The Most Famous
MOUNTAINEERS from Italy
This page contains a list of the greatest Italian Mountaineers. The pantheon dataset contains 56 Mountaineers, 7 of which were born in Italy. This makes Italy the birth place of the most number of Mountaineers.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Italian Mountaineers of all time. This list of famous Italian Mountaineers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Reinhold Messner (b. 1944)
With an HPI of 71.12, Reinhold Messner is the most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages on wikipedia.
Reinhold Andreas Messner (German: [ˈʁaɪnhɔlt ˈmɛsnɐ]; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen. He was the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, doing so without supplementary oxygen. Messner was the first to cross Antarctica and Greenland with neither snowmobiles nor dog sleds and also crossed the Gobi Desert alone. He is widely considered to be the greatest mountaineer of all time. From 1999 to 2004, Messner served as a member of the European Parliament for north-east Italy, as a member of the Federation of the Greens. Messner has published more than 80 books about his experiences as a climber and explorer. In 2010, he received the 2nd Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, he received jointly with Krzysztof Wielicki the Princess of Asturias Award in the category of Sports.
2. Walter Bonatti (1930 - 2011)
With an HPI of 60.14, Walter Bonatti is the 2nd most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Walter Bonatti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈvalter boˈnatti]; 22 June 1930 – 13 September 2011) was an Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist. He was noted for many climbing achievements, including a solo climb of a new alpine climbing route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955, the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV in 1958, and, in 1965, the first solo climb in winter of the North face of the Matterhorn on the mountain's centenary year of its first ascent. Immediately after his solo climb on the Matterhorn, Bonatti announced his retirement from professional climbing at the age of 35, and after 17 years of climbing activity. He authored many mountaineering books and spent the remainder of his career travelling off the beaten track as a reporter for the Italian magazine Epoca. He died on 13 September 2011 of pancreatic cancer in Rome aged 81, and was survived by his life partner, the actress Rossana Podestà. Famed for his climbing panache, he also pioneered little-known and technically difficult climbs in the Alps, Himalayas, and Patagonia. In 2009, Bonatti was awarded the first-ever Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award. He is widely considered as being one of the greatest climbers in history.
3. Achille Compagnoni (1914 - 2009)
With an HPI of 59.24, Achille Compagnoni is the 3rd most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Achille Compagnoni (26 September 1914 – 13 May 2009) was an Italian mountaineer and skier. Together with Lino Lacedelli on 31 July 1954 he was in the first party to reach the summit of K2.
4. Lino Lacedelli (1925 - 2009)
With an HPI of 56.94, Lino Lacedelli is the 4th most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Lino Lacedelli (4 December 1925 – 20 November 2009) was an Italian mountaineer. Together with Achille Compagnoni, on 31 July 1954 he was the first man to reach the summit of K2.
5. Riccardo Cassin (1909 - 2009)
With an HPI of 50.76, Riccardo Cassin is the 5th most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Riccardo Cassin (2 January 1909 – 6 August 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing, alpine climbing and big wall climbing.
6. Ardito Desio (1897 - 2001)
With an HPI of 50.19, Ardito Desio is the 6th most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Count Ardito Desio (18 April 1897 – 12 December 2001) was an Italian explorer, mountain climber, geologist, and cartographer.
7. Vittorio Sella (1859 - 1943)
With an HPI of 49.41, Vittorio Sella is the 7th most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Vittorio Sella (28 August 1859 – 12 August 1943) was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, whose photographs of mountains are regarded as some of the finest ever made.
8. Simone Moro (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 48.10, Simone Moro is the 8th most famous Italian Mountaineer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Simone Moro (born 27 October 1967 in Bergamo) is an Italian mountaineer known for having made first winter ascents of four of the fourteen eight-thousanders: Shishapangma in 2005, Makalu in 2009, Gasherbrum II in 2011, and Nanga Parbat in 2016. No other climber has made more first winter ascents of an eight-thousander in history. He has summited Everest four times, in 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2010. Moro is also an experienced helicopter pilot. In 2013, he and two other rescue experts carried out the world's highest long-line rescue operation on a helicopter, on Lhotse, at 7800m. On 12 November 2015 he set a new flight altitude world record in an ES 101 Raven turboshaft-powered helicopter (6705m). In 2023, Simone Moro conducted a daring rescue operation on the south side of Mount Everest, flying and landing at Camp III (7,350m) to save an Indian climber. Additionally, Moro made several flights to Camp II for rescue purposes. That season saw multiple casualties and rescue missions on Everest's south side, largely due to severe weather conditions.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as Italian mountaineers born between 1859 and 1967. Of these 8, 2 (25.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Italian mountaineers include Reinhold Messner, and Simone Moro. The most famous deceased Italian mountaineers include Walter Bonatti, Achille Compagnoni, and Lino Lacedelli. As of April 2024, 1 new Italian mountaineers have been added to Pantheon including Vittorio Sella.
Living Italian Mountaineers
Go to all RankingsDeceased Italian Mountaineers
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Walter Bonatti
1930 - 2011
HPI: 60.14
Achille Compagnoni
1914 - 2009
HPI: 59.24
Lino Lacedelli
1925 - 2009
HPI: 56.94
Riccardo Cassin
1909 - 2009
HPI: 50.76
Ardito Desio
1897 - 2001
HPI: 50.19
Vittorio Sella
1859 - 1943
HPI: 49.41
Newly Added Italian Mountaineers (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Mountaineers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Mountaineers since 1700.
