Events for International Mountain Day 2025
A series of initiatives are planned that echo the spirit of the Cuneo Montagna Festival, celebrated in May. Cuneo celebrates International Mountain Day on December 11, 2025, with a series of initiatives that echo the spirit of the Cuneo Montagna Festival, celebrated in May. A light-hearted program has been created, combining films, readings, and high-profile events to rekindle the city's connection to the highlands.
It begins on the evening of December 9 at the Cinema Monviso (9:00 pm) with "Sophie Lavaud – L'Ultima Cima," an Italian-Swiss documentary film by François Damilano, included in the Alp&Ism section of the Trento Film Festival last May. The screening is sponsored by the Italian Alpine Club (with reduced admission for CAI members).
On December 10th and 11th, Cuneo will host a two-day meeting dedicated to mountain issues for the EUROPE DIRECT centers of Cuneo, Piedmont, Southwest, Alto Adige, Veneto, Trentino, Vallée d'Aoste, and Nice Côte d'Azur. The first day of work will have a purely technical focus, to strengthen the network and collaboration between the territories that operate daily in mountain and cross-border contexts. The meeting scheduled for December 11th, starting at 9:00 a.m. (in the Salone d'Onore of the Town Hall), will be open to all. The meeting will focus on "Mobility in Alpine Regions," with the involvement of the Gesso and Stura River Park and the Mobility Office of the Municipality of Cuneo. Mobility will be discussed not only as a means of transportation or infrastructure, but also as a strategic lever for tourism, regional, and economic development: a key element for the attractiveness of locations, the quality of life of mountain communities, and the sustainability of the entire Alpine ecosystem.
Two book events are scheduled, as part of Scrittorincittà and part of the "Reading the Mountains" literary festival, promoted by the Alpine Convention: "I Am a Storm" is the title of the meeting on Wednesday, December 10th, at 6 pm, at Open Baladin, with Marika Ciaccia, an environmental hiking guide who completed the Great Alpine Crossing in the summer of 2024. This led to the book "Libera. Prima che i dopo diventino mai." She will be in conversation with author Marika Abbà (reserve your seat on Eventbrite or by clicking here). On Thursday, December 11th, also at 6 pm, at the Civic Library, the topic will be "The History of Skiing between Myth and Reality": Manuel Riz, author of Il pendio bianco, the first "social history of skiing" in comics, will be in conversation with Irene Borgna (reserve your seat on Eventbrite or by clicking here).
On Thursday, December 11th, we return to the Monviso Cinema, where at 9:00 pm, the documentary "Signor Calandra" by Andrea Icardi will be screened. This will be followed by a discussion on the topic of "Philanthropy in the Highlands: Yesterday and Today," featuring anthropologist Gabriele Orlandi (University of the Aosta Valley) and the mayor of Acceglio, Giovanni Caranzano. (Free admission with reservations required at https://ticket01.comune.cuneo.it/home.aspx from 9:00 am on December 11th.)
Sara Tomatis, Councilor for Mountain Metro, comments: "Cuneo joins the collective celebration of this International Mountain Day with several events designed to provide an opportunity to gather and share interesting stories, but above all to reaffirm our commitment to maintaining our focus on the highlands. This opportunity for reflection will broaden our perspective to a European horizon, addressing the topic of mobility alongside those living in situations similar to our own. In one way or another, the hope is that on this December 11th, we can feel part of this Alpine community."
