Finale Ligure, in northwestern Italy, is a small town on the Ligurian Sea (Mediterranean Sea). It is located south of Torino, east of Genova, and east of Nice, France.
The coast around Finale Ligure is beautiful, with palm trees lining the main coastal road and fashionable stores. On the other hand, the old town of Finale Ligure has a historic atmosphere with ancient buildings and medieval walls.
Access to Finale Ligure
It takes about 45 minutes drive west from Genova-Sestri airport. The convenient road and rail connections make it easily accessible for comparison from other parts of Italy.
Climbing Area
There are more than 200 climbing spots and more than 4,000 routes throughout the mountains north of Finale Ligure.
Finale Regret is mainly short pitch climbing which is bolted sport climbing routes. Grades seem to be (6a~7a) in many climbing areas.
There is also a multi-pitch climbing route of about 120m. On the other hand, Bric Pianarella crag, one of the best multi-pitch climbing at Finale Regret, is which offers more than 250m.
Climbing Equipment
・single rope 80m
・minimum 14 quickdraws
you could probably climb most routes 🙄 At least, it was not a problem on the routes we climbed. The end points often had quick link (maillon rapide).
Climbing Season
Generally, the best seasons are spring and autumn. Summer is too hot and winter is too cold. Although if you choose the right place, climbing is possible all year round.
I went to Finale Ligure for the first time in mid-summer (2021.8). But due to the unusual weather conditions, even the maximum temperature was only about 27℃🌡. So we chose a shady area and had a good time climbing.
Access to Climbing Area
The roads near the climbing area are narrow and parking is tight.
It was summer vacation season when we went to Finale Ligure to climb, but at times we had trouble parking close to the climbing area.
I wonder how it would be during the best climbing season 🙄
Rock Climbing Guidebook
There are two types of climbing topos near Finale Ligure.
✅ FINALE 51 : ROCK CLIMING A FINALE LIGURE
✅ FINALE climbing
"FINALE 51" is easier to read, when you are looking for routes.
"FINALE climbing" is easy to understand in terms of approach time, size of the parking lot, and direction of the wall. It also has a lot of comments about the climbing routes. However, "FINALE" might not include relatively new routes ??
About Grades
Topo "FINALE 51" was very close to the grade I felt.
Topo "FINALE climbing" is sweet. When I thought my personal experience grade might be (6a+), it was listed as (6b/6b+).
The climbing areas I climbed at Finale Ligure (2021)
✅ MONTE CUCCO ➡️ Fenia o Anfiteatro
✅ ROCCE CARPANEA ➡️ Grotta dell'Edera
✅ ROCCE DI PERTI ➡️ Settore centrale
✅ ROCCE DI PERTI ➡️ Versante Nord
✅ BRIC SCIMARCO ➡️ Settore Superiore (Principal)
This was my first time in Finale Ligure. It was good weather 🌤 nice climbing route 😍
✅ MONTE CUCCO ➡️ Fenia o Anfiteatro
It was mostly a vertical wall, and there was no limestone cornet as far as I could see. But it was a nice climbing area with high white wall.
✅ ROCCE CARPANEA ➡️ Grotta dell'Edera
Grotta dell'Edera is a cave-like area. It is a small climbing area similar to SIKATI CAVE in Kalymnos, Greece.
Like SIKATI CAVE, it seems to be a standard climbing area on a hot and sunny summer day.
It was an enjoyable climbing area, with cornetes and roofs typical of limestone.
The only problem might be the toilets 🚾 🙄
✅ ROCCE DI PERTI ➡️ Settore centrale
It's basically like a vertical wall 🙄 Still, there are some bumpy holes and small hangovers in the middle of the route.
Personally, Moka (L1: 6c+) in Settore centrale was one of the best climbs of this climbing tour 2021. It's a big scale climb, but the move up the right slope along the crack in the first half and the move into the terrace on the left side in the middle part were numbing 😆
✅ ROCCE DI PERTI ➡️ Versante Nord
VIA ATTRAVERSO IL FICO
(120m : L1: 6a/6a+, 30m. L2: 6a+/6b+, 35m. L3: 6b, 30m. L4: 5c, 25m.)
This route is about 120m, which is short for multi-pitch climbing. However, I think every pitch (L1, L2, L3) is about (6a / 6b) grade. The last pitch (L4) is (5c). But it's still technical and fun.
As a multi-pitch climb in this grade (6a/6b), this route is highly recommended. If you want to climb this grade, it is quite enjoyable.
✅ BRIC SCIMARCO ➡️ Settore Superiore (Principal)
Basically it feels like a vertical wall 🙄 Some of the routes have nice corneys which is typical of limestone climbing areas.
The topo also lists it as one of the nicer climbing walls in the climbing area near Finale Ligure.
The only regrettable thing about the climbing tour in 2021 is that I couldn't climb CICLONE (7a +, 25m) 🙄 It's a little regrettable that I made a mistake in the route and didn't try again. Oh well, but everything can't go right. So looking back overall, this climbing tour in 2021 was a fun memory.
🏠 Accommodation
We stayed in an apartment in Noli, a little east of Finale Ligure. The owner had just renovated the room and we were the first guests. The interior was clean and the owner was also a nice person.
What made this place seem Italian was that they had an open-flame espresso maker moka (makineta in Japanese terms).
The problem is the parking lot 🅿️ There is no fixed place, so we searched for a paid / free parking lot. Parking lots around Noli are often crowded and sometimes parked far away from our accommodation!
Stroll around the old town of Noli 🚶🏼♂️
The alleys are narrow and the complex intersections are European and nice.
Gerato in Noli 🍨
・Pappus Gelateria Artigianale
・MOMO IL GELATO
Both gelato stores were delicious, but I prefer Pappus Gelateria Artigianale because it feels more sticky 😋
Birra Moretti 🇮🇹 Italian beer 🍺
Moretti Brewery was founded in 1859 in northeastern Italy by the Moretti family. Since 1996, it has been part of the Heineken Group.
This beer has a refreshing taste like Japanese beer. It has a more robust beer flavor than Kronenburg 1664, which is often drunk in France.
You can drink it with a gulp in the hot Italian summer. It's also a great beer to drink with pizza after climbing 🙄
Focaccia in Noli 🍕
Maybe it was my first time to try focaccia 😋 The focaccia was delicious. It was not as heavy as pizza. But I don't recommend the baguette. I think French bakeries are definitely better.
✍🏻 Coastline from Finale Ligure to Noli 🚗💨
I did not swim when I went up there in 2021, but there are many beaches along the coastline from Finale Ligure to Noli, and they were crowded with people 🏖
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