La bellezza non conosce paura rebolted on Monte Robon in the Julian Alps

20th of July 1997. We'd finally completed it. It was the third time back since we - complete novices at bolting, armed with a one-ton Hilti drill and a bunch of 8mm stainless steel bolts — had laid hands on the smooth, compact southwest face of Monte Robon. After taking several whippers, some with the drill still in hand, we’d unlocked the incredible sequence of pockets and edges that led to the ledge, never suspecting we’d just created a minor masterpiece with La bellezza non conosce paura (Beauty Knows No Fear).

19th of July 2025. I realised only later that almost exactly 28 years had passed. We’d often felt the route needed a facelift, by re-bolting it with 10mm stainless steel bolts, and Marco had already scouted the route a few weeks earlier, rigging the adventurous and committing abseils to reach the ledge. A natural organiser, he’d also drawn up a tight schedule so we could do the job in a single day and avoid repeating the rappels.

We left Trieste at 4:30 a.m., started hiking at 6:30, and began the first abseil at 10:30. Heavy packs made things tricky, but we eventually reached the ledge right on time. Once again, we were struck by the beauty of the rock. The old bolts were still in surprisingly good shape. Marco set off first, replacing old anchors and bolts; I followed on a second rope, cleaning the old gear. The second-pitch traverse gave us real trouble but, exhausted and satisfied, we finally made it to the base of the wall. An hour later, we were in Sella Nevea drinking a well-deserved cold beer.

We decided to maintain the original bolting, placing the bolts in the same positions as we'd done ground-up 28 years ago. We added just one, at the start of the 4th pitch. This is because during the first ascent, we'd initially planned on placing the third-pitch belay higher up, but ended up placing it slightly lower. Without a bolt close to the belay, there was a risk of falling directly onto the anchor. Furthermore, following the advice of some of those who've repeated the route, we decided to upgrade the last two pitches by half a grade.

Now we’re looking forward to the next repeats. To the best of our knowledge, it still hasn't been onsighted.

- Massimo Sacchi, Trieste