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Rocche del Crasto is in the Nebrodi mountains of Messina province, in north-east Sicily. The Nebrodi are mostly sandstone hills; this cluster of limestone peaks is the exception. UKC's Sicily guide lists "the wild Rocche del Crasto" among the multi-pitch areas in the east of the island, and the official Sicilian tourism site says that it and neighbouring Rocca Calanna and Rocca Traura are "immersed in rugged wild terrain, where eagles and griffons hover undisturbed".
There is none of the established climbing infrastructure you find at San Vito, and few routes are documented online. This post covers what to decide before you go: what there is to climb, who it suits, which months make sense, whether you can get there without a car, and the rules in the core zone of the park. For western Sicily see Palermo and San Vito lo Capo; for a season comparison of Italian crags, see the series overview.
What kind of crag is it
Limestone and dolomitic limestone. The Nebrodi park describes Rocche del Crasto as a Mesozoic formation of shiny grey crystalline rock and white and pink dolomitic limestone, often streaked green and red, right next to the villages of Longi, San Marco d'Alunzio and Alcara Li Fusi.
The documented routes are on Rocca Calanna. Planetmountain's Artino's Wall page describes a single-pitch crag at the foot of Rocca Calanna: 16 routes, south-facing limestone, mostly "splendide vie di placca su roccia eccezionale" (superb slab routes on exceptional rock). Max Flaccavento and Giuseppe Barbagallo bolted them top-down in 2012, and many grades are still unconfirmed. On the same face the pair opened the 110 m Sognatori allo sbaraglio in 2011 and completed the 180 m, six-pitch Il Paradiso all'improvviso in 2012 (Planetmountain 2012).
The big wall of Rocca Traura. In a 2017 Planetmountain article, Flaccavento writes that the south-west face of Rocca Traura, above the entrance to Alcara, drops more than 350 m and looks like the Dolomites, but "non ostentino sempre una roccia di qualità ottima" (the rock is not always of the best quality). Their route up the central pillar, Ritorno al passato, crosses a loose, vegetated band with little protection. The article gives no grade.
Size. No database gives a total. theCrag has no Rocche del Crasto area page; the main things to look up are the Planetmountain pages above.
Who it suits. Climbers who want slabs and multi-pitch in empty, wild mountains and can place their own gear and abseil. Artino's Wall has a few short routes from 3a to 4c, but this is not the place for a first trip outdoors: the roads are mountain roads, there are no other climbers around to ask, and Planetmountain recommends a helmet.
When to go
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Planetmountain: Artino's Wall | Faces south |
| Planetmountain: Sognatori allo sbaraglio | Faces south-west, 1,054 m above sea level |
| UKC Sicily guide | Winter (December to March) is cold inland; summer inland is torrid; spring and autumn are best |
| Planetmountain 2017 | On the first attempt on Ritorno al passato in early January 2015 there was snow on the summits |
No source gives the best months for Rocche del Crasto directly. Putting the above together, our guess is: south-facing and about 1,000 m up, so spring and autumn are the best fit; the south faces will be very exposed to the sun at midday in high summer, and there may be snow in winter. The first ascents on Artino's Wall are dated anywhere from April to December.
Getting there
| Public transport | Driving | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Sant'Agata di Militello station on the Messina–Palermo line | A20 Messina–Palermo motorway, Sant'Agata di Militello exit |
| Middle | Autolinee Sberna bus to Alcara Li Fusi, Monday to Saturday | About 15–17 km to Alcara Li Fusi |
| Last stretch | None of the sources describe getting from the village to the crag | Up to Contrada Cammara; park near the Artino trattoria |
Public transport
The Militello Rosmarino council's travel page (published February 2024) lists Autolinee Sberna buses from Sant'Agata Militello station via Militello Rosmarino to Alcara li Fusi, Monday to Saturday; going by that page, the first morning bus leaves the station at 8:00 and reaches Alcara at 8:35. This is the council's copy of the timetable, so confirm with Sberna before you travel.
From Alcara you still have a mountain road up to the Artino trattoria, and every source we found describes it by car, with no walking time. UKC's advice is to rent a car in Sicily.
Driving
Planetmountain's Sognatori allo sbaraglio page says: leave the A20 at S. Agata di Militello and drive about 17 km to Alcara li Fusi; leave the village towards the hermitage of S. Nicolò, pass the "Il Grifone" pizzeria, and within 1 km turn right onto a dirt road that goes down, then up and becomes asphalt; follow the hairpins up to Contrada Cammara, pass a group of houses and park near the Artino trattoria. The Artino's Wall page says the road towards Portella Gazzana "in alcuni tratti è in cattive condizioni" (is in bad condition in places).
Parking and approach
Park near the Artino trattoria. Planetmountain says you can ask there about the crag and other climbing nearby. From the car an easy path takes about 10 minutes to Artino's Wall; Sognatori allo sbaraglio is also about 10 minutes, up a scree slope.
Rules to know before you go
The park's full-protection zone (first-hand: Nebrodi park). The park's zoning page says Zone A (riserva integrale, full protection) includes "alcuni affioramenti rocciosi (Rocche del Crasto)". The activities it lists as allowed in Zone A are hiking on foot and on horseback, driving on existing roads, grazing, and farming and forestry; climbing is not mentioned, and we did not find any park rule specific to climbing. Sicily's parks law bans capturing, harming or disturbing animals in parks and lighting fires in the open. If in doubt, ask the park directly (phone 0921 333015, park website).
