Coste dell'Anglone (Ceniga, Dro) · Arco & Valle del Sarca · Italy
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: high
A long sport route up the central Coste dell'Anglone above Ceniga. It starts with a few short pitches, then becomes very good: a corner and yellow slab, a delicate traverse, a roof turned at its weakest point and a cracked corner, all around 6a+ to 6b. The last pitches cross overgrown, low-angled ground that needs care with loose stones.
The route
The local guidebook gives Minuetto a Ceniga five stars, and it is well frequented as a result. Bergsteigen.com finds that it does not quite live up to that: the lower pitches are short and broken, but from the fifth pitch to the eighth the climbing is excellent, on a black wall, a yellow slab, a traverse under a roof and a hard cracked corner. Above that the wall lies back into vegetated slabs where route finding and care with loose rock matter more than difficulty, and the exit is rustic. It was opened in 2010 and is still maintained by its first ascensionists.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+ | – | A slab at 6a+, then small corners and steps at 5b. |
| P2 | 5c | – | A short wall above the belay (5c), then a corner (4c). |
| P3 | 6a+ | – | A flake, a traverse left (6a), then a clean crack; at its end go right to the belay. Gulliver.it gives the crack 6a+ to 6b. |
| P4 | 5b | – | A rising traverse left on broken rock to a tree, the slab above it (5b), then diagonally right at 4a to below the overhanging wall. |
| P5 | 6a+ | – | Up the corner (6a+) and the fine yellow slab that follows (6a+); bergsteigen.com's photos call the start the 'black wall'. This is the pitch that was cleaned and given three extra bolts in November 2022. |
| P6 | 6b | – | Straight up for a few metres (6a), then a traverse left that starts with a delicate 6b move and eases to 6a and 5c, to a cracked corner and the belay. |
| P7 | 6b | – | Straight up above the belay, then traverse right under the roof (6b and 6a) and climb over it where it overhangs least (6a+). |
| P8 | 6a+ | – | The hard crack in a corner (6a+, then 5c). |
| P9 | 4c | – | Slabs until the wall turns vertical, then a long traverse right. |
| P10 | 5a | 60 m | Slabs and short walls with grass and trees (5a), then a heavily featured slab, first straight up and then right, to the exit. A 60 m pitch; you can belay half-way on a tree with a sling. Finding the final crack tells you the top is near. |
Getting there
From the A22 take the exit Rovereto Sud (Lago di Garda Nord) and drive via Nago to Arco. In Arco cross the bridge near the castle rock and turn right at once onto the narrow road towards Ceniga, past the two campsites, to the Roman bridge over the Sarca. Do not cross it: continue left towards the farm Maso Lizzone and park on the right before it.
About 30 min. From the parking walk along the road towards Maso Lizzone and turn left before the farm at the signpost for path 428, the Sentiero degli Scaloni. Follow the marked path up to the wall. A few metres before the foot of the wall, just before the start of the equipped section, a level path branches right and follows the base of the cliff northwards. Pass the painted name 'Luna Calante'; shortly afterwards the path descends some rock steps right beside the wall. The route starts half-way down these steps and goes up a kind of pillar on the left. The bolts are visible and the ground at the start is well trodden. Put your helmet on here: stonefall danger is high.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
Parking marked on bergsteigen.com (Maso Lizzone)
Point from bergsteigen.com touren/klettern/minuetto-a-ceniga-coste-dell-anglone
Contains the route point and parking. 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: 45.95758, 10.89635 (route base) · Parking: 45.95340, 10.89760
Getting down
On foot, about 45 min. From the exit go up through the wood on traces until you meet a forest road. Follow it left to its end at a turning place, continue straight on by a small path to the marked hiking trail, and descend it (the Sentiero degli Scaloni, with cables and steps) to the single-pitch crag and the approach path.
Retreat
Bail not documented
Retreat is not documented. The descent is on foot and neither source describes the belay hardware or an abseil line. Pitches 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 all traverse, which would complicate abseiling.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing, starting at about 160 to 200 m. Bergsteigen.com marks March to November. Allow about 4 h for the climb and a little over 5 h in all.
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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Mean daily low °C | −3 | −2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 4 | −1 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 6 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 8 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 527 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
12 quickdraws, slings (for trees on the upper pitches) and a helmet. Bergsteigen.com lists a 50 m rope, but gulliver.it describes the last pitch as 60 m with an optional tree belay half-way, so take 60 m or plan to split it. No nuts or cams.
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 Minuetto a Ceniga.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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This is the archetypal long, easy Arco slab, first climbed in 1971. It wanders up the lower bands and then improves into a superb water-worn chimney system in the upper half. It is very polished and very busy, so start early. Original grade 6- UIAA per bergsteigen.com; gulliver gives 5c max.
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Read the cautions
Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
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Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
Eight sustained pitches up the wall opposite the Laterna restaurant, rarely easier than 6a. The crux is a short overhanging wall on pitch 5 that can be pulled through on the bolts. Less cleaned than its neighbours, with some broken rock on pitch 6.
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Around 6b · about 10 pitches
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Ten varied pitches on good rock in a superb position: a roof, slabs, a tenuous traverse by a cave and a steep corner. Several pitches feel stiff for the grade, especially the P2 crux.
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The way up the detached cigar that is the symbol of Riglos, first climbed in 1953. A polished corner, then the chimney between the Puro and the Pisón, then three short pitches on the outside of the needle to a tiny summit. Very polished in the chimney and on the boulder moves. In shade most of the day.
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Read the cautions
Italy · Val d'Ossola
Ten pitches of pure friction on a low-altitude gneiss pillar in the Valle Antigorio. Four easy slab pitches warm you up, then a delicate water-polished corner (6a), a balance move on quartz (6a) and a thin slab traverse (6b, partly aidable) provide the interest. A spring and autumn route.
6b10 pitches300 m
Slovenia · Mangart (Julian Alps)
A long bolted climb up the west face of Mangart, starting at about 2,180 m and finishing near 2,580 m. Two 60 m pitches of 6a open the route and the first half is the best; a 6b corner that can be aided is the crux. An alpine outing with a tricky approach in cloud and rock that is not always perfect.
6b10 pitches400 m
Read the cautions
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.
