Paolo, alias “Fossile”, is not a famous name among Italian apritori italiani. That is maybe because he prefers Dalmatian rocks to the Dolomite crags: Paolo has often left his mark on the walls overlooking the Adriatic, but first ascents down there are not as interesting news as an ascent on the Alps… Paolo then decided to try with Sardinia, and he gave us two beautiful routes on dream rocks (“Por el pueblo oprimido” at Monte Oddeu and “The sound of silence” at Surtana) which immediately leapt into the hit parade of the most repeated routes on the island.
They cannot be compared to “Hotel Supramonte” as to difficulty, but it is interesting to notice that no news on these two routes was released by the specialized press. Fancy magazines show us a world monopolized by super heroes, but that is not the truth, when we all meet at the beginning of Paolo’s routes we discover we are all human, we stop dreaming about the “Hotel” holds, and we start to climb only to have fun and really be as we are and not as we would like to be. That is why we have to thank Paolo for coming to see us once again…


Where do you live?
Trieste.

Do you love your homeland or would you want to live somewhere else?
I love Trieste very much as Dalmatia and the Velebit.

How did you discover Sardinia?
Magazines and friends, then a guide, I think Pietra di luna...

Do you come back often?
I would like to but there is so much to do in Dalmazia and I have few spits and vacations left ...

Do Sardinian rocks have something special?
The magic union sea/rock as in Dalmatia and the silence in Supramonte - maybe because I was there only in the winter - but I believe you also have crickets!

What if there wasn’t the sea in Sardinia?
You would save the money for the ferry! I’m kidding, I would come anyway, but an island has a special charm!

Would you like to live on the island?
Which one? In Sardinia certainly, but there are also smaller ones (Corsica!).

Which place impressed you the most?
The red Gorropu Gorges, the silence in Tiscali, the industrial archaeology in Masua and the Iglesias area, the Aguglia and its blue sea and... in the end almost everything!

Is there a route which is worth a trip to Sardinia alone?
Wait a munite, I would like to go on Punta Giradili, but Monte Oddeu and Surtana alone are worth a vists, as well as Capo Testa!

And a route that you would like to repeat?
La mia Africa with no thunderstorms this time!

Where wouldn’t you return?
I bear no grudge.

What would you do if you lived on the island?
I would definitely open routes too and I would drink lots of good wine on the shore with my friends from the island and the mainland.

Do you believe that too many routes damage or increase the value of an area?
It depends on the size of the area and the manners of those who go there, especially if guests.

Do you think that there is enough space for everybody on Sardinian rocks?
Why not, you just need some imagination and good will.

And how long will this last?
While there is rock there is hope, negative tectonic movements permitting ... !