Drytooling beneath the Gran Sasso d'Italia at the Città di Pietra

Immersed in a splendid forest of larch trees at the foot of Gran Sasso, the Città di Pietra - the city of stone - is a great little drytooling venue with 20 routes up to M9 but with immense potential for far more lines. The crag was discovered by Pino Sabbatin and the Mountain Guides Paolo de Laurentis, Pasquale Iannetti and Gino Perini and the first routes were bolted in winter 2009 by Paolo De Laurentis and Paride Gallesi.

All routes are particularly recommended and equipped with stainless steel bolts and belay chains. The conditions vary considerably from one season to the next and this year for example the routes are extremely dry.

Getting there: from Teramo take the SS80 towards Montorio al Vomano, from here continue and at the fork with SP43 turn off left following signs for the Prati di Tivo ski resort. Park the car at the bottom of the lifts. From her there are two alternatives:
- walk along the snowy road on the lefthand side of the car park towards Cima Alta and at the last hairpin bend which turns left enter the forest on the right. Follow the tape markers on the trees to reach the crag.
- take the lift to "Madonnina" at 2000mt, then with skis on follow the Arapietra ridge, continue past the "Albergo Diruto" (a mountain hut still in construction) and continue along the ridge on the West Face (usually you can follow a beaten track). Reach the road at Cima Alt and follow this west. After an obvious hairpin bend left reach another hairpin bend which turns right: follow the path through the forest from here, via the red and white tape markers.


NB A number of new routes have recently been bolted for the "Extreme Rock & Ice" meeting, which aims at promoting not only this sport but also this great little drytooling crag in the Abruzzo region.

Sector	No.	Name	Grade	Length
Iniziazione	01	Gigino	M4	8m
	02	Gigetto	M4/5	8m
Fontana	01	Alcatraz	M8	13m
	02	Senza nome	?	20m
	03	Senza nome	?	20m
	04	Buon anno Lino	?	25m
Grotta	01	Dominio Astronomico	M7/8	18m
Canyon	01	Occhio malocchio….	M7	25m
	02	Prezzemolo e finoccchio	M7+	22m
	03	Bastardi senza gloria	?	22m
	04	Solo per Giovani Guerrieri	M7/8	20m
	05	Ottj lu Dry!	M5/6	20m
	06	A scuola di Dry	M6	20m
	07	Detenuti in attesa di giudizio	M8+	23m
	08	The First	M7	20m
	09	Mountain Evolution	M7+	18m
	10	Death race	M7/8	18m
	11	Artiglio del Diavolo	M7+	13m
	12	Martini Dry	M6+	13m
	13	Lucy in the sky	M6	13m

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