Our exploration of the foot of Italy has moved from the ankle to the instep.
Statte is a small town, just inland from the sprawling industrial port of Taranto. Non-descript on arrival, approached through olive groves and vineyards, the climbing potential is tucked out of site on either side of the gorge or gravina that runs for a couple of kilometres to the west of town. Around 250 routes facing all directions and a full spread of grades.
Not that the climbing options looked very attractive on our arrival – moving bases on a rainy day made for dismal first impressions. I went for a poorly researched rainy-day recce, resulting in one of the most miserable such experiences ever! There’s climbing throughout the gorge so it made superficial sense to drop down at the south end, past sector Il Mito, and then meander gently along to admire the magnificent climbing playgrounds we’d be enjoying for the next few days, popping out at the upper end and wandering back through town.
Il Mito looked a bit meh, but everything does when it’s pi$$ wet through and raining. Dropping down into the base of the gorge (about 100m deep) I was expecting a tourist path, so was a bit taken aback by bramble-infested slippery rocks and muddy puddles. None of the sectors looked very travelled or appealing and I trudged on doggedly, resorting to paddling through puddles in favour of bushwacking around them. The puddles got deeper testing my resolve against backtracking and I ended up wading thigh-deep…
… to finally escape up a huge flight of rusting steps.
A final nip down to check out Sector Solarium revealed more uninspiring wet rock (only 5mins from the parking though) and I was so deflated I pondered pushing on for Sicily. The only positive for a couple of hours of damp misery was I hadn’t inflicted it on Helen! Happily things perked up!
Solarium – This is an easily accessed, sunny (you’ll be surprised to hear) sector, and was a good spot for a couple of token routes once it finally stopped raining the next day. Two dozen routes 5a to 7a on pockets and a bit of tufa. Quick drying too (apart from some stubborn holes and tufas)
Here’s Helen on Di Tutto e di Piu, 6a
Il Mito – another easily accessed and sunny sector at the southern end of the gorge – looked much better once it had a chance to dry out – but everything does in the sunshine.
Bands of featured grey rock either side of orange caves. Another 40 routes, again 5a to 7a and up to 25m.
Helen worked her way through some of the Greek mythology including Hercules and Zeus, 5c…
I tussled with a couple of the tufas, including Bheliel, 6c, which outflanks a burly roof. Soaked and sulky to shirtless and smiling in 48hrs:
Captain Harlock, Due Torri & Master of Rock – the highest concentration of good climbing is in the upper left fork of the gorge, Gravina Leucaspide, and whilst you could access this from the Solarium parking you are better off coming in from above (or at least that’s what the locals seem to do). It’s less than 500m across the gorge, but a 15mins drive round to find the parking spot nestled amongst the vineyards (parking location correct in the guidebook, probably best to skirt the vineyard on its west staying close to the boundary wall).
There’s a fairly obvious path that weaves to the edge of the gorge where a scrambly step (fixed rope) drops over the side and leads quickly to sector Arcade. We did a very stiff warmup on east facing Captain Harlock – Rocky Joe, 6a, catching the last of the early morning sun.
… before chasing the sun across to Due Torri. A dozen longer routes to 30m.
I did the fun orange pockety corner of Cumbre, 6b…
and Helen really enjoyed the rope-stretching Torre de Babele, 5c
Not content, we extended our itinerary to a three-sector day – it’s only a hundred metres or so to Master of Rock, on a fairly flat path.
Like a Rolling Stone, 6c, sounded right up my street: Diedro e Pilastro con buoni reposi (at least in as much as my Italian allows) and so it proved (route up the shallow corner and pillar in the centre of the shot below).
Finishing the day off nicely, Helen did God Save The Queen, 6a on the far right of Master of Rock.
At least another dozen sectors to explore, but big rain forecast for the following day prompted the next leg of our journey down “long legged Italy”. Final stop – Sicily!
Logistics: There aren’t a huge number of campsite options near Statte, especially in February, so we stayed about half an hour away in the vineyard Azienda Agricola Melillo. Well appointed van spots, and options for tastings and tours (we were too busy climbing).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hGWCBxYsNeatUnSs7
… another option which we didn’t explore is I Rampicanti Climbing Farm, a climbing wall with informal camping. It wasn’t open at the time of our visit, but would be handy another time.
RockAroundTheWorld 