139 crags, 6000 single pitches, thousands of metres of climbing on splendid limestone. An immense vertical area, it is possible to climb here all year round, in the European paradise of sport climbing.

This guide book is for everyone. For those who have just discovered rock climbing, for those who have always climbed and for professionals who climb routes up to 9b+. Among the new additions in this sixth edition you will find the crags of San Giovanni al Monte, Due Sassi, Base Casale, Covelo… And Rovereto: once again part of this guide book’s climbing heritage thanks to the opening of many beautiful new routes.Sector after sector, pitch after pitch: all the walls described in this guidebook have all been carefully analysed to offer you the most up to date work possible.

All the access, routes and topos have been reviewed. Interviews with key figures from the vertical world, along with historical insights, enrich this new edition of Arco Rock.

Mario Manica: from Rovereto. His father Bruno was an alpinist and it was on his rope that as a child Mario carried out his first vertical experiments. It will then be the Dolomites, together with Marcello Luciani, to give him his baptism on rock. As well as the Sarca Valley when, in 1979, together with Giuliano Stenghel he opened the first two routes at Nago. In 1985 his first expedition: Patagonia. From then on various routes were opened: Alaska, Baffin, Greenland, NW Territories, Borneo, Iran, Oman, Mali. His winter repetitions on the North and South Towers of Paine, first in the world of that group. In the Great North, from 1988 to 2000, he was amongst the few alpinists to achieve such a high number of first ascents on big walls. Last but not least, the South face of Mount Dickey (Alaska), the southern arête of Mount Asgard (Baffin), the right arête of Mount Nalumasortoq (Greenland). Sonia’s father and Antonella’s husband, the pages of this guide book are the fruits of his passion for exploration.

Antonella Cicogna: The crags of Nago and Massone welcomed her when sports climbing was still in its infancy. Since then rock and ink have been inextricably linked in her life. A professional journalist and translator, she covers extra-European climbing news and sports climbing pages for Montagne 360°, monthly Italian Alpine Club magazine. The literary works translated by her for Versante Sud have won the prizes: Premio Gambrinus Giuseppe Mazzotti and the Premio ITAS Cardo d’Argento. She was head of the press office at the Trento Mountain Filmfestival. She comes from Milan, and moved to Rovereto after she met Mario. Together they have climbed, walked and pedalled while guided by that spirit of curiosity which has always moved them. Colombia and Iran are amongst the places they love most.

Fabio Leoni: In 1987 he established a new route on the Southern tower of Torres del Paine. He then went on to climb big walls in Alaska, Baffin Island, Pakistan and again in Patagonia… Born and raised in Pietramurata, since the mid 1990s he has been one of the leading characters of the Sarca Valley’s vertical world. He is among the first founding members of Sisyphos, the valley’s historical bolting group. In 1994, he opened his first Vertical Sport shop in 1994, followed by eleven more. Many of the single pitch routes we climb here bear his name. From Terre Alte to Camerette, from Babilonia to Sisyphos, from Sarche to Piccola Dallas… Thirty years of heart, passion and a lot of love behind each one of his vertical creations.