I’ve never played any of those “Civilisation” style games, where you choose somewhere to found a settlement and then try to grow a metropolis. However, you can see what attracted the first inhabitants to what became Palermo (population now 800,000). A flat plane, fronting onto a large bay, and encircled by mountains, it must have been quite a stronghold. The “encircled by mountains” bit makes modern day Palermo attractive to visiting climbers too, as there’s a lot of rock scattered about. Whilst it’s by no means all developed, you could spend a week here and visit a fresh crag every day – could be quite an attractive SunRock destination given the proximity of the airport. Here’s our taster from just a few days.

Valdesi – this forms the northern end of the west face of Monte Pellegrino…

… which stands between the northern end of the city and the sea. It’s almost suburban, and barely 50m from the car to the crag – hidden behind trees, you don’t get a great first impression from the parking amidst the ubiquitous litter on the street. Stroll up to the crag and everything changes – as roadside venues go, it’s pretty spectacular.

… with over 100 routes, including some up to 90m tall.

You get a better perspective from the hills opposite, a few miles away…

The central sector you arrive at consists of some eye-catching steep, pockety terrain. Ciocca Sciocca packs quite a punch for 6a and is absolutely superb.

The adjacent Cinematogfro Azzuri, 6c, is another 3* offering which tackles a fine bit of tufa, though getting established onto it would be tricky even if dry, and was desperate with some seepage.

Further right, things get more crozzly. Here’s Helen on Roby, 6a

and La Guerra de Poveri, 5c

… and I managed Heyman, 6c (a bit eliminate). Much better was the well-named Assalti Frontali, another 3* 6c that tackles the obvious roof towards the left hand end.

Parking another 100m along the road, and sneaking around a rockfall barrier gives access to the friendly but slightly less impressive Reti Sector. Helen felt the routes were lower quality and tougher for the grade than those in the central sector.

The southern end of Monte Pellegrino forms the backdrop to downtown Palermo. Roccia dello Schiavo, 5km to the south of Valdesi, is accessed from the Parco della Favorita, just a stone’s throw from the football stadium, yet you very much feel in the heart of nature (once you filter out the road noise).

This was the birthplace of climbing in Sicily over 50 years ago, yet surprisingly the routes really aren’t noticeably polished. We did the outstanding Diretta, 6a(or rather the first pitch), one of the very first routes on the island, up a crinkly runnel.

Vortice, another 3* 6a, was a complete contrast of style through a series of bulges.

Here’s Helen on Facili Rocette, 5c

… and I managed CAS-CAI, 6c

Here’s the view over downtown Palermo.

Bauso Rosso is another spectacular crag…

… with a spectacular view…

… although it is a bit blighted by a ghost town of never-finished villas on the opposite hillside (part of the phenomenon of the “sack of Palermo”)

The suggested 7mins approach is a bit of a sandbag, even from the upper parking, which requires a bit of rallying up a steep, pot-holed track. We were glad of our 4×4 and you might be better leaving your Fiat 500 rental at the Belvedere and sucking up the extra 10mins trudge.

The crag itself is an awesome tufa paradise. The entry grade is 6a+, but Rabbia Nera is a lot more than “just a warmup” though it certainly delivers on that front too. It’s superb (and tough!)

You can see how steep it is from the dangling rope.

Sciacalletti, the neighbouring 6b+, is also worthy of both those adjectives!

Logistics. We stayed at the small and friendly Camping Degli Ulivi in the seaside neighbourhood of Sferracavallo. It’s right in the middle of town, and about 500m from the seafront.

It’s not a wilderness experience, but then again, the view isn’t bad.

This was handy to reach all the crags mentioned in about 15 to 20mins.

Our stay in Palermo served to reinforce the stereotype that Italian driving, terrifying at the best of times, deteriorates even more the further south you get. Indicators are optional, as is the brake – the horn and the accelerator are the key controls. Hands are for gesticulating, phoning or smoking (often all three) so presumably steering is accomplished with the knees. As for “Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre” – one out of three ain’t bad. Having said that, it seems to work, and it’s best to adopt a “when in Rome” philosophy and just put your foot down.

Palermo is also (in)famous as the global HQ of the Mafia, and indeed our visit coincided with the biggest roundup of Mafioso in half a century, with 150 arrests made in the city. Despite that, we didn’t encounter any untoward activity during our visit, or indeed a whole month in Sicily. Everyone we met was very welcoming, and especially the handful of local climbers who were delighted to have such long-distance visitors.