SARDEGNA
From Civitavecchia, right outside Rome, take a ferry to Sardegna and end your vacation with some slabby limestone adventures at Cala Gonone, accompanied by cultural/archeological excursions through the Nuraghi, the prehistoric tower-like structures found in Sardegna. Moreover, to add some sweetness to your all-climbing trip, take a bite of tiramisu’, homemade with freshly baked savoiardi (the Italian equivalent of lady fingers), a well-known specialty of Sardegna.
Cala Gonone is a little village situated on the east coast of Sardegna, inside a harbor facing the Mediterranean Sea. It offers a plethora of single and multi-pitch limestone sport climbs, ranging from slabby 5.10s to tendon-burning 5.13s (6a to 8a). This area is one of the most weather proof of Sardegna; even when the wind is strong, most of the routes here are climbing-safe, and in case of rain, you can still get to Bidiriscottai, (north of Cala Luna) for overhanging seaside climbing.
Usually, the variety of the crags is what attracts people to Cala Gonone; après-breakfast sessions on sunny Verdon-style slabs are followed by afternoon tufa crimping at Cala Luna, with its 22 sport routes, just a two-hour walk (or a $12 boat ride) away. The day is topped out by an evening spent camping on the beach, eating pesce alla griglia (grilled fish), courtesy of the local pescherecci (fishermen).
Suggested Routes: At Cala Gonone: Un mare di infiniti recordi (5.9), a wonderful, 20-meter slab route; L’altro sport (5.10c), varied moves and difficult crimps; il Guru (5.11c), a great steep face climb; Raja (5.12a), an odd line, but worth the grade; and Gioventu` Cannibale (5.12b), superb with its powerful, big moves and some tricky clips.
