La Sentinella delle Dolomiti

“It is the mountain that taught me to overcome the most difficult tests. The mountain teaches you to do things one at a time, one step at a time, with your own pace and strength, firmly placing one foot after the other, so as not to slip and advance straight. It teaches you not to panic or feel discouraged, even when you can't take it anymore and it seems like the final goal is too far away." Reaching the highest point of the Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites, gives you an adrenaline rush. Living there, in solitude, for a hundred days in a row, is a life-changing experience. At 42, Carlo Budel decides to leave a secure, permanent job. He can no longer stand the daily routine, nor the thought that the days of the week will be the same as each other, without surprises, without emotions. In the mountains, Carlo finds his way. He discovers by chance that they are looking for a manager for the Capanna Punta Penìa, the highest refuge in the Dolomites. He feels that this is his destiny: to become the guardian of the Marmolada. Everything, at 3,343 meters above sea level, takes on an extreme flavour, from the explosion of color at dawn to the terrible force of storms and wind. Being suspended between earth and sky, at certain moments it seems like you are touching the border between life and death.