Griffon vultures and golden eagles nest here. The park runs a griffon reintroduction project on Rocche del Crasto; a park page puts the colony at about 35 birds, with nine nests that year and chicks fledging in July and August. The park has also installed cameras next to griffon and golden eagle nests to monitor them (park page). We found no breeding-season climbing ban; if you see big birds or a nest, keep away, and don't open new routes nearby.
Livestock. The park says cows, horses, goats and sheep often graze on the slopes; walk around them and don't disturb them.
Loose rock. The first pitch of Sognatori allo sbaraglio has a section of "roccia delicata" (fragile rock), Rocca Traura's rock is not always good, and Planetmountain's Artino's Wall page recommends a helmet.
Rescue. All of Sicily uses the single emergency number 112 (Ministry of the Interior, 2019). Before you set out, tell your accommodation or the Artino trattoria your plan and when you expect to be back.
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.
All the single pitches come from Planetmountain's Artino's Wall page, which says many grades are still unconfirmed and is the only source; the multi-pitch routes come from Planetmountain route pages and news. The Artino's Wall page numbers the routes from right to left, and the names are written at the foot of each route.
Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)
The right-hand side of Artino's Wall has a group of short slabs, good for warming up or taking beginners.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U Tenente | 3a | 5.2 | 12 m | Artino's Wall | Easy-angled slab; Planetmountain says it suits novices |
| La pazienza di Erika | 4a | 5.4 | 15 m | Artino's Wall | Easy slab |
| Numeri e lettere | 4c | 5.6 | 10 m | Artino's Wall | Shares a belay with White tiger |
| Sailor Moon | 5a | 5.7 | 18 m | Artino's Wall | Juggy arête |
| Ciliegie bianche | 6a | 5.10a | 20 m | Artino's Wall | — |
Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sognatori allo sbaraglio | 6a, 6b, 6a, 5c | hardest 5.10c | 110 m, 4 pitches | Rocca Calanna south-west face | FA Flaccavento and Barbagallo, 2011; 6a obligatory; pitch 2 is a crack you protect yourself; take a full set of cams (big sizes), 3 large nuts and two 55 m half ropes, and abseil the route (Planetmountain) |
| King Artin | 6c | 5.11a/b | 24 m | Artino's Wall | Vertical wall into a slab |
| Defibrillation | 6c | 5.11a/b | 24 m | Artino's Wall | Planetmountain calls it a great route for movement |
| Hasta siempre Presidente | 6c | 5.11a/b | 25 m | Artino's Wall | Fine slab at the top |
| Storia di una meteora | 6c+ | 5.11c | 24 m | Artino's Wall | Technical slab |
| Figli delle stelle | 6c+ | 5.11c | 35 m | Artino's Wall | Planetmountain: "Via da non perdere assolutamente" (not to be missed); a long slab |
Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konan il Barbagian | 7a | 5.11d | 25 m | Artino's Wall | — |
| Primavera ribelle | 7b/7b+ | 5.12b | 30 m | Artino's Wall | Slightly overhanging start, then a hard technical slab |
| Nato per me | 7b+ | 5.12c | 25 m | Artino's Wall | — |
| Alacras in the heart | 7c/7c+ | 5.12d | 22 m | Artino's Wall | Highly technical slab from start to finish |
| Il Paradiso all'improvviso | 7c | 5.12d | 180 m, 6 pitches | Rocca Calanna south face | Opened 2009–2012; first free ascent by Flaccavento and Barbagallo on 15 April 2012 (Planetmountain 2012) |
Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)
Not listed in the sources. Planetmountain's Artino's Wall page gives the crag's range as 4a–8b, but the hardest route in its table is 7c/7c+, plus an unfinished project, Cumparanza.
Where to look things up
- Planetmountain: Rocca Calanna – Artino's wall: length, grade and approach for the 16 single pitches; currently the most complete information online.
- Planetmountain: Sognatori allo sbaraglio: pitch grades, gear and the driving route.
- Nebrodi park: Rocche del Crasto: hiking routes, geology, flora and fauna; park rules and contacts.
- The Artino trattoria: Planetmountain says you can ask here about the crag and other climbing nearby.
- Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
- We found no printed guide dedicated to Rocche del Crasto.
- 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's page does not say which Nebrodi crags it includes. The publisher says multi-pitch will come out as a separate volume.
References
- UKC: Destination Guide: Sicily (2022)
- VisitSicily: Climbing and Deep-Water Soloing in Sicily
- Planetmountain: Rocca Calanna – Artino's wall (in Italian)
- Planetmountain: New routes on Rocca Calanna in Sicily (2012, in Italian)
- Planetmountain: Sognatori allo sbaraglio – Rocca Calanna (in Italian)
- Planetmountain: Ritorno al passato, Rocca Traura (2017, in Italian)
- Parco dei Nebrodi: Le Rocche del Crasto (in Italian)
- Parco dei Nebrodi: La zonizzazione (in Italian)
- Parco dei Nebrodi: Prospera la colonia di grifoni (in Italian)
- Parco dei Nebrodi: Nest monitoring (in Italian)
- Sicilian regional law 98/1981 on parks and reserves, as amended by L.R. 14/88 (in Italian)
- Comune di Militello Rosmarino: Come arrivare (in Italian)
- 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