents directly.
Rescue. italia.it says to call 112 in an emergency; 118 is the medical emergency number and also covers mountain rescue.
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.
Routes and sectors follow Planetmountain's list; repeat counts come from Climbook (data updated from the 2023 Abruzzo Rock). Many Resegone routes have two or three lower-offs and Planetmountain lists each grade in turn (for example Il Cocciuto "6a, 6b+, 7b+"); the table gives the hardest and notes the first lower-off separately.
Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)
Concentrated on Cima Fumosa and the first lower-offs on Resegone.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bimba | 5a | 5.7 | single pitch | Cima Fumosa | Climbook 40 repeats; rebolted |
| Bimbo | 5a | 5.7 | single pitch | Cima Fumosa | Climbook 31 repeats; rebolted |
| La fratta | 4c (Planetmountain) / 5a (Climbook) | 5.6 | single pitch | Cima Fumosa | Climbook 25 repeats |
| I ritardi di Franco | 5c | 5.9 | single pitch | Resegone | Climbook 79 repeats |
| L'ubriachezza L1 | 5c | 5.9 | first lower-off | Resegone | Climbook 71 repeats |
| Il cocciuto L1 | 6a | 5.10a | first lower-off | Resegone | Most repeated on Climbook, 94; up to 7b+ if you continue |
| Pimpa L1 | 6a | 5.10a | first lower-off | Resegone | Climbook 84 repeats; second lower-off 6c+ |
Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emilio way | 6a+ | 5.10b | single pitch | Cima Fumosa | Listed by Planetmountain |
| Farlocco | 6b | 5.10c | about 10 m | Solitudine | Climbook 23 repeats; rebolted |
| L'appunto | 6b | 5.10c | single pitch | Resegone | Climbook 42 repeats |
| La Ciaccetta | 6b | 5.10c | 15–25 m | Placche dell'Oasi | Listed by Planetmountain; the easiest line in the sector |
| Resegone L1 | 6b+ | 5.10d | first lower-off | Resegone | Climbook 38 repeats; 7a+ to the second lower-off |
| Attraverso l'Eleganza | 6c | 5.11a/b | single pitch | Resegone | Listed by Planetmountain |
| Pippa | 6c+ (Climbook) / 7a (older topos) | 5.11c | single pitch | Resegone | Climbook 48 repeats |
Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Bugiarda | 7a | 5.11d | 15–25 m | Placche dell'Oasi | Listed by Planetmountain |
| La banda dei tre | 7a+ (Climbook) / 7a (Planetmountain) | 5.12a | single pitch | Resegone | Climbook 29 repeats |
| The first way | 7a+ | 5.12a | single pitch | Resegone | Climbook 30 repeats |
| La pazienza... | 7b | 5.12b | single pitch | Resegone | Listed by Planetmountain |
| La Fetta | 7b | 5.12b | 25 m | Gole | Listed by Planetmountain |
| Paranoia Sessuale | 7c (Planetmountain) / 7b+ (guesthouse page) | 5.12d | 15–25 m | Placche dell'Oasi | The two sources differ by half a grade |
| Forza Italia 2006 | 7c | 5.12d | 40 m | Gole | Listed by Planetmountain |
Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)
Planetmountain tops out at 8b and falesia.it at 8b+; most routes in this range are extensions above the first lower-off on Placche dell'Oasi and Resegone.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seghe nello Spazio | 8a | 5.13b | 15–25 m | Placche dell'Oasi | Bolted by Ferretti in 1992, "uno dei primi 8a della regione" (one of the region's first 8a's) |
| Spensierata Passione | 8a (first lower-off 7a+) | 5.13b | two lower-offs | Placche dell'Oasi | Listed by Planetmountain |
| Mazza e Ramazza | 8a (first lower-off 7b+) | 5.13b | two lower-offs | Resegone | Listed by Planetmountain |
| La Strusciata | 8b (first lower-off 7b+) | 5.13d | two lower-offs | Placche dell'Oasi | The hardest line on Planetmountain's list |
Where to look things up
- Planetmountain: Pennadomo: the developer's history, sector descriptions and route lists.
- falesia.it: Pennadomo: 101 routes, aspects and last-update date.
- Climbook: Resegone, Resegonest and Climbook: Cima fumosa, Solitudine, Dietro le placche: repeat counts and reports of rebolted and abandoned sectors.
- Abruzzo Verticale: Pennadomo: sun times and walking routes to each sector.
- Alpinisti d'Appennino: Falesia Resegone: Resegone approach and rope-length warning.
- TUA: Abruzzo regional bus timetable search.
- Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
- Abruzzo Rock – Ai piedi del Gran Sasso: falesie di Chieti, L'Aquila, Pescara, Teramo (L. Marziale, L. Angelozzi, A. Puca, M. Cittadini and S. Giovanetti, Versante Sud, 2023, Italian, ISBN 978-88-55471-18-3; also in the iClimbing app): sport crags across Abruzzo's four provinces; listed as "Disponibile" in October 2026. Climbook's Pennadomo data was updated from this book.
- Abruzzo verticale (Tommaso Sciannella and Andrea Di Donato, Verdone Editore, 2011): 40 crags and 1,400 routes, in Planetmountain's bibliography; superseded by the 2023 Abruzzo Rock.
- Arrampicare in Abruzzo (Sergio Di Rienzo): an older title cited by Planetmountain and falesia.it; year not found.
References
- Planetmountain: Pennadomo
- falesia.it: Pennadomo
- theCrag: Pennadomo
- Climbook: Pennadomo (Resegone, Resegonest)
- Climbook: Pennadomo (Cima fumosa, Solitudine, Dietro le placche)
- Abruzzo Verticale: Pennadomo
- Alpinisti d'Appennino: Falesia Resegone – Pennadomo (2026)
- Sangro Aventino Turismo: Falesia di Pennadomo
- Pennadomo Climbing House: Falesie di Pennadomo
- Versante Sud: Abruzzo Rock
- TUA: Linee extraurbane e suburbane
- italia.it: Numeri di emergenza e assistenza