Capo d'Uomo · Monte Argentario · Italy
Read the cautionsBail not documentedBolting confidence: medium
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.
A bolted plaisir arête by all accounts, but there are no recent dated reports, the rock needs care in places and the protection on the easy pitches is undocumented.
The route
The Spigolo Bonatti follows the full length of the arête below the ruined tower of Capo d'Uomo on Monte Argentario, about 240 m of climbing in seven pitches. Eraldo Meraldi equipped it in 2012 and named it after Walter Bonatti, who spent long periods on the promontory. The hard climbing is on pitch 1; after that the difficulties are 5a to 5b+ with three easy linking pitches. Gulliver's reporters rate it for the setting and a couple of good pitches more than for sustained climbing, and note rock that needs care in places.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a | 28 m | A small corner, then slab on the crest of the arête, slightly left over a short wall and right to the belay. Sustained; Gulliver gives 6a+. |
| P2 | 5b+ | 35 m | Right across a slab and up a short wall, then a slanting corner and a traverse right to an arête that leads to the belay. Gulliver gives 5c, technical. |
| P3 | 2 | 25 m | Original grade II. A faint corner, then traverse right over easier ground to the belay at the foot of the summit pillar. Gulliver notes one harder step (3c). |
| P4 | 5a | 32 m | Slightly right, then straight up to the top of the pillar. Gulliver gives 5b, technical. |
| P5 | 2 | 30 m | Original grade II. Right to the crest and along it on broken rock, then slightly left to the belay. The ridge path is a couple of metres away here, and the Gulliver author stopped at this point. |
| P6 | 5b+ | 37 m | Walk about 10 m along the crest; at the first bolt go out right onto the open face and traverse to the second notch, where you regain the arête and climb easily to the belay. The exposed traverse is the highlight of the upper route. |
| P7 | 3 | 55 m | Original grade III. Right of the arête, then along it until it eases, and up easy steps to the final belay just below the tower. |
Getting there
Drive to Porto Santo Stefano on Monte Argentario. At the port, turn left at the first roundabout and go up the Vallone del Campone for about 3.5 km. At the junction turn left and, where the road crests with a sea view, park on the left in an earth lay-by.
About 30 minutes (Gulliver). Walk a few metres on along the tarmac and take the dirt road that drops to the right. After about 200 m take the level dirt road on the right to a wide uphill bend, then the path on the left (cairn) along the whole ridge towards the Capo d'Uomo tower, about 15 minutes; you see the arête from here. Near the tower the path drops left to the single-pitch crag. Keep descending past the lowest routes, following cairns, at first to the left. At a scree slope the path forks: the right branch goes to Argento Argentario and Maria Mare; for the Spigolo go down the scree, then right to the wall. The start is on an obvious ledge on the arête below a clear line of bolts.
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
The final belay is just below the tower, on the ridge you approached along; walk back to the car by the same path.
Retreat
Bail not documented
Retreat is not described in any source. The belays are bolted, and from the top of pitch 5 the ridge path is a couple of metres away, which gives an easy exit two pitches before the end. Below that, you would have to abseil pitches of up to 35 m (50 m by Gulliver's figure for pitch 2) and walk back up the scree.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east to south facing, from a little above the sea to about 350 m. In full sun for most of the day: a July 2017 party started walking at 05:00 and clipped the first bolt at 06:00 to finish before the sun arrived. Best in spring and autumn; avoid very hot or 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
15 quickdraws and normal multipitch kit; cams are not needed (camptocamp). The sources do not name a rope length. The last pitch is given as 55 m, so a 60 m rope is the minimum for the route as described. Helmet.
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 Spigolo Bonatti.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 6a · about 7 pitches
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
This is the gentlest way to sample Riglos. Polished pockets and two bulging 'panzas' lead to a 6a crux that can be pulled through on the bolts (A0). The upper spur is easy, and the Pisón towers loom close by.
6a7 pitches175 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Aosta Valley
A pretty plaisir route on edgy, quartz-studded granite slabs beneath the Mont Blanc massif. The crux is a short bulge and steep juggy wall on P4. Camptocamp rates it 'great'.
6a7 pitches180 m
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
A mountain-style outing high above Masouri, with a delicate traversing 6a on P4 and a lovely final corner. Most pitches feel easy for their grade, but the route is loose in places, so wear a helmet.
6a7 pitches170 m
Croatia · Omiš
Omiš's signature moderate: long, slabby pitches on knobbly grey limestone with big views over the Cetina mouth and the Adriatic. The crux is a short crack on the final pitch.
6a6 pitches230 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.