canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Burrone Iornito

Seen from a few kilometers away the hills between the villages of Carfizzi, Melissa and San Nicola dell'Alto appear as sweet hills in wooded part and partly cultivated. Even more closely the impression does not change, although some particulars out of place begin to appear.
But not even observing carefully you can grasp reality: the seemingly gentle hills host an unsuspected network of canyons, deep ravines creating a topographically complex and twisted microcosm, which preserves primordial environments.
To make this microcosm possible are the conglomerates of these hills. They are soft and easily erodible by creeks but they are also compact overall, enough to form vertical or overhanging walls more than 100 meters high.

The longest and deepest canyon in the area is Burrone Iornito. It is a canyon for hikers: you simply walk for kilometers between rock walls which become gradually higher and narrower.

I remember ...

GPS was telling me I had arrived at the point where I thought that this crazy canyon, which simply could not be there, ended. The canyon instead continued, in that incredible "rock", it continued, hidden by vegetation it continued.
I went on to the point where a cascade barred my way. Maybe, who knows, upstream there were more waterfalls. Perhaps in front of me there was a technical canyoning route, but how could I ever place anchors in that kind of rock that was actually "pressed soil"?

I wondered for a long time, for years, without finding a convincing answer, a technique that made me sure I could overcome the worst waterfall possible in that kind of rock.
Finally I found it, but that's another story.

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