Seventy-three years with his heart in the Elva highlands, the upper Maira Valley, province of Cuneo, one of Piedmont’s wildest and most beautiful. Franco Baudino, a true mountaineer, tells us why he loves the highlands and the highlanders. The four seasons each have a tale to tell about the cavier, hat merchants, controversy over the valley access road, fossil traces predating the dinosaurs, local traditions handed down to new generations. Franco’s story reveals disappointment with his own generation for having abandoned the mountain villages but he hints that there may also be good hope for a return.
