But even then, my dream in the drawer, the unique solution that would have realized my wanderer’s dreams, was the sailboat. A backpack, a week of autonomy, a sled in tow, a month of autonomy, the sailboat, independence. Yes, I’ve carried backpacks and pulled sleds, but after an injury, in 1988, I got a boating license. On the first real outing, I vomited my soul. The second time it was me who was driving. Nature was coming towards me pushed by the wind. In the 90s with two friends, we bought Concerto, an 11-meter fiberglass sloop, and we traveled all that was within reach, summer, winter, looking for our limit. With the birth of my children, the mountains definitively gave way to the sea where we could all be together. But if you are a true wanderer, you get to the point where the Mediterranean seems too narrow. The new millennium brings novelties. First, half a year in Polynesia on a sailboat with my family, among the few who did not know about September 11th.

Then in 2006 the purchase of Quicksilver, a 16-meter aluminum cutter, the definitive boat, the adventure machine, the self-sufficient means. I find her in Croatia, but Scotland becomes her base. From there we leave for three summers in the North, Svalbard, Iceland, and Greenland. Mountain and sea find their balance, an affectionate coexistence.

Finally, the two ways of experiencing nature that have fought for years to get my attention have mixed in a single formidable color. The mountain explored starting from my small, mobile refuge. Twenty lines, forty years of experience, why not share them with others?

Continuing with this new “game” for several years and after three years of an amazing training course, I find myself in my thirties as a mountain guide. The game is over and it has become a profession. The challenge continues in turning a professional title into a “salary,” programs, flyers, posters, and the first website with other guide friends. The challenges continue; in ’97 I attempted the selections to become an instructor for guide courses, passed them, attended the course, and this dream also came true. From 2014 to 2021, I held the position of director of courses for the training of mountain guides. Thanks to Paolo, I then discovered the world of sailing and a certain way of experiencing the sea, a universe opposite to the mountains with many common sides, a timid first sailing and climbing experience in the Calanques of Marseille, then the opportunity to be part of the crew in adventures between Norway, Svalbard, and Greenland, climbing and skiing in places as incredibly beautiful as they are wild, enjoying common passions in places that are anything but common. In the spring, after a week of climbing and sailing on the small island of Kalymnos, immersed in the Aegean Sea, the spark for yet another exciting challenge is ignited, and so, almost as a game, Mountainsailing trips are born.