Oaths and blasphemies: sometimes you just need a confessional! A couple of years ago, I gave a lesson on toponymy to the students of the Classical High School of San Vito. Among the Ampezzo place names somehow linked to religion — from Pies de ra Mognes to Sas del Morto and many others — I …
Giordano Bruno Fabjan and Emilio Comici Giordano Bruno Fabjan Born in Trieste in 1907, Fabjan was Emilio Comici’s climbing partner. The Comici–Fabjan partnership remains a symbol of friendship and courage from the heroic age of mountaineering. Together they made the first ascent of the north-west face of Sorella di Mezzo (Sorapìs, 1929), the first grade …
Few people today know the true story of Rifugio Popena and of Lino Conti, the man who conceived and built this Dolomites mountain refuge with his own hands. I must admit I didn’t know it either—until an unexpected phone call piqued my curiosity. A kind-voiced woman introduced herself as Mirella Conti and asked whether I …
Ivano Dibona: the brief light of a champion. Ivano Dibona Ivano Dibona (Cortina d’Ampezzo, June 1, 1943 – Cima Grande di Lavaredo, August 8, 1968) was a mountain guide and a member of the Scoiattoli di Cortina. Nephew of the legendary Angelo Dibona, he accomplished important Dolomite ascents and lent his name to the famous …
Baron Franchetti and Cortina Among the various personalities who have left a lasting impression on Cortina, I would like to mention Baron Franchetti today. Passionate skiers who frequent Cortina are well acquainted with the Canalone Franchetti, a splendid slope of the Faloria ski resort and Cortina has no shortage of Baron Franchetti’s street. Probably, however, …
The birth of the Mountain Guide Logbook The profession of the Mountain Guide officially emerged in the second half of the 19th century with the arrival of the first pioneering mountaineers. Before this job became a true profession, mountaineers were accompanied into the mountains by locals: shepherds, woodsmen, and hunters who knew the territory well …