When To Go

The valley floor is between 800-1000m so bouldering is possible all year round. Here is the breakdown of the seasons:

• Summer (Good) - From June to August, it is warm but still cool enough for climbing.
• Autumn (Great) - From September to November, it is very cool with a slight chance of rain.
• Winter (Average) - From December to February, the coldest time to visit with snowfall though it should melt quickly.
• Spring (Great) - From March to May, it is very cool and relatively dry which makes for the best conditions.

We had 3 climbing days here in July and a few more close to Arco (not in this guide).

The Climbing

Known as "Little Yosemite", Val Di Mello is a commune and nature reserve located in the Sondrio province of northern Italy. The resemblance to Yosemite lies in the tall granite cliffs and boulders flanking the flat valley floor.

It is renowned in Italy for climbing because the full variety of climbing is available here (sport climbing, trad, multi-pitch, bouldering, and alpinism).

That said, the area is most famous for bouldering as it annually hosts the Melloblocco bouldering festival which resumed in 2023 after a 4-year hiatus.

Val Di Mello has 3 main sectors with around 2,400 boulder problems. While driving up from Ardenno, the first sector you'll come across is Val Masino which has about 650 routes spread around the commune.

Further north, the next two sectors are in different valleys forking from San Martino. Bagni Di Masino is West of the commune and Val Di Mello is to the east.

Bagni is a newer small sector is being developed here with around 150 problems in a forest. Due to shade from the tree canopy, its popular to climb here in the summer months as it remains very cool.

To the east, Val Di Mello valley is larger with around 400 routes spread on both sides of the Mello river which starts to gush more in summer after the ice melts in the mountains.

The bouldering in these valleys surrounded by formidable mountain ranges and tranquil rivers makes for a dreamy ambiance. All sectors have granite boulders with varying crystal sizes that determine how aggressive it is on your skin.

The climbing on granite is technical with small footholds requiring precision. With the help of Melloblocco, world class lines from V8 to V13 are popular here. However, the concentration of problems means there is a huge range of easy problems around too.

Topo

Online

27crags has covered the area quite extensively with the majority of the problems updated here. This is what we used together with some pictures from the main guidebook.

Guidebook

Mello Boulder by Andrea Pavan (2018) is the most comprehensive guidebook for the 3 sectors of this area. It can be hard to find the guidebook for purchase though you can browse through a copy at Bar Monica.

Transportation

Getting there

Milan Bergamo is the closest international airport but we flew in to Malpensa. The closest town is San Martino which is 250km (2h) from the airport.

While we chose to drive, it's possible to take a train to Morbegno and then a bus from there to San Martino.

Moving around

Since many of the boulder problems are in close proximity to San Martino, you can get around by taking a bicycle or walking. The Val Masino boulders are about 2.5km away. We stayed further out next to Ardenno so a car was necessary.

If you drive up to the Val Di Mello parking from San Martino, remember to purchase a parking ticket from the tourist office in San Martino first or risk a hefty fine. There is a daily limit of 40 vehicles.

More information available on Val Masino's tourism office website.

Accommodation

1. Hotel - Miramonti in Val Masino or Genzianella in San Martino are two options in these small communes.
2. Homestay - You can look up homes on Airbnb or Booking. We stayed further out in Villapinta at a much cheaper rate. There are also options in Ardenno.
3. Camp - The two main campsites are Campground Jack just next to Val Di Mello or Sasso Remmero at Val Masino which has full facilities including showers.

Gear

• Crash pad rental - Check with Fiorelli Sport in San Martino. There isn't information listed on their website so we cannot confirm that they still rent crash pads.‍
• Gear shops - Fiorelli Sport in San Martino and Sondrio carries climbing gear.

Food

Daily essentials

• We stopped by a Carrefour on the drive from Milan to stock up on our groceries, but there is a small convenience store called Supermercato Crai in Val Masino.
• Outside the valley in Morbegno, Ardenno, or Villapinta there are bigger convenience stores and supermarkets.
• For a much larger hypermarket, there is a Iperal in Sondrio 31km (40mins) from San Martino.

Cafes

Bar Monica is owned by living legend Simone Pederferri and his wife. He is the primary steward of the route setting in the valley and for Melloblocco as well as one of Italy's strongest climbers. It's a great place for coffee, browsing climbing magazines and guidebooks, and bumping into fellow climbers.

There are many more options outside of the valley in the towns along the SS38 main highway.

Restaurants

We prepared most of our own meals during our stay but in hindsight there are many good restaurants we would have liked to try next time including several on the Michelin Bib Gourmand guide!

Besides wine, Valtellina's classic dishes include:

• Pizzocherri, a buckwheat pasta cooked with grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Bresaola, a cured meat typically from beef
• Bitto, a semi-hard cheese

Dessert

To date, Italy still has the best gelato I've tasted! Our favorite was in Arco though most shops have solid standards for a great price.

Rest Day Activities

Wineries

For wine lovers, Valtellina has a deep history in wine. Nebbiolo grapes, which is the same variety that produces the famous Barolo in Piedmont, are grown on the alpine slopes of the Rhaetian Alps to produce the powerful Sfursat (Sforzato).

Book one of the many wine experiences from the Vini di Valtellina site for your rest day or visit the Nino Negri winery just a little outside Sondrio.

Hiking

While Val Di Mello is extremely versatile with bouldering, sport, and trad, climbing, exploring this nature reserve through the numerous day treks leaving from Luna Nascente mountain hut is probably the best way to explore its full beauty.

The Refugio Luna Nascente website offers good maps of some trails you can go on, with duration and elevation information included.

Explore towns

There are plenty of bigger towns to the east side to explore such as Morbegno and Chiuro though Sondrio is the biggest. Walk up the hill to Castello Di Masegra to get a full view of the town.

We wandered around Sondrio, grabbed a coffee at the community garden, and visited a cheese shop.

Otherwise, head west for Lake Como to enjoy the lake views and water activities.

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