La Grigna gives the last farewell to its king: today at 11 in the church of Missaglia (in the Lecco area) the funeral of Claudio Ghezzi took place, the 69-year-old who on Sunday 12 June lost his life in an accident on the mountain he loved most. the northern Grigna, of which he had already conquered the summit over five thousand times. He expected to cross the finish line of six thousand ascents by next July, but fate has decided otherwise and now many mountaineering enthusiasts are mourning him, incredulous for what has happened.
Starting with the friends of the Cai di Missaglia, of which Ghezzi was part since the group was founded in the Eighties: “As his section of belonging, we must express to Claudio the greeting he deserves for having given a lot to the mountains in general, to the Grigna in particular and to us of the Cai – reads the note entrusted to the social networks – We will concentrate on the right of the basilica, on the front, wearing the red social t-shirt. And at the exit of the coffin we will make two wings to accompany Claudio’s passage through the churchyard “.
Betrayed by his Grigna, the alpinist Ghezzi dies to help a friend
by Luca De Vito
In the last two days, messages of affection and condolence have multiplied on the web, obviously including those of the managers and visitors of the Brioschi Refuge, which is located at 2410 meters above sea level on the Grigna and was the destination of almost daily excursions by Ghezzi. “There are no words to express our great pain – is the greeting published on the Facebook page of the refuge – Rest in peace, great Claudio, you will always be the keeper of your Grigna”.
And it was on social media that a proposal was launched that is gathering numerous consents: to name the Brioschi Refuge in memory of the king of Grigna. “It might be a good idea to change the name to Rifugio Brioschi-Ghezzi, what do you think?” wrote a user. Meanwhile, to exorcise suffering, many are sharing their memories of Ghezzi: “He was simply the Grigna. I climbed to the top ten times and Claudio was always there ”says one hiker.
Another echoes: “Now his spirit has merged with that of the mountain. You will see that now many will feel his presence along the paths ”. And there are those who still can’t understand what has happened: “I can’t even imagine Grigna without Claudio Ghezzi. He left us behind. Good climb “. Through Ghezzi’s Facebook profile, the family members let it be known that “Claudio was of few words. He would have said one and only big thank you ”and they greet him with a phrase from Walter Bonatti:“ The great mountains have the value of the men who climb them, otherwise they would be nothing more than a pile of stones ”.