Campanile di Val Montanaia : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

The shape of this Campanile is unique: it rises from the scree of the Val Montanaia amphitheatre, lonely.
It really looks like a bell tower, 300 m tall with a base of 50/60 m. Below the wide ledge, the East, West and North walls are overhanging, the southern is almost vertical.
Some definitions:
English painter E.T. Compton “the most illogical mountain”
Napoleone Cozzi “the petrified cry of a damned”
Bleier “the rocky monster”
Severino Casara “the most beautiful Campanile of the world”

In fact on 19 September 1926 a bell was placed on the summit, this latin motto is engraved: “Audentis resonant per me loca muta triumpho” (I make the silent places resound with the triumph of the daring - credit to Brenta's traslation).

History
First ascent: V. von Glanvell and G. von Saar (Austrian team) on 17 September 1902.
Thanks to the informations of the first attempt of Napoleone Cozzi and A. Zanutti on south face, they found the solution to traverse on western wall and reached the summit.

Getting There

From the city of Belluno (Regione Veneto – North/east of Italy) to Longarone, (see the Vajont landslide disaster) and from this to Erto, Casso and Cimolais, villages of Val Cellina (Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia).
At the small village of Cimolais (Parco Regionale delle Dolomiti Friulane – Info tel +39 0427877404) starts the narrow route that leads to Val Montanaia. At the end ( 13 Km) car parking.
The Rifugio Pordenone m 1249 is very close, 10 minutes walking.
From this refuge the track nr 353 up to Val Montanaia in 2 hours at the base of Campanile, and 20 minutes further (north) at Bivacco Perugini.

Vajont landslide disaster
The Vajont dam is one of the highest arch dam in the world ( 270 m ) and was build in the 60s to exploit the drop of Vajont torrent for an hydroelectric plant.
During the night of 9 October 1963, raising the level in the basin for the first time, the slope of Monte Toc (southern side of the lake) became unstable and a landslide of 260 million m3 fell into the lake.
The enormous wave wiped out the villages of Erto and Casso on the opposite side and fell down to the village of Longarone, 2000 inhabitants died.
This is, unfortunately, a demonstration of arrogance of business not taking into consideration several warnings of local community and survey of independent geologists.
At the Visitor Centre of Erto there is an area dedicated to the Vajont tragedy.

Red Tape

The Regional Park is quite new, it's useful to ask there for some rules.

Routes

• Normal, von Saar, von Glanvell, 1902, 2/3 hours - III/IV
• West wall: F. Zanetti, A. Parizzi, 1928, 2 hours – IV
Scaramazza, Ulian, 1969
M. Corona, Carratù, Giordani, 1990, VII+
• North wall: Left side, Andrich, Tissi, Zanetti,Zancristofaro, 1930 – V/VI
Spigolo a sega, 1931 - V/VI
Direct: Toso, Faggian, 1959
• East wall: P. Cetin, S. Dalla Porta Xidias, 1955, - VI
Direct: M. Corona, A. Gogna
• South wall direct: M.Corona, A. Moret, E.Bravin, 1994 – VII
• South/east edge: P. Beltrame, P. Ivo, 1984

Descent: from the summit down-climb to the wide ledge (or two rappels of 25 and 40 m). Then few m north is placed the anchor for first rappel (calata Piaz) 37 m, partially in the void. At the end of this second ledge the rappel of 20 m reaches a notch (Tacca del Campanile), an easy gully (stones) on the east leads to the base of Campanile.