Ambassador_Ercole Marchionni

ERCOLE MARCHIONNI

My name is Ercole Wild, I have been a mountain guide since 2008, as a professional since 2016, and this is my first and only job.

I am a Middle Mountain Leader/Hiking Instructor of the Regional College of Alpine Guides of Abruzzo, an International Mountain Leader (UIMLA) and a Nordic Walking Instructor of the Italian School of Nordic Walking.

I decided to become a guide after various mountain experiences, which began almost thirty years ago, to share what I had learned. After exploring several peaks and places across the Apennines and the Alps. After feeling Ready.

Being a mountain guide was what I truly wanted to do in life. For me, guiding in the mountains is a journey to convey continuous emotions, walking, telling stories and breathing. With professionalism, passion, dedication, heart and mind of course, always putting safety first,
because zero risk, especially in the mountains, does not exist.

In 2015 I created Montagne Selvagge: a website and Facebook page to share my mountain experiences, my thoughts and the events I organize on social media. Over the years, in my own small way, through my guided excursions, I have introduced many people to the places where I live, their history and their beauty. Not only that, during multi-day treks, and sometimes day trips too, the
people who come to the mountains with me stay in hotels, B&B, farm stays and refuges, spend money in bars and dine in restaurants. In my own small way, I contribute to the growth of the local economy.

Ercole Wild is the author of: “L’ODORE DEL SELVATICO. PENSIERI DI VITA CON PAROLE DI MONTAGNA” (The Scent of the Wild. Thoughts on Life in Words of the Mountains)

«The Scent of the Wild tells of the sensations and emotions that stay with you – like a scent, indeed – after an experience with Mother Nature. It means carrying the mountain within you, with every step. It is a way of being and of living that always stays with you, giving new breath to any moment of everyday life»

Born from the pen of the creator of Montagne Selvagge ‒ who organises guided hikes throughout the whole of Abruzzo, driven by the desire to share and pass on an appreciation of the beauty of a region rich in history and ancient traditions ‒, the reflections in the book are at once the chronicle of a real, everyday experience in Nature, but also an inner journey towards a healthy restoration of the relationship between people and the mountains, between people and the environment.

The book L’Odore del Selvatico is the winner of the Premio Nazionale Mario Arpea 2023. Mountain literature, poetry and cinema, placing first in the published mountain poetry category.