THE FIRST ASCENT TO CORNO GRANDE SUMMIT OF GRAN SASSO OF ITALY (2,912 M ASL) MADE IN 1573 BY FRANCESCO DE MARCHI, A MAN AT SERVICE OF MARGARET OF PARMA (AUSTRIA)

Monte Corno - I Thought I Was Flying

On the 19th of August 1573, Francesco de Marchi climbed the impervious and rocky peak of the Corno Grande, the highest mountain of the Italian Appennin range, accomplishing an epic feat for his time: reaching a peak out of curiosity. He wrote his Chronicle anticipating by 213 years the ascent of Mont Blanc accomplished by Balmat and Paccard on 8 August 1786. 450 years after the feat, the film recounts the climb, narrated by Francesco De Marchi's own words, with spectacular images of the climb among the calcareous rocks of the Corno Grande.