Sicily is one of the most popular Italian destinations to combine a climbing holiday with unforgettable diving, relaxation and "good vibes". Its geographical location and the mild climate make spring and autumn the ideal seasons for visiting Sicily, here incuding also the very end of summer - from late September onwards - when the sea is pleasantly warm and you can climb almost every hour.
Within the infinite possibilities that Sicily offers us to climb on different styles and levels, San Vito Lo Capo continues to represent the most popular destination for national and foreign tourism and for all those climbers who want to make their holidays a moment to enjoy both climbing and relaxation on the beach.
About the rock
In San Vito Lo Capo we find impressive limestone walls, characterized by different inclinations and conformations: the most appreciated style by those who come to climb in these parts is "continuity climbing" on reeds in slight overhangs, but there are no lack of well-worked plaques, nor of more physical overhangs. Resistance, explosiveness, finger strength or dynamic movements: the variety of cliffs and routes is so wide that anyone can find their own style and try even on some less congenial route. The panorama and the environment make every day at the crag a unique and unforgettable experience.
The main areas
The main sectors such as Salinella, Cala Mancina, Cathedral in the desert and Never Sleeping Wall are often very popular, but you can also alternate them with less crowded areas with a wilder character. The beauty of a climbing holiday in Sicily is that you can vary sector every day, facing an adventure always new without having to do too many kilometres from the "base".
Five easy sectors
The climbing level to enjoy the best of the rock and of the most beautiful routes of this area is the lower intermediate (from 6a/ 6b and up) but the possibilities for those who are starting to climb are equally valid and no less numerous. So here are five ideal crags that are located in the area of San Vito Lo Capo, also ideal for beginner climbers leaving for their first climbing trip.
Spiaggetta Cala Mancina
Beautiful walls of compact rock rise directly from the bay of Salinella, welcoming throughout the year climbers who enjoy climbing on routes of different difficulties. Here we find the third and fourth grade routes as well as the 8b+ for a total of more than one hundred and fifty routes available to a vast number of climbers. The different exposures of the sectors allow you to take advantage of this particularly photogenic crag with all weather conditions; its routes generally develop over a maximum length of twenty meters and require technique, finger strength and love for slabs.
Zoo
Proceeding beyond the beach of Cala Mancina we find the Zoo, one of the sectors bolted mainly for climbers of level "beginner". Here we find an incredible concentration of easy and very easy routeson slabs, very popular and appreciated even for a first warm-up phase. The routes of this sector are located on the outside walls of the famous Cala Mancina Cave, a sector that is definitely more demanding but that always deserves to be at least "visited". Also at the Zoo we find plaque routes on solid and well worked limestone, which generally develop over lengths from twenty to thirty meters.
Salinella Camping
Still a sector of the cliff of Salinella with routes suitable for everyone and that is located right on the road of Camping El Bahira from which sometimes takes its name: here it is not uncommon to find families with children, as well as intermediate and high level climbers fighting with the most overhanging pitches. More than one hundred and fifty routes offer fun for everyone with lengths ranging from fifteen to twenty-five meters. Here too the slab walls are worked by erosion and offer good holds for a varied and always fun climbing. The entire cliff of Salinella is mainly exposed to the west, remaining pleasantly in the shade in the warmer months from morning until 14.
Parco Cerriolo Custonaci
The Rocca di Cerriolo in Custonaci stands in all its potential with vertical walls or much more overhanging depending on the sides. Here we can find routes from the fourth to 8c+, with a decidedly more sustained development that sometimes exceeds thirty meters. To climb here you will need good levels of strength and strenght endurance, with technical boulders on vertical walls and dynamic and explosive movements in the overhangs. The Parco Cerriolo area is dedicated to the easiest routes, always of good quality and with an unmissable view of the valleys of Trapani.
Cattedrale nel Deserto
This sector is definitely more challenging in terms of difficulty but it is still a stop that we can not miss in a trip to San Vito Lo Capo. It represents a piece of history of this area: it is the first sector to have been equipped for sport climbing, and in fact here we have the opportunity to climb on routes that are great classics. Its north-east exposure allows you to climb in the shade practically all day, and it is one of the most popular areas in summer. Slabs are - as always - technical and demanding, and they require continuity, finger strength and mental tenacity.
What makes climbing in Sicily so special?
Climbing in Sicily is in constant turmoil and this is demonstrated by the many young talents who are growing right among the cliffs of San Vito Lo Capo and surroundings. A constant enhancement of the territory and the cliffs is creating an increasingly safe and tested environment also at the level of bolts and restorations. The famous Festival that takes place here every year, shows how San Vito Lo Capo never goes out of fashion: on the contrary, it is a consolidated destination for many Italian and foreign climbers. Needless to say the gastronomic aspect of these areas is a real pleasure: the most regenerating way to recover after a day of outdoor sports!
Cover image: Luiz Cent, San Vito Lo Capo