Febbre da Cavallo, new dry-tooling crag at Campitello Matese

This new crag is at the forefront of drytooling in central and southern Italy and is only the third of its kind after one in Abruzzo and one in the Marche. The crag was developed by myself and is located in a truly beautiful natural setting, on the Capo D’Acqua plateau close to Campitello Matese. A beautifully panoramic, 30-minute walk is a good enough reason to visit the area, while the crag hosts a dozen of interesting routes up to 18m in height.

The routes range in difficulty from very easy to medium (i.e. from M4 to M6+) and the crag is therefore ideal for beginners. Unlike the routes at the Grotta delle Ciaole, there are fewer objective dangers and the base of the crag is wide and ideal for belaying.

I hope that my work and hours spent in this corner of the Matese mountains will be stimulus to future generations of climbers. I would lie to thank the sponsors who believed in this project (Campo Base Outdoor Equipment Rome and Ferrino) and my friend Michele Di Chiro e Fabio Madonna for their help while establishing the routes.

Route Grade Length First ascent 1. Bellicapelli M6+ 10m Riccardo Quaranta Can only be climbed at the start of the season, before heavy snowfall 2. Er ventresca M5 10m Riccardo Quaranta Can only be climbed at the start of the season, before heavy snowfall 3. C’ho certi cazzi.. M6 10m Riccardo Quaranta Technical stamina climbing, recommended 4. Febbre da cavallo M6 10m Riccardo Quaranta Short and intense 5. Er pomata M4+ 12m Riccardo Quaranta Slightly overhanging start, then great climbing to finish 6. Manzotin M4+ 18m Riccardo Quaranta Boulder (watch out for the mantle if the snow isn't packed) 6a.Variante Manzotin M4 18m Riccardo Quaranta Nice corner which links to the previous route. Tree belay possible for both. 7. Mandrake M5 18m Riccardo Quaranta Difficult starting move and finish 8. Dartagnan M4+ 18m Riccardo Quaranta Overhanging finish, highly recommended 9. Soldatino M4 18m Riccardo Quaranta Difficult start and final corner

Campitello Matese (CB), Capo D’Acqua, Central Italy
Coordinates: lat. 41°26'45.48"N lon. 14°23'23.04"E
Altitude: 1560m
Orientation: South; despite facing south, the crag is remains in the shade until December.
Equipment: 10mm stainless steel bolts. Belays equipped with lower-off carabiner.
Gear: 50m rope, 8 quickdraws, helmet.