Heroes on Pizzo Campana, new rock climb in Sicily

26/11/2011. After having dragged ourselves up the North Face for the second time, and after countless falls we’d finally managed to complete the beautiful fifth pitch, but despite this small step forward we were forced to throw in the towel. The streaks that seemed so harmless from below had totally soaked the face and in order to breach them we’d have to climb some challenging moves across a wet slab which would have cost us too much time. Reluctantly we retreated. We vowed to return shortly, but as so often happens, some things get in life’s way and you can’t do everything. Given Giuseppe Barbagallo’s work load and the difficulty of us both having time to spare at the same moment, four years flew by in the blink of an eye. Unbelievable but true!

09/08/2015. We returned to Rocca Busambra, the mountain which more than any other had been fueling our recent dreams. After asking Peppe for permission to complete the route without him, Giorgio Iurato and I readied ourselves to complete the project. Years had passed and in many ways I’d lost the motivation to finish the route off. But just before summer, for a series of different reasons I decided I wanted to climb the last pitches to the summit.

We walked up through the picturesque Valle di San Giorgio at dawn and here I was yet again, looking at beautiful Pizzo Campana. Needless to say the rest of the story is the same as always, yet once again so very different. The uncertainties that prevail right until the last moment, combined with the joy of being tied to a good friend like Torello are the ingredients that made the yearned-for dream and summit so special.

The top of Pizzo Campana is one the most beautiful in the Rocca Busambra massif and the view from its flat and barren top is splendid. To the south lie Rocca Ramusa and the magnificent Ficuzza forest, and in the other direction countryside unfolds towards Agrigentino. A feast for the eyes and soul!

Many thanks to Giuseppe who started this route with me. Even if we failed to complete the route together, the memories of those days are still vivid!

Special thanks to Giorgio. Without him and without his passion for climbing this route would be nothing more than an attempt lost in Sicily’s grey limestone.

And, last but not least, a huge thanks to Arturo Latina who accompanied me one hot summer day up the east ridge, helping me clean what is now not only the beautiful and easy scramble up, but also the easy way down.

Safe climbing to all

by Massimo Flaccavento

TOPO: Heroes, Pizzo Campana, Sicily