Capo d'Uomo · Monte Argentario · Italy
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
Four pitches on the sea-facing wall of Capo d'Uomo: a featured slab, an easy linking pitch, and two vertical, athletic pitches on sculpted grey limestone to the crest below the old watchtower. The final wall is the highlight. The lower pitches need care with holds.
Fully bolted in stainless steel, but there is loose rock on the first and third pitches, a recent small rockfall on the third, and nothing is labelled at the base.
The route
Maria Mare is the easiest of the bolted multipitch routes on the wall below the Capo d'Uomo tower, with views to Giglio, Giannutri and Montecristo. It starts from the scree a little above the sea, next to Argento Argentario, and climbs a 5c slab, an easy-angled transfer pitch, a strenuous pitch that traverses right, and a vertical final wall on strangely sculpted rock. The route was opened and bolted in 2015 and all sources describe it as a bolted sport route with belays to link. The rock on the first and third pitches is less solid than the rest, and a small rockfall affected the third pitch before June 2025.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5c | A featured slab, bolted like a crag pitch. When the route was new, parties advised care with what you pull on here. |
| P2 | 5a | An easy-angled slab, then easier ground to the belay; in effect a linking pitch. |
| P3 | 5b | Go right with a strenuous first move (hold on the left), then traverse right past a bolt to an uncomfortable belay. Vertical and athletic. A small rockfall affected this pitch before June 2025: it can be passed, but there are unstable stones. |
| P4 | 5c | A really fine vertical pitch on excellent holds to the crest. The bolts are a little further apart here. The top belay is hard to find: an April 2026 party describes it on an upright slab like a headstone, facing the sea. Pitches 3 and 4 can be linked into about 45 m. |
Getting there
Drive to Porto Santo Stefano on Monte Argentario (southern Tuscany). At the port turn left at the first roundabout and climb the Vallone del Campone for about 3.5 to 4 km. At a junction turn left (the right branch is signed 'Poderi del Capo d'Uomo') and continue level for about 500 m to where the road crests with a view of the sea. Park on the left in an earth lay-by with signposts for Capo d'Uomo, or along the road; one December 2025 party wondered whether parking there is officially allowed.
About 30 minutes, mostly downhill. From the lay-by take the dirt road that drops to the right, on the other side of the tarmac, for about 200 m, then the level track on the right to a wide bend that climbs steeply. Just before the bend take the path on the left (cairn) and follow the whole ridge towards the ruined tower of Capo d'Uomo, about 15 minutes. Shortly before the tower drop left to the single-pitch crag and go down past its lowest routes. Continue down to a scree slope, following cairns. Half-way down the scree, obvious cairns lead right to the scree fan below the wall; a short climb up it reaches a cairn at the start. A second description of the same wall has the path fork at the scree, the right branch leading to Argento Argentario and Maria Mare. There are no names at the base: Gulliver's page for the wall places Argento Argentario on the left and Maria Mare on the right of the two neighbouring lines.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1710698
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 42.39578, 11.10402 (crag)
Getting down
On foot. From the top follow the easy crest on faint tracks to the tower and the path you came in on, then the ridge back to the car. The descent is not described on the route's own page; this is the way given for the neighbouring routes on the same wall.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The base is reached on foot, so a retreat means abseiling to the scree and walking back up the approach path. The belays are pairs of bolts without rings, so you would leave gear. The top is close after pitch 2 and the last two pitches are the steepest.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing above the sea, between roughly 70 and 350 m, and in the sun for most of the day. Reports describe pleasant climbing in December and February; spring and autumn are ideal, and in summer you need a dawn start. Avoid very windy days.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Monte Argentario are not available yet
What to carry
14 quickdraws if you link pitches 3 and 4. Slings or cord and karabiners to link the belay bolts. The sources do not state a rope length; with linked pitches of about 45 m and a walk-off, a single 60 m rope is what the lengths imply. Helmet recommended.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Maria Mare.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Italy · Monte Argentario
A long arête that seems to drop straight into the sea: a sustained 6a first pitch, then corners, slabs and short walls at 5a to 5b+ separated by easy scrambling, with an exposed traverse out on the open face near the top. The 6a can be aided.
6a7 pitches240 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Monte Argentario
The hardest of the short multipitch lines at Capo d'Uomo. Two approach pitches shared with the Via del Diedro lead to a sustained, technical 6a+ slab pitch that slants right on superb rock, then a varied 6a pitch up a smooth slab and a juggy bulge to the crest. The best climbing on this wall is at the top.
6a+4 pitches130 m
Italy · Monte Argentario
Three independent pitches on the wall below Capo d'Uomo, ending with a memorable 40 m wall of pockets, drips and flowstone at 6a. The route proper stops on the arête; the opener suggests carrying on up the last two pitches of the Spigolo Bonatti, an exposed 5c traverse and an easy ridge, to finish at the tower.
6a5 pitches200 m
Around 5c · about 4 pitches
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
The best-known route on the Mallo Colorado. Two steep, juggy panza pitches have a well-protected boulder move, giving a short taste of real Riglos steepness at a friendly grade.
5c4 pitches150 m
Slovenia · Osp
The easiest line on Osp's famous overhanging Big Wall, following an obvious right-slanting ramp, the only non-overhanging part of the face. It is in shade until about 11:30 in July.
5c4 pitches110 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Four pitches of steady 5c up the needle beside the Pilier du Couchant, in the heart of the gorge. A short easy first pitch, a crux a few metres below the second belay, a crack pitch and an athletic finish.
5c4 pitches167 m
Morocco · Tafraout (Anti-Atlas)
Bolted granite slabs to the top of a dome above the Tafraout valley, with a hand-traverse across a gully on pitch 3. Short, but a rest day from trad in an area that is otherwise almost all cams.
5c4 pitches95 m
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
