Val Camonica, a valley hard to match for its opportunities. A land that stretches from the Bergamo and Brescia Prealps at the end of Lake Iseo to the 3,500m of the Adamello glaciers.

Here, geography and history offer a panorama rich in value, and climbing is certainly no exception. In the rock, which includes limestone, the bizarre Lombard Verrucano, and the tonalite granite; in the disciplines, from crags — both historic and cutting-edge — to bouldering, to multi-pitch routes of all kinds, from those at high altitude to those in the valley. Not to mention all the mountaineering and hiking opportunities!

Despite this great wealth, Val Camonica seems a bit off the radar of today's trendy climbers, remaining largely unknown to "outsiders." This is one of the reasons we want to restore prestige to a place that boasts a remarkable vertical history, as well as countless opportunities for all tastes.

As always, to best describe these places, we've enlisted the help of their protagonists, Paolo Amadio and Sandro De Toni, and the Graffiti Climbers group, Andrea Verni Fonteni, Nicola Binelli, Matteo Rivadossi, and Federico Canobbio.

In the general section, you'll find contributions by Patxi Usobiaga, Amity Warme, Laura Pineau, Matteo Della Bordella, and Stefano Ragazzo, in addition to our usual columns.

Climbing is freedom, imagination, and creativity you'll find it all in this issue!