Via Ferrata Deanna Orlandini

Introduction:

The difficult Ferrata Deanna Orlandini is a very varied itinerary that puts the hiker to a proper test. It has the great advantage of being at low altitude and therefore practicable most of the year. This factor should not be misleading as some sections are very athletic, exposed and difficult with basically no brackets to support you along the route.

Starting location:

The starting point of the itinerary is Crocefieschi in the province of Genoa. The town is located about 9 km from the town of Busalla, easily reachable from the homonymous motorway exit on the A7 between Genoa and Milan. The ideal place to leave the car is the car park just past the petrol station get off the road 50 meters and park on the left in the parking lot.

Directions for Google Maps available here.

Approach:

From the parking lot we return to the road we have just traveled and climb towards the petrol station. Just below we find a brown sign "Reopasso" which we follow through the beautiful village. We continue in a northerly direction reaching a first saddle: white sign on asphalt to the right for Monte Cavallo. We ignore it and we stay on the paved road meeting the first yellow squares outside that mark the path. Climb up towards the obvious chapel of the Madonna della Guardia. The path continues towards the Rocche del Reopasso. Climb up to a saddle between Monte Castello and Anchise. At this point we meet a notice board with information on the path. It is convenient to wear the harness at this point. At this point we leave the path (which we will use for the return) and continue on the right in a steep climb following the orange signs. You reach another saddle and on the left near a spur the Ferrata Deanna Orlandini (30' from the car) attaches.

Via Ferrata:

The Ferrata Deanna Orlandini is divided into 4 sectors with different characteristics and levels of difficulty:

1.  The first sector is called "Grillo". Attach the ferrata by going around the left side of the rocky outcrop with a traverse and then entering a rocky ravine that soon leads us to a gorge. The crack along the rock must be climbed up again in a split and with a minimum of climbing technique to avoid being in uncomfortable positions. The self-insurance equipment here is double: in the lower cable you can secure yourself with carabiners and in the upper one you can hold yourself with your arms. The rock is good and offers obvious grips even if attention is necessary given the progression in split. As you ascend the gorge the exposure increases and you go from the left side of the gorge to the right one. On the right side we go up again about 4 meters athletic and we leave the cranny that can be considered one of the most difficult passages of the road. At the end of the gorge we reach the ridge (about 25 'from the start) with some easy jumps. At this point it is possible to continue or through a comfortable path to go back down to the starting point of the via ferrata and end the trip. We instead continue to the left following the metal cable with which we continue downhill towards the second section.
2. The second section of the via ferrata is called "Biurca Sud" and is reached by a short path after the end of the first section. You reach a rocky slope with a high slope but very pleasant to climb. The rock is excellent, full of holds. We then reach an aided ledge to the right that leads us to a saddle: continue the ledge until the end of the second stretch following orange marks to a shelter, or continue vertically for the NE wall of Biurca. This second option includes a vertical wall without help brackets with some overhanging sections. We initially climb diagonally to the right, then vertical with a couple of overhanging passages and then with an exposed and challenging horizontal traverse to the left. Climb up on a rock with a strong hold and exposure up to the summit ridge of the southern tip of Biurca. From this we can see the shelter on the opposite side of Biurca. Continue down towards the saddle that separates the northern tip from the southern one. To reach the shelter, proceed on the right for a few meters. To continue, return to the saddle and go up the northern tip of the Biurca, descending the path following the orange signs (1h from the end of the first sector).
3. The third sector is undertaken following the red arrow during the descent from Biurca. You walk along some easy ledges and walls that are not difficult from a technical point of view. The last part of the route follows a traverse of about ten meters downhill on average challenging. We proceed up to a further saddle: we can go around the suspension bridge reaching the base of a vertical pillar, or we can walk the bridge of the monkeys (3 ropes) up to the base of the pillar (30' from the end of the second sector).
4. The fourth and last sector of the ferrata is called "Carrega do Diao" and is probably the most difficult sector of the route, certainly the most vertical. Go up the vertical pillar that associates rock with good holds to overhanging sections that tire the arms. The overhanging section is easily visible even from the base. It is therefore highly recommended to progress by looking for grips for the legs, avoiding excessive traction on the cable where not necessary. Attention to the summit roof that will force us to proceed S to not flaunt. Once this demanding stretch is finished, we continue for a short time on a ridge, reaching a second prominence less demanding than the previous one. We climb it and we finished the via ferrata (30' from the end of the third sector - about 2h 30' from the start - about 3h total).

Descent:

Do not remove the harness at the end of the via ferrata. In fact the Carrega descends along an aided gully with inclined rocks. Follow a flat path through the trees to a saddle where there is a saddle: take the left path that steeply descends along the western slope of the Carrega. From here following the ridge we reach the Northern Biurca where we passed previously. Always following the yellow signs (empty square) and some aided sections, we now follow the normal route that descends the west ridge and then along the south wall of Biurca. Attention, coming down from the Biurca we must follow the path to the left (empty yellow squares) and not to the right (full yellow squares). We continue on exposed ledge protected with handrail cable. You then reach a picnic area and then following the path towards Crocefieschi backwards along the approach path. (1h from the end of the via ferrata - 4h total). Be careful to follow the yellow or orange marks present.

Notes:

The conformation of the rock (agglomeration) makes the via ferrata very climbable. In many of the sections of the route it will be possible to proceed by climbing using the cable as self-insurance. However, this should not be misleading. The via ferrata is difficult despite the low altitude may lead to underestimate it. The 4 sectors in which the ferrata runs have different characteristics that make it pleasant in every sector. A quickdraw can be very useful to rest in a couple of overhanging sections if not in good athletic condition.

Another feature of the via ferrata is the possibility to bypass every single sector by following the paths marked in orange.

After going through the via ferrata we noticed some signs which indicate the area as a wild boar hunting zone in September, October, November and December on Wednesday and Sunday. If you can choose, we recommend avoiding those days.

Opportunities:

The Ferrata Deanna Orlandini extends in the Appenino Ligure not far from the A7 motorway. There are no via ferratas in the near vicinity. The two via ferratas near the Zovallo pass (Ferrata Mazzocchi and Via Ferrata Adolfo Ferrari) require about 2 hours by car and are to be included in long itineraries. About the same distance by car is to be considered for the Via Ferrata of the Artists.