Serious Sardinia summer fun

August is the traditional month for Italian holidays, and so the seaside towns of Ogliastra have lots of visitors. In August a majority of visitors to The Lemon House are Italians, and as well as the seaside they come to enjoy the many local festivals which often feature traditional costumes, music and food. Here's a photo of the St Cristopher parade from our balcony at The Lemon House guesthouse in Lotzorai last Saturday

The dancing and music went on late into the night...

An increasing number of Italian climbers, though, are realising that Ogliastra, perhaps uniquely in Sardinia, offers great climbing for the summer, and choose to holiday here in August to combine a classic beach holiday with some good climbing. In the photo below, Fabio's climbing at Genna Croce, a superb crag for summer at 1100m amsl with routes of up to 35m, quite often challengingly-bolted, from 6a to 8a/+.

The day before Fabio made the first free ascent of Tagliole at the Su Telargiu Oro cave, confirming the 7b grade that Peter and Simone had estimated while bolting it.

Last week we were climbing at the Palazzo d'Inverno at Jerzu. Peter RP'ed his first 7b+, though it's probably only 7b, l'Eletto, at a new sector on the right, right after his mate Dimitri had made the second ascent of Pamir, 8a+. This was one of the best day's climbing Peter's ever had - he climbed probaby as well as he's ever climbed, but also belayed and encouraged Dimitri, and we both sent our routes. You can't ask for better than that.

Information about these good-for-summer sectors, as well as on places to stay and things to do in Ogliastra, Sardinia, is now available in English on the web site www.turismo.ogliastra.it .