Festa degli Alpini al Cristo degli Alpini di Cima Campelli

A high-altitude festival

The Festa degli Alpini al Cristo degli Alpini di Cima Campelli is a well-established tradition of the Gruppo Alpini di Cremeno (Cremeno Alpini Group), in the province of Lecco. Every last Sunday of July, the 'penne nere' (Alpini soldiers) and the many hikers who join them ascend to the 2,200 meters of Cima Campelli, where the Christ of the Alpini statue stands, for a day that combines the effort of the mountain with spirituality and friendship.

Mass at the summit

The heart of the festival is the mass celebrated at high altitude, at the foot of the Christ of the Alpini, in a natural amphitheater of rare beauty. After the gathering and the climb, the celebration brings together Alpini, families, and hikers in a moment of reflection suspended between sky and mountain, made even more evocative by the panorama of the surrounding peaks.

The Alpini meal

The religious part is followed by the convivial moment: the rancio alpino (Alpini meal), served at the local mountain hut (baita), is an opportunity to share lunch together, in the spirit of solidarity and friendship that characterizes the Alpini world. In case of bad weather, the mass is moved to the church of Artavaggio, keeping the tradition alive even when the mountain does not allow the ascent.

Remembrance and tradition

Organized by the Gruppo Alpini di Cremeno, affiliated with the ANA of Lecco, the Cima Campelli festival is much more than a hike: it is an event of identity that renews every year the bond of the Alpini with the mountain and with the memory of their fallen comrades, in a splendid corner of the Valsassina valley.