Overview
Punta di l'Acellu East Face
A crazy cloud over Punta di l'Acellu
PUNTA DI L’ACELLU m. 1588
Punta di l’Acellu – Bird's Peak – is a fine tower rising above Bavella Pass, the admittance to the wild and magnificent stone’s microcosm of Bavella range. Well evident from the pass and also named First Tower, Punta di l’Acellu is the first one of Bavella Towers and frequently climbed for its closeness to Bavella Pass and for its granite’s quality. Most interesting routes are E face's routes and South Ridge
or Arete de Zonza.
Its name derives from an ancient popular saying, in accordance of which “only a bird could reach the summit”.
Getting There
Bavella landscape
Main entrance into Bavella group is Col de Bavella m. 1211.
ROAD APPROACH TO COL DE BAVELLA
- From BASTIA (Corsica Eastern coast) follow the road RN 198 towards Solenzara; a few kilometers before getting there, turn to right following D268 to Col de Bavella (km. 130 from Bastia).
- From AIACCIO (Corsica Western coast) follow the road RN 196 to Petreto, then N852 to Aullene, Quenza and Zonza (km. 90 from Aiaccio). From Zonza follow the road D268 to Col de Bavella.
WALKING APPROACH
The starting point to reach the tower is Col de Bavella m. 1211. Parking. It's possible to spend the night at the pass or getting there directly from Zonza, a small typical village situated in the South side of Col de Bavella (9 km. from the pass).
From Col de Bavella follow the GR20 “Alpine Variant” (yellow marks) rising steeply towards Acellu Pass. Just before getting to the pass, go down towards left along a slope to reach SE Face and S Ridge (Arete de Zonza).
Red Tape
An ancient road sign along the road D268 from Solenzara to Bavella Col
Bavella range is a wild group situated inside a Regional Park. Free camping and bivouac are not allowed. Fires are strictly forbidden. Maximum care is required to preserve this extraordinary environment.
Routes overview
Punta di l'Acellu summit
Routes overview from the left-hand side to the right - French Scale
“Arete de Zonza” D, 5b 220 mt.
AGELLUCCIU
“Quilici Route” D+ 100 mt.
“Precht Route” D
SOUTH-EAST FACE
“Belluno Route” TD, 6a 150 mt.
“Le Temps Peau Noir” TD+,6b 150 mt.
“La JPQ” TD+,6b 150 mt.
“Afanassief” ED, 6c 150 mt.
"La Masino Direct" TD, 6a 150 mt.
“I Brumi di l’Agellu” TD+,6b 150 mt.
SOUTH-WEST FACE
“Normal Route”
History
Punta di l’Acellu was first climbed in 1927 by the Belgian Van Hege-Solvay and Delwart Ganshof along the Etrier Route. The second ascent was realized the same year by an Austrian party (climbing the same route). The third ascent, 18 years later, was realized by Miss Ferrè de Peroux with the Chamonix alpine guides Arthur Ravanel and Alphonse Couttet.Nature and climate
Nature is wild and peculiar; in Corsica we can find more than the 5% of authoctonous kinds of flower and plants, in addition to authoctonous fauna. On the contrary, several kinds of animal current inside Mediterranean countries are away from Corsica, like squirrels and vipers.Climate is the typical one of the mediterranean middle-mountain areas situated at these latitudes: often very hot in summer and with cold and snowy winters; early and middle Spring and early Fall are the better seasons to climb. Due to Bavella closeness to the sea, winds are often stronger how much they are at the same height in the Alps. Rainfall sometimes are important and dangerous when joined with strong winds. On the contrary, sometimes we can find some long periods of drought.
An ancient tree
When to climb
Best season to climb in Aiguilles de Bavella Group goes from late April to middle October.Meteo
METEO CORSEWhere to stay
COL DE BAVELLA-Auberge du Col de Bavella – Hotel and Gite d’Etape
AUBERGE DU COL DE BAVELLA
-Les Aiguilles de Bavella – Gite d’Etape
GITE D'ETAPE LES AIGUILLES DE BAVELLA
ZONZA
–Hotel L’Aiglon, Hotel de la Terrasse
-Municipal Camping of Zonza, Camping La Riviere
Guidebooks and maps
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“Guide d’escalade en Corse” Vol. I Massif de Bavella by Jean Paul Quilici – Bernard Vaucher
“Rocca è Sole” Massif de Bavedda by Jean Paul Quilici – Francis Thibaudeau
Map IGN 4253 ET “Aiguilles de Bavella – Solenzara”
