Matteo Righetto e il nuovo impegno del CAI

Matteo Righetto and CAI's new commitment

AKU has always stood close to those who live in the mountains, those who protect them and those who tell their story. Matteo Righetto is a writer, a philosopher of the mountains, and President of the CAI section of Livinallongo and Colle Santa Lucia. We asked him where his love for the mountains began, what it means today to lead a CAI section in the heart of the Dolomites, and what the most urgent challenges are.

AKU: When did you realize that the mountains would be your life?

Matteo: I began spending time in the mountains before I even knew how to walk. I was carried through valleys and up to the peaks on my father’s back, the first and true mountaineering teacher of my life. From the moment I set my feet on the ground, I never stopped. It was the mountains that chose me, not the other way around. I understood it, felt it, sensed it right away. There, I was always and truly myself, at peace with the world. Being among the crags and forests, breathing the thin air, getting to know and appreciate Alpine cultures has always made me feel at home. As children, we are often asked what we want to be when we grow up, but no one ever asks us where we would like to live, which place makes us feel most at ease. For me, that place has always been the mountains, and in particular the Dolomites.

AKU: What does it mean today to be President of a CAI section?

Matteo: I was elected in 2023 and I am now in my second term. As soon as I became President, I immediately tried to shift the focus away from a traditional concept of mountaineering—understood as climbing, sporting achievement and performance—toward a new idea of what this word means today in all its forms.

We are currently in the midst of profound climatic, geographical, ecological, tourist, social and cultural changes. Committing oneself to the CAI and practicing mountaineering means, first and foremost, opposing the phenomena and behaviours that damage the Alpine environment. It also means remembering the culture of the people who, with dignity and a spirit of resilience, have always lived in the Dolomites. This is what mountaineering should mean today: seeking proposals, bridges and points of balance between a new way of going to the mountains and the protection of their natural and cultural heritage. Starting with the fight against depopulation.

AKU: What are the most urgent challenges facing the Dolomite region?

Matteo: Mass tourism in mountain huts at every altitude, traffic on the Dolomite passes, the impact of the infrastructure that supports the tourism industry, and the crisis affecting the traditional rural activities of highland communities. These are all enormous challenges. The CAI must recognize itself as a leading force in shaping an educational and cultural response. That means encouraging prudence, safety, respect for the environment and for the people who live there, supporting the rural activities of local residents, and pushing back against overtourism and the idea of the mountains as a place to be exploited solely for economic profit.

AKU: What do you think is the role of those who live in the mountains?

Matteo: Overtourism is certainly caused by tourists, but also by those who persist in attracting that kind of tourism. Supporting mountain communities does not mean absolving them of responsibility for the problems affecting their land, but rather giving them an active role in finding solutions. Because the mountains belong first and foremost to those who love them, and things can only be resolved when each of us takes responsibility. Only by feeling collectively involved, through shared actions and participation, can we truly address and solve these issues.

AKU: What is needed for the future?

Matteo: For me, what matters is taking action. With responsibility and determination. Thinking, proposing solutions, sharing them, and then getting your boots on the ground and getting to work. That is how challenges are faced. That is how the future of our mountains is built.

Who is Matteo Righetto

A writer and philosopher of the mountains, he is President of the Livinallongo-Colle Santa Lucia Section of the Italian Alpine Club. Author of numerous internationally successful essays and literary works, he divides his time between Padua, his hometown, and Colle Santa Lucia (Belluno), in the heart of the Dolomites. This place profoundly influences his literary output, which is dedicated to the mountains and the relationship between man and nature. He is also the author of the film "Per silenzio e vento", competing at the Trento Film Festival 2026.