Cinema in Verticale in Condove

On March 5, Cinema in Verticale 2026 returns to Condove, at the Cinema Comunale, with an evening that looks back at the historical roots of mountaineering through the film "Monte Corno. It Felt Like I Was in the Air," directed by Luca Cococcetta and dedicated to the extraordinary feat accomplished by Francesco De Marchi.

The film recounts the first documented ascent of Corno Grande (2,912 m), the highest peak of the Gran Sasso d'Italia, then called Monte Corno, accomplished on August 19, 1573, by De Marchi with a small expedition. An exceptional feat for the time, motivated not by practical necessity but by the scientific and geographical curiosity of reaching what he believed to be the highest mountain in Italy. De Marchi left a detailed written account of it, predating by 213 years the ascent of Mont Blanc on August 8, 1786, accomplished by Balmat and Paccard, traditionally considered the birthplace of modern mountaineering.

Over 450 years after the feat, the film reconstructs the climb through a first-person narrative based on De Marchi's original words, and a fictional reconstruction that follows the ascent of the Corno Grande limestone rock step by step. The narrative sequences are intertwined with a documentary filmed at the actual sites of the ascent, enriched by contributions from historians, scholars, and experts.

The film features voices by Vincenzo Brancadoro, historians Stefano Ardito and Roberto Mantovani, mountaineer Hervé Barmasse, and geologist Mario Tozzi, who delve into the historical, geographical, and environmental context of the feat at the actual sites of the climb. From the technical difficulties of the ascent to the measurement of the summit, from the geography of the massif to the state of the Calderone Glacier, and even the wool and fur trade that crossed the Apennines between L'Aquila and Teramo, passing through Campo Imperatore, in the 16th century.

The film's undisputed protagonist is the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest mountain massif in the Apennines, depicted as a natural, historical, and human space, in a continuous dialogue between past and present.

The evening will be hosted by Roberto Mantovani, who will introduce the film and guide the audience through the historical and cultural interpretation of an undertaking that redefines the origins of European mountaineering, offering an in-depth look at the relationship between knowledge, exploration, and the mountains.

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Municipality of Condove - Condove