Prosecco - Fatima’s hands and Parallele

The Strada Napoleonica/Napoleonic Way also called Strada Vicentina is a road closed to traffic and very popular by inhabitants of Trieste for a relaxing walk, or for jogging. It offers an extraordinary view of the gulf and the city of Trieste. The path, surrounded by beautiful limestone walls, is a meeting place for free climbers from Trieste where they meet and climb with or without ropes. The accessibility (parking is just a few meters from the walls and the path can be reached by public transport), the scenery and the mild temperature in winter, thanks to the sunny location, are the ingredients for a perfect climbing location on these famous cliffs overlooking the sea. Add to the beauty the excellent limestone walls that offer different climbing styles and routes of all difficulties and you have the perfect playground. On the Napoleonic way, generations of climbers from Trieste have grown, like Emilio Comici and Enzo Cozzolino who traced boulders and climbing routes, which have become historical in the meantime. In summer it is advisable to climb in the early morning or late afternoon. In winter it is better to avoid the harshest days and the days in which the Bora wind blows. The Napoleonica offers several sectors, along, above and below the trail. Two specific sectors are being described with different characteristics: the Parallele and the Mani di Fatima. The first offers medium difficulty routes while in the second prevail the more difficult overhangs and a resistance climb.

Access
From Trieste take the Strada del Friuli to the centre of Prosecco. From here, following the signs for the Sanctuary of Monte Grisa, take a long straight road that crosses the village of Borgo San Nazario. At the end of the road, at a bend on the left, we continue straight on Strada Vicentina until we reach a large parking area, from here the road is closed to traffic. Coming instead from the A4 motorway, after the Lisert exit, you must continue for 18 km along the highway, until the Prosecco exit. At the first crossroads, follow the signs to the Sanctuary of Monte Grisa on the left, to continue straight on, until the main road turns right. From the curve, the Vicentina road begins on the left and leads to the car park.

Approach
At the fountain you climb over the railing and take the trail (at the beginning steep and equipped with a rope) that goes down to the right, passing through the sector Dog cave, up to the sectors Parallele and Mano di Fatima (10 minutes from the parking lot).

General information:

• Orientation: South-West
• Altitude: 200 m
• Recommended period: from June to October
• Slope: Vertical wall and overhang
• Approach: 10 minutes
• Difficulty of the routes of the cliff:

4    5    6a    6b    6c    7a    7b    7c    8a    8b    8c    proj.
5   4    4       7      3      2       4       1       2      2       0     0

This route is included in the TOP 20 FREE CLIMBING guide, made in collaboration with Tabacco Maps, and can be purchased here