Finale Ligure, a lesser known part of the Italian Riviera, is a picturesque town situated on the northern coast of Italy. Imposing limestone cliffs, an ancient walled village, lush olive groves, a beautiful, Mediterranean coastline and stereotypically delectable Italian food… what’s not to love? Add to this the fact that there are upwards of 3,000 bolted climbing routes, and you can understand why Finale was considered a sport climbing Mecca in the 80s and 90s. But in recent years, Finale has become more popular with mountain bikers and beach lovers and less so with climbers. We decided to take a trip to Finale Ligure to sample the rock, and we were not disappointed!

The Climbing at Finale Ligure

The rock climbing at Finale Ligure, although mostly of a technical style, is incredibly diverse. Composed of marine limestone, the crags are characterised by vertical fingery walls with pockets formed by dripping water. However, there are plenty of slabs, overhangs, cracks, arêtes and even some real life tufas! Climbs are spread out over 192 different sectors which together cover an area of 10 square kilometres. There truly is enough climbing to last you a lifetime! The routes are mainly single pitch, but there are also plenty of opportunities for multi-pitch adventures. Almost all climbing grades are represented somewhere amongst the crags (from f3 to f8c+), though routes within the f6a to f7a range are most common.

Our Trip

Although Tom and I have had a number of mountaineering adventures over the last couple of years, I had never been on a strictly rock climbing trip. I also, unlike most British/Irish climbers, have next-to-no experience trad climbing (for all you purists: don’t worry, I am doing a trad course this May!). Therefore, a sport climbing trip seemed like the perfect way to make the transition from indoor climbing to finally getting out onto some real rock. If you don’t understand the distinction between sport climbing and trad climbing – read this. We could only squeeze in a 5 day trip, so had to be pretty selective with the overwhelming choice of crags!

Monte Cucco

We stayed in the Monte Cucco campsite which is situated right below the Monte Cucco sector (12 crags). The climbs are only a short walk from the campsite, and there is a cheap and delicious climbing-themed pizzeria right across the road!

Our first day was spent easing ourselves into the trip with some easy single-pitch routes at La Torre. It took us a while to get used to the technical style of climbing, and we were slightly demoralised by the stiffness of the grades. Nonetheless, we had a fun and relaxing day playing around on the cracks and finishing with the historic route La Torre (5c).

Our second day was also spent at La Torre, but this time we decided to step up the grades and embark on some multi-pitch adventures! The rock was generally far less polished on the second pitches and on the harder routes, which actually made the climbing considerably easier. We finished the day with a visit to Christ the Protector, who crowns the top of the tower.

Parete Dimenticata and Grotta Dell’Edera

Next on the list was Parete Dimenticata. After a steep walk through some beautiful forest, we found ourselves at a fantastic crag with a large selection of mostly moderately graded routes. After we had exhausted ourselves on the slabs and overhangs, we decided to check out the infamous Grotta Dell’Edera. Access to this crag involves a mini-adventure. You scramble through the cave entrance, haul yourself up in the dark along fixed ropes and finally emerge into the jaw-dropping crag by squeezing yourself (and your gear!) through a small hole! MORE EXCITEMENT.

Grotta Dell’Edera consists of ‘big boy’ routes: climbs here fall within the f6b to f8a+ range. We tried our hand at Bombolo (f6b) and enjoyed watching another climber on the devious El Diablo (f7b).

Tre Frati and Falesia della Coccinella

On day four, we headed to the iconic and historic Tre Frati. This crag consists of three pinnacles, two of which are bolted. We warmed up on the shorter pinnacle, Frate Minore, before tackling its big brother, Frate Maggiore. I had spotted this imposing, distinctly shaped (read: phallic) pinnacle on the back cover of our Finale guide book, and had decided before even reading about it that I needed to climb it.

The horn has seven bolted routes, and we opted to climb the classic Mitternacht (f6a+). This was a fantastic slabby route, which brought us right to the top of the pinnacle. On top, there were panoramic views across the Valle Aquila and down to the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. There was even a little log book bolted next to the anchors where we could record our success!

To finish the day, we headed over to the nearby Falesia della Coccinella. We exhausted ourselves sampling some fine Finale overhangs and slicing up our hands on the sharp edged pockets!

Capo Noli

Our final day – and my 25th birthday – was spent at Capo Noli. This area is very different from the other Finale climbing areas. Instead of climbing amongst lush vegetation, you climb on a rocky cape that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. As we had found the other crags to be quite stiffly graded, we went to Easy Dalle for some stress-free fun. However, the different rock type made an enormous difference to the difficulty of the climbs. We found the routes (which are all low graded) way too easy – we were practically running up the routes, barely even needing the safety of the rope!

Nonetheless, we had an enjoyable day soaking up the sun and getting our first experience of climbing directly above the sea. We ended the day, and our Finale trip, with aperitivi in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.

Next Time…

Our trip was short but sweet, and left us longing for more! Climbing at Finale Ligure did wonders for my confidence. Once I got used to the slightly run out bolts, the often polished rock and the feel of climbing on real rock – I felt unstoppable! We both loved every single crag that we visited, and were super sad to leave. As a bonus result of this trip, my indoor lead climbing level has been pushed up by two whole grades!

I have already compiled a Bucket List for our next visit to Finale:

• Bric Pianarella – Paretone: A towering cliff that is characterised by the huge chasms that litter its face. This crag offers excellent multi-pitch climbing, with routes up to 9 pitches long. I am desperate for that ‘big wall’ experience!
• Nolitude & Dancing Dalle: Crags within Capo Noli that offer harder routes with climbing directly above the sea. I particularly want to try the route Il Traverso (f5c) which traverses across the base of the entire crag only a few metres above the sea.
• Sahara Wall: An exposed crag with vertical walls and slight overhangs, featuring mostly harder graded routes. My personal goal is to (one day!) climb Rubando le Nuvole (f7a). Yes, I’m shooting high here!
• Finalborgo: Not climbing related, but the second part of town. Sadly we didn’t have time to visit this beautiful walled medieval village (which is listed as Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia – ‘most beautiful villages of Italy’).

Helpful Tips for Finale Ligure

Get a guide book. The vast quantity of routes at Finale Ligure is overwhelming. We bought “Finale Climbing” by Marco Tomassini (the cheapest I found was from Rock and Run – available here) ahead of time and therefore were able to make a plan before we even got to Finale.

You will get the most out of Finale Ligure if you can consistently lead climb at f6a or above.

• If you climb at around this grade, you will initially find the grades a bit steep – keep at it and learn the rock. It does get easier once you get comfortable with the style of climbing, promise!
• If you can’t lead at f6a yet, there are still plenty of suitable routes for you. However, they are generally sprinkled around the different crags or are located in the easier, less aesthetic crags.
• If you climb well above f6a, there is an enormous range of routes from classic f7s to test-piece f8+ routes.

Go for as long as you can! This way, you can get all the climbing you want done and also incorporate some rest days where you can explore the local area. Finale Ligure isn’t just great for climbing. There are beautiful beaches, world-class mountain bike trails, exciting hiking trails and gorgeous ancient villages.