Fabio Mancari

Itaca nel Sole is the name of a climbing route on El Caporal, a wall in Piedmont, Italy, that resembles the worldwide renowned El Capitan. Among climbers, the fame of the route is due not so much to the considerable technical difficulty, but to the symbolic charge that still holds hold on legions of climbers and enthusiasts. Itaca's image is linked to an exceptional character: Gian Piero Motti. Mountaineer, writer and mountain philosopher, Motti embodied the doubts and anxieties of a generation at the crossroads. Through testimonies, photos, and archival materials, his story is articulated through his famous writings.

Agostino Gazzera, known as Gustin, was a worker at Fiat with a passion for mountaineering, who in the 1950s dreamed of climbing the mountain routes opened by legendary climbers such as Cassin, Boccalatte and Gervasutti. Today Gustin has conquered all these peaks, from the Monviso and Cervino to “the university of climbing”, Mont Blanc, without ever forgetting where he comes from, becoming in his turn a point of reference and a model for new generations.