Climbing in the Madonie: Passo Scuro and other crags

In the Madonie most climbing happens at the Passo Scuro crag, in contrada Monticelli at Castelbuono: 20 limestone routes, all under 30 metres, facing east and bolted with stainless steel by the Park authority together with CAI Sicilia. The Park authority also mentions routes on the Balza di Sant’Otiero at Petralia Sottana, at Montedoro near Collesano and on the Rocca di Sciara above Caltavuturo. A helmet is compulsory, and you should only climb if you can belay and lower off on your own.

On this page you won’t find route grades, detailed approaches or topos. You will find where the crags are, who bolted them, the rules and how to get started.

At a glance

• Main crag: Passo Scuro, Castelbuono, 732 metres above sea level, east-facing, routes in the shade in the afternoon.
• Routes: 20, numbered at the foot from left to right, with name and grade on the French scale.
• Rules: helmet for climbers and anyone below; no climbing in bad weather or with animals on the slope above.
• To start: the 12-metre artificial wall at Pollina Adventure, CAI courses, mountain guides.
• Emergency: 112.

Where to climb in the Madonie

The rock faces of the Madonie are limestone. At Passo Scuro, according to the then director of the Park authority, it is compact limestone of the Panormide Unit, the same rock as the Pizzo Carbonara massif. This table lists the sites mentioned by official sources.

Site	Municipality	What we know	Source
Passo Scuro (contrada Monticelli)	Castelbuono	Bolted crag with 20 routes, the first real equipped crag in the Madonie	Park authority, CAI Sicilia
Balza di Sant’Otiero	Petralia Sottana	Routes opened by the CAI	Park authority, LiveSicilia 2009
Montedoro	Collesano	Routes opened by the CAI	Park authority, LiveSicilia 2009
Rocca di Sciara	Caltavuturo	Routes on the crag above the town	Park authority
Serra Daino	Pollina	12-metre artificial wall, about 10 routes	Park authority

For Sant’Otiero, Montedoro and the Rocca di Sciara, public sources only say that routes opened by the CAI exist. We found no up-to-date information on the state of the bolts: for these crags ask people who climb there, starting with the CAI Madonie section in Petralia Sottana.

The Passo Scuro crag at Castelbuono

Passo Scuro is the name of the rock face in contrada Monticelli, in the municipality of Castelbuono, in zone B of the Park. The project came from the Park authority, which in 2006 signed an agreement with CAI Sicilia to design and equip the crag. The funding came from the EU regional programme POR Sicilia 2000-2006, and the work was done by the CAI with its Petralia Sottana section and Castelbuono sub-section. The opening was set for 22 August 2009.

The board at the foot of the crag, also published by the Park authority, gives the key facts.

Item	Value
Altitude	732 metres
Aspect	east, routes in the shade in the afternoon
Number of routes	20, numbered at the foot from left to right
Length	under 30 metres
Grades	French scale, written at the foot with the route name
Hardware	all stainless steel, lower-offs with carabiners

The routes have names like Dolce Manna, Agrifoglio, Rosa Canina, Peonia and San Calogero. The lengths under 30 metres are no accident: the CAI planned them around standard 60-metre ropes, so you can climb and lower off from the anchor.

Leave the gate on the approach path open or closed as you find it. Animals may be grazing above the crag, and that’s where falling stones come from.

The rules on the board

• A helmet is compulsory for climbers and for anyone staying below the routes.
• You need a sound knowledge of ropes, knots, belaying the leader and using the gear.
• Climbing is forbidden in unfavourable weather.
• Climbing is forbidden when animals are grazing on the slope above the crag.

The board adds something that applies to every crag: always check your gear and the solidity of the holds, because written information does not replace your own judgement.

For beginners: courses, mountain guides and artificial walls

If you have never climbed, the crag is not the place to teach yourself. The Park authority says so clearly: people who are independent and qualified always climb roped; everyone else needs qualified staff to supervise the rope work.

There are three ways to start.

1. An artificial wall. At Pollina Adventure, in the Serra Daino picnic area, there is a wall 12 metres high and 8 wide, with three panels at different angles and about ten routes. At Parco Avventura Madonie in Petralia Sottana you can try tree climbing, from 6 euros in 2026. These places also suit teenagers: you will find them in the guide to the Madonie with kids.
2. A CAI course. Sections of the Club Alpino Italiano run climbing courses with volunteer instructors; CAI Palermo’s 2026 programme, for example, includes them among its training activities. Ask the nearest section when the next one starts.
3. A mountain guide. Italian Law 6 of 1989 reserves the professional teaching of mountaineering techniques to mountain guides on the official register. If you pay someone to take you to a crag or teach you, ask for their registration.

Safety: the crag rules and the Park rules

The rock faces of the Madonie are natural, and the Park warns that rock, by its nature, is worn away by frost, rain and heat. Material can fall even with nobody above.

• Always wear a helmet, even if you are only belaying.
• Don’t hang around under rock faces unless you need to. The Park rules advise hikers the same.
• Check the weather: with rain, wet rock or storms on the way, you don’t climb.
• Check the bolts: the hardware at Passo Scuro was installed in 2009. A loose hanger or a worn ring should be reported and not used.
• Respect the grazing: animals above the crag mean stones on the way, and the board forbids climbing.
• Emergency: call 112 and explain that you need rescue from a rock face.

For mountain safety in general, from the CAI scale to rescue, read the article on safety in the Madonie.

When to climb

Passo Scuro faces east and its routes are in the shade in the afternoon, at 732 metres. Given its aspect and altitude it is a spring and autumn crag; in summer the afternoon is better, when the face is in the shade.

For the other crags the usual rule applies: up high, winter brings frost and snow; lower down, summer brings heat on sun-exposed rock.

What to combine with climbing

Passo Scuro is close to Castelbuono, so the day ends well in town. Above Castelbuono, the paths of the wood of giant hollies start from Piano Sempria. To sleep, see where to stay in Castelbuono.

If you are also interested in the rock from the inside, the guide to caving in the Madonie covers the deep caves of Isnello and Cefalù. For ridge walking without a rope there is hiking in the Madonie, with demanding ridges such as Monte Quacella.