Climbing in/near Bergamo, Italy?
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Ciao! |
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Me and my friends were in arco this past summer and it was amazing. it's about a 2 hour drive from where you will be but well worth it. There are limestone crags everywhere. we only planned on staying for a few days but spent a week we loved it so much. really cool small town with climbing shops all over. |
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I should add that I'd be living in Bergamo for about a year, so any info about living (as opposed to travelling) in Italy would also be appreciated. Thanks for the info, steven. |
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There's a series of books called "Culture Shock!" that are great for anyone that's gonna be an expat. I got the German one before I moved there for a year, and it was hugely helpful. |
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That will be an amazing place to live. I can't speak much of the city itself, but it is within 2 hours or so of Venice, The Dolomites, the coast of Liguria, Lake Como, the list goes on. Very Jealous! Val di Mello, just north east of Lake Como is great climbing and absolutely stunning! |
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Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm a California native, living in Vietnam for 6 months now. I'm excited about a new location, a new culture, new rock, and new experiences. Based on everything I've heard about the area, it should be a blast. |
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Some additional info on the area: |
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There's absolutely no climbing in that area and the people know nothing about lifestyle, aesthetics, or food. Oh, wait, Bergamo, ITALY. Strike that. Reverse it. You're moving to, like, that best place on the planet. Where's the jealous button on this site? |
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Practice driving REALLY REALLY fast |
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Got the word today that I am for sure going to be living there for about a year. Thanks to those who have contributed their thoughts so far! |
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Great move, Arco will be your closest major crag....but I know there's tons of climbing north of Bergamo (Como) and probably west as well. You'll also be right near Bergamo airport though and most likely be able to get out to Sardegna, Mallorca, France.....for the weekends! I don't know much about Bergamo itself but probably live just on the outskirts of the center..that way you could walk/bike into the city but still have a car, you'll definitely want a car...for god sakes you can drive to Switzerland in an hour. Sorry I'm jealous too. |
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Nick Votto wrote:Great move, Arco will be your closest major crag....but I know there's tons of climbing north of Bergamo (Como) and probably west as well. You'll also be right near Bergamo airport though and most likely be able to get out to Sardegna, Mallorca, France.....for the weekends! I don't know much about Bergamo itself but probably live just on the outskirts of the center..that way you could walk/bike into the city but still have a car, you'll definitely want a car...for god sakes you can drive to Switzerland in an hour. Sorry I'm jealous too. climb-europe.com/RockClimbi… Anyway I'm there 2-3 times a year, I'll look you up for October. Also if you want to visit any vineyards, I'm your guy.Nick, definitely send me a message when you're out that way! Absolutely going to get a vehicle. Thanks for the info! |
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just hit up simone moro. he lives there. |
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Any thoughts on a recommended rack? I'm thinking a single 70m and 15+ draws for sport...but will bringing a double rack from tiny to fists be overkill? We'd love to get on some long, moderate or harder, single-pitch trad routes over there. Would I be better off going lighter on the pro? |
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I was just in Finale Ligure last weekend! I hiked from the coast to the northwest towards Finalborgo where Castelo San Giovanni is. Easy hike. Maybe 4 miles tops. The crags are in between Finalborgo and the E80 autostrada. There are some seaside crags that are cast out to the east at Capo Noli. I was able to find a couple crags near the Monte Sordo car park, part of that easy hike I told you about. Beautiful views of the valleys in between the mountains at the top of the moderate hike to Castelo San Giovanni! There are a couple of climbing gear shops in Finalborgo with English-speaking locals that are happy to help. I got an English guidebook for "Finale" at a mountain bike-catering hotel, enroute to Finalborgo from Finale Ligure for 35 euro. |
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Hey Paul! |
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I'd love to hook up with you! Let's stay in touch! |
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Absolutely, Paul. Feel free to send me a PM whenever. I'll definitely respond more quickly that way: mountainproject.com/scripts… |
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So here's a little Italia update.....I went to Val Masino last week and hooooly shit. They call it little Yosemite but its more like little Patagonia and Yosemite. Amazing alpine ice (at least last week), incredible huge alpine rock routes, awesome sport climbing, splitter cracks and more great bouldering than you could imagine...all on bomber granite. |
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Hey Nick, |
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Nick Votto wrote:So here's a little Italia update.....I went to Val Masino last week and hooooly shit. They call it little Yosemite but its more like little Patagonia and Yosemite. Amazing alpine ice (at least last week), incredible huge alpine rock routes, awesome sport climbing, splitter cracks and more great bouldering than you could imagine...all on bomber granite. I highly recommend it, it was pretty empty last week but I think the summer's probably quite a bit more crowded. I'm going back in June if anyone's around.Sup, Nick? I hope I can hook up with ya! |