Alpine Logistics

The valley of Monte Sordo is one of my favourite places in Finale Ligure. A dirt track road winds its way down the valley, whose limestone cliffs and dense mediterranean vegetation hide it away from the rest of the world.

The 20 minute approach is dotted initially with orange trees and lemon trees as it passes through a cluster of pink houses. The path then winds its way up through a series of terraces where a small cairn marks a deviation from the main footpath, taking a down-turn before making a panoramic high traverse.

Here the first rock outcrops begin to appear, from which you can already begin to get excited at the amazing quality of the compact, grey limestone found here.

Eventually, an apparantly dead-end cave opens up on the right. Just enough light gets in to allow you to make out its strange formations and if you venture to the back of the cave you’ll find a rope leading upwards into the darkness. At the end of the rope a small hole is just big enough to allow an adult to wriggle through and emerge into the world above; this is Grotta dell’Edera (Ivy Cave).

This is a very wide, 40 metre-deep hole in the ground whose walls are composed of excellent rock. Light enters from the hole at the top and through a large ‘window’ onto the outside world on the south side of the cavern.

There are a hand-ful of routes ranging from 6a to 7b+: enough to keep you entertained for a day or two. On one side tufas hang from a small roof whilst on the other vertical pocketed walls make for more delicate climbing. The varierty is great and each route follows its own distinct line. Several new routes have been opened here recently and I think there is still room for more.

As the name suggests a large ivy also hogs a significant section of wall, framing the cavern window. Everything about it is very suggestive and it certainly makes you feel as if you’ve been absent from the world for a day.