Angelicum, new bouldering spot in Soriano nel Cimino: Interview to Alessandro Marinaro

The team Sassisti Tusciaroli has been actively working for years in the bouldering scene of the Central Italy: it is attested by the sold out for the inauguration of Angelicum, the new bouldering area in the Soriano nel Cimino spot, which will take place on 29 May. A success preceded by many other initiatives, all of which have been received enthusiastically by the public.

For the occasion, we interviewed Alessandro Marinaro, president of this Association.

1) Climbing in Angelicum Federico D'Isep
2) Discovering Angelicum ar. Alessandro Marinaro

D: Hi Alessandro, tell us about the Sassisti Tusciaroli team.

The association Sassisti Tusciaroli has been founded in January 2019. Its members are both "historical" boulderers, who discovered and established the main bouldering areas of the Tuscia zone [the Tuscia zone is the area around Viterbo, N.d.T.] (from the Faggeta di Soriano to the spot of Vitorchiano) and also young climbers/boulderers.

Some of us, therefore, came from the mountaineering, others from the gym. Young and old climbers all together!

All seasoned with a bit of gang spirit and a lot of fun.

D: What are you doing?

Our highest goal is the promotion and the enhancement of sustainable bouldering in the Tuscia territory [that is around Viterbo, N.d.T.] because we have been in love with our discipline and with our territory.

Sustainability and promotion are two things that must never be detached from one another. Without sustainability, the bouldering spots are going to be closed.

The blocks are (almost) always in private properties, or belong to the State Property, or to institutions, and therefore we are almost always guests.

1) Boulderers at work in Angelicum, Alessandro Marinaro in the middle
2) Valerio Angeletti on Il volo dell'Angelo, in Angelicum
3) Alessandro Marinaro in the Shining area (Faggeta)
ar. Marinaro

D: How we are doing so?

On the one hand, we try to display ethical behavior, to transmit ethical values both in climbing and in the management of the spots. On the other hand, we try to collaborate with the public authorities and with the institutions, developing common tourism&sports projects.

Thus, simplifying: respect for nature, education, consumption-free climbing, agreements with the institutions and with private owners.

But, of course, we have also a lot of fun: going around the woods, looking for new blocks, finding rocks, having projects, climbing, being together, organizing events, joking, getting away from every day, and entering the magical world of our passion.

Each of us donates his time, within his own possibilities.

The inauguration of the Angelicum area, which will happen on 29 May, is the sum of all the above, and the tangible result of so much work, a year late due to the Covid, but maybe with more enthusiasm because of Covid.

The Municipality of Soriano, thanks to the forward-looking bet of the Mayor Fabio Menicacci and of the Councilor of Sports Luciano Perugini, in June 2019 gave us the availability of the city to organize a street boulder and we added to the street boulder a second day of discovering the bouldering spots of the Faggeta di Soriano area: the result was the participation of 300 climbers from all over Italy to the street boulder and of 130 boulderers the day after around the forest.

In the meantime, this winter the Faggeta Vetusta has been closed because it is UNESCO heritage, and therefore, we have tried to make the best of things.

Soriano nel Cimino: Sassisti al tempo di Covid

Soriano nel Cimino: Sassisti at the time of Covid
ar. Alessandro Marinaro

D: What are your next goals?

We are acting in two ways:

discovering, establishing, introducing new "sustainable" bouldering spots (like the Angelicum area);
figuring out a way to attend in a sustainable manner the Faggeta Vetusta (now closed). This activity is also carried out in the only way possible: that is cooperating closely with the Municipality and the various organizations and associations concerned to overcome this problem: among this the CAI [Italian Alpin Club, N.d.T.], the Associazione La Menica Alta (trekking and promotion of ancient paths), the Associazione Faggeta Gravity Park (enduro Mtb and Archeotrekking) and us. On this point we are quite confident. Let's cross our fingers!