The trip
Last Friday, Jon, Derek and I set out from Venice airport for a five-day trip to the Veneto region of northern Italy. Our destination was Rocca Pendice, a not-so-well-known regional crag in the Euganean Hills.
For me, this was a return to rock climbing. I hadn’t been on rock for many months due to injuries. My last proper climbing trip was about a year ago, so I had a lot to pick up. Both Jon and Derek had their fair share of injuries too, but we managed fine – no new ones.
The crag
Rocca Pendice sits on Monte Pendice (304 m) in the municipality of Teolo, just outside Padua. The climbing is on a subvertical wall of volcanic trachyte – the same rock that was used to pave Venice. It feels somewhere between granite and limestone: lots of slabs and vertical sections, but rarely overhanging.
The crag has its place in Italian climbing history, with climbers drawn to it since the late 1800s. It’s home to literally hundreds of routes from 3+ all the way up to 8c – both multi-pitch and single pitch – with plenty in the lower 4s and 5s. The wall is split into a couple of main faces, an east and a west side, and we focused mainly on the side with the larger concentration of routes in the 4 and 5 grades.
Despite the crag’s historical nature, all the bolts are very well maintained and all abseil stations are very well equipped with gated carabiners. The rock itself isn’t polished at all, which was a nice change.
One thing that stood out was that there were zero international climbers while we were there – we were the only foreigners. Everyone else was local, and it was great to see that. It was definitely much less busy mid-week than it would be over the weekend.
Around Rocca Pendice
Accommodation is plentiful in the area. We ended up in an Airbnb just outside the main resort town, perfectly positioned for our needs – only about a 15 minute drive from the crag.
The crag sits among the Euganean Hills, a cluster of volcanic hills rising out of the Po plain and ringed by spa towns. Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme are the best known, and their hot springs have been drawing visitors since Roman times; Padua is only a short drive away.
On the last day, we took the opportunity to visit one of the local spas – a good way to wind down after a few days of climbing.
Logistics
Flights from Dublin to Venice are plentiful and take around two hours – though as I write this from the floor of Venice airport, delays are a common occurrence.
Car rental can be a bit slow (as it tends to be in Italy), but the drive to the area is short – under an hour if there’s no traffic. Aside from Rocca Pendice itself, there are loads of other crags in pretty much every direction within about an hour’s drive.
Summary
We all enjoyed this trip a lot. The weather was perfect as well – it only rained for a couple of hours one afternoon. The food is amazing and, if you stay away from the high-end tourist-oriented restaurants, very affordable. Pizzas are everywhere!
I think the place is worth going back to. It’s easy to get to, it isn’t overrun with international crowds, the easy routes are genuinely easy, the walk-ins to the crags are short, and the weather is good all year round, with spring and autumn the best times to visit.