In the shop windows, on the walls, and in a few days in the squares, in the streets, at the cinema, at the theatre, in the air, in the dishes of Cuneo’s restaurants: the mountain «is coming to town», as he would say Tommy Caldwell, the American mountaineer and climber super guest of the Cuneo Montagna Festival, which will open on Tuesday 14th. When the countdown marks minus six, the anticipation grows for the event which until Sunday 19th will transform Cuneo into the center of reflection on the present and on the future of the highlands. And if climbing enthusiasts dream of finding the man who tamed the Dawn Wall in 2015 on the wall, those who prefer to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground will have two opportunities to meet him, both on Tuesday 14th. The first at 6pm, when in during the inauguration in the hall of honor of the town hall, Carlotta Gautero, gold medal in biathlon at the Youth Olympic Games in Seoul, Allegra Dacomo, winner of the competition for middle schools in Cuneo “My diary cover” and the mountaineer and writer Mauro Manfredi. The second at 9pm in «Anything is possible», the story of a life spent redefining the concept of «impossible» which will resonate in the San Rocco Castagnaretta sports hall. Tickets – 10 euros full price, 5 euros reduced for 7-18 years old, free for 0-6 years old – can be purchased at the link bit.ly/caldwell-cuneo.
On the stage of the Toselli theater on Wednesday 15th at 9pm, in an evening to get closer to Spazzamondo organized in collaboration with the Crc Foundation, there will be Paolo Hendel to interpret «Polimero, a plastic puppet», a text written by Giobbe Covatta; free entry, reservations at the link bit.ly/polimero-cuneo.
On Saturday 18 May (9pm at Cinema Monviso, free entry), he will arrive at the festival from Nepal Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, the first Nepalese woman to obtain a mountain guide license. Her biography speaks for herself: Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita was also the first woman to climb Nangpai Gosum II, a very difficult mountain on the border between Nepal and China, whose peak reaches 7300 metres. During the 2015 earthquake you offered all possible help to the populations affected by the earthquake and you are doing your utmost to create a center for women’s education in Nepal. Akita was the first woman to climb Nangpai Gosum II, in 2006. In 2007, she climbed Mount Everest, 14 years after another climber of the same name, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, became the first Nepalese woman to climb l ‘Everest but died on the way down. Akita climbed K2 in 2014 as part of a three-woman team, the first team of Nepalese women to climb the mountain. Climbing with Akita were Maya Sherpa and Dawa Yangzum Sherpa; they were part of a larger expedition that also included other (male) Sherpas and climbers. The climb was dedicated to climate change awareness and took place on the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of K2. She has also climbed Yala Peak, Ama Dablam, Lobuche, Imja Tse, and Aconcagua. In addition to mountaineering in Nepal, she has led mountaineering expeditions in the United States, Argentina, France, and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the window decals of Cuneo Alpine City of the Year and the festival posters have already made their appearance in the shops of the historic center of Cuneo, and thanks to the synergy of Ascom Cuneo and WeCuneo, around a hundred jars of edelweiss are also arriving. The raw materials of the valleys will not be missing in the dishes and themed menus that the Cuneo restaurants will present during the days of the festival, which can be consulted on www.festivaldellamontagna.it. «If our food and wine offer has a metropolitan character all year round, during the days of the festival we want to show our support for the Alpine city of Cuneo with ad hoc proposals», says Giorgio Chiesa, president of the association of hoteliers, merchants and tourist operators in the province of Cuneo.
