Montalto
1,955 m
Italy
- Elevation
- 1,955 m
- Prominence
- 1,709 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T (CAI) (Gulliver.it)
A short walk to the top of Aspromonte: from the high road between Gambarie and Polsi, beyond Materazzelli (about 1,850 m), a fenced path with easy switchbacks climbs about 90 m through beech wood to the Redentore statue and wind rose on the 1,955 m summit, with views from Etna and the Aeolian Islands to both seas.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 2.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +149 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,955 m
- Time Up
- 52m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 47m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive from Gambarie (about 16 km) following signs for Montalto, along the Montalto–Polsi road over the Materazzelli watershed (1,852 m). Do not take the turn-off for San Luca; continue about 300 m and park beyond a small white kiosk. The trail starts on the right-hand side of the road, marked with red-and-white waymarks that need a little attention to spot, and is part of path 103 and the Sentiero Italia (stage Gambarie–Polsi). The path, about 1 km long and lined by a wooden fence, climbs through the woods in easy zig-zags to the summit (about 90 m of ascent from the road at 1,866 m). On top are a trig point of the national geodetic network (1869), the bronze statue of the Redeemer erected for the 1901 Jubilee and a bronze wind rose placed in 1994. Walk about 200 m beyond the statue to a second viewpoint where, in clear weather, both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas are visible. Return the same way. The long approach on foot from Gambarie (Sentiero Calabria stage 2: 14.2 km, about 474 m of ascent, 4 hours, grade E) passes the Laghetto Rumia, the Garibaldi mausoleum, the Menta dam, Monte Basilicò and Monte Scirocco.
Start
Materazzelli1,830 m
- No public transport to the trailhead is documented; the nearest village is Gambarie, about 16 km by road.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materazzelli → Montalto | 2.3 | 149 | 28 | 52m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Materazzelli1,830 m
Watershed on the Montalto–Polsi road; drive on past the San Luca turn-off to the kiosk for the shortest ascent
- Summit: Montalto1,955 m
Key Passages
- Fenced zig-zag path through the beech wood
- Redentore statue and wind rose on the summit
- Two-seas viewpoint 200 m beyond the statue
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest summit of the Aspromonte (1,955 m), at the toe of Italy above Reggio Calabria, crowned by a bronze Redeemer statue from 1901. A short woodland path from the high road reaches it in well under an hour; the view takes in Etna, the Aeolian Islands and both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas.
Montalto is the culminating point of the Aspromonte, the granite and gneiss massif at the southern tip of the Apennine chain, inside the Aspromonte National Park and the municipality of Samo. With about 1,700 m of prominence it is an ultra, and from its rounded, partly wooded top the view reaches across the Strait of Messina to Sicily and Etna, to Stromboli and Vulcano, and north to the Sila.
As a walk it is easy: the Montalto–Polsi road crosses the watershed at Materazzelli (1,852 m), only a kilometre or so from the top, and a fenced path climbs the last 90 m. The mountain is more interesting as part of a longer day: the Sentiero Calabria comes up from the resort of Gambarie in about 4 hours, and the Sentiero Italia continues from the summit towards the sanctuary of Polsi, Pietra Cappa and Zervò.
The summit carries a statue of the Redeemer erected for the 1901 Jubilee, a trig point of the national geodetic network dating from 1869 and a bronze wind rose. Summers are mild for southern Italy; winter brings snow, and Gambarie below is Calabria's main ski resort.
Climbing Notes
The short route from the road suits anyone, including families: about 1 km and 90 m of ascent on a fenced path. The waymarks are red and white and slightly easy to miss at the start. For a proper day, walk the Sentiero Calabria from Gambarie (14 km, 4 hours, grade E) and arrange a pick-up or return the same way.
The summit is often in cloud blown up from either sea; go early on clear days for the best chance of seeing Etna. In winter the high road may be snowbound and the walk becomes a snowshoe outing. There is no water on the route.
History
A trig point of Italy's fundamental geodetic network was placed on the summit in 1869. For the 1901 Jubilee a bronze statue of the Redeemer, by Francesco Jerace of Polistena, was carried up by mule and inaugurated on 23 September 1901 by Cardinal Portanova on land donated by Baron Stranges of San Luca. It was destroyed twice by lightning and rebuilt; the present statue is by the Reggio sculptor Michele di Raco. In 1994 the Gruppo Escursionisti d'Aspromonte (GEA) added a bronze wind rose.
Season
Best May–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow; road may be closed; snowshoes
- Feb
- Snow; road may be closed; snowshoes
- Mar
- Late snow possible
- Jul
- Mild at altitude; hazy views
- Aug
- Busiest month
- Sep
- Clearer views
- Nov
- Frequent cloud and rain; early snow possible
- Dec
- Snow likely
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Inside Aspromonte National Park: stay on paths and follow park rules
- Getting There
Gambarie (Santo Stefano in Aspromonte)
Reggio Calabria (REG)
- Car: from Reggio Calabria to Gambarie, then about 16 km on the Montalto–Polsi road past Materazzelli; park beyond the small white kiosk about 300 m after the San Luca turn-off
- On foot from Gambarie by the Sentiero Calabria (stage 2, 14.2 km, about 4 hours)
- No public transport to the trailhead is documented
Hazards
- Weather