Falesie/Klettergärten

Text in Italian with partial translation into German.

The province of Brescia is characterized by a vast mountain territory: the imposing granite peaks of Adamello, the limestone and dolomite structures of the central southern areas, three lakes, four valleys, with a great number of large and small crags scattered over the mountainsides.

However – probably due to the extent of its territory, making it harder to explore, or to the reserved nature of local people – the crags of Val Calcamonica, Val Trompia, Val Sabbia and the Garda Lake are still little known. Although Brescia was one of the places where the revolution of free climbing kicked off in Italy (some of the first 8as free climbed in our country are situated in the crags of Monte Maddalena and Cava di Virle), many of the crags are still rarely visited, apart from local climbers.

The Valle dell’Opol, near the Iseo Lake, being the destination of many climbers from all over Europe, is the exception that proves the rule: many other interesting and worthy spots, in beautiful natural environments, remain the solitary playground of lizards, dormouses, falcons and some occasional local climber.

This guidebook – which is not comprehensive yet, unfortunately – is an invitation to explore the mountains of Brescia and its crags and to discover the beauty of a modest and wonderful nature – hidden behind the bulky barrier of the buildings in the valleys below – which has a lot to offer, both to beginners and expert climbers.

Sandro De Toni, born in 1967, has been climbing for 30 years in the mountains of the whole Alpine chain (Alpi Carniche, Marmolada, Pale di San Lucano, Adamello, Val Masino, Monte Bianco), even though he has now reduced his activity due to injuries and age. He now spends most of his time exploring the most isolated crags of Brescia.

Stefano Maffi, born in 1975, has been climbing for 20 years and took an interest in developing new routes and crags since the very beginning. He has become such a bolting enthusiast that this activity is now a fixed idea for him. Among the crags he bolted, that are included in this guidebook, you will find Tisdel and La Pala, both situated in Valle dell’Opol. Together with other members, he contributed to the creation of the Opol Rock association.