by In Trieste
We interviewed Fulvio Pisani, a a certified nature guide living in the Tarvisio region. Triestino by birth and at heart, Fulvio has traveled all around the world but has always come back to his home mountains in Tarvisio.
Were you born in Trieste?
Fulvio: I was born in Trieste in the middle of last century. When I was 12 my family moved to Tarvisio area. I went to high school in Udine. After graduating, I studied geology at the University of Trieste but dropped out when I was offered a lucrative position in the engineering sector that took me around the world. But I missed my region so I came back. At 40 I decided to follow my biggest passion – nature. I got the nature’s guide license and mountains and I have been inseparable ever since.
Quite a change!
Fulvio: Yes, I had to change my lifestyle completely. Also, being a nature tour guide is not necessarily the most secure job out there. But I’ve always been lucky.
When did you discover your passion for nature?
Fulvio: My grandparents would always take me for long walks in Carso, in Costiera and Val Rosandra when I was a kid. So passion for nature was born at a very early age. When we moved to Tarvisio, I discovered a magnificent place.
So are you a Triestino or a Tarvisiano?
Fulvio: I am from Trieste and have always spoken Triestino dialect and I still speak it despite having lived in Tarvisio for over 60 years. I feel perfectly at home in our region that borders three magnificent places: Italy, Austria and especially Slovenia, whose natural environment is immense. I speak some Slovene and some German, but I am fluent in English.
What is your most memorable trip?
Fulvio: Back in 1986 I took my first trip with Adventures of the World, a travel agency. With them I took 40 trips as a coordinator in 4 continents.
Which country did you like best?
Fulvio: The country that left me speechless was Nepal. Besides the incredible landscape and beautiful mountains, I like Nepal’s people for their humility, kindness and spirituality. I am completely in love with Nepal, which I have visited it 9 times, both as a guide, as a tourist and as a student of their culture.
What was your best memory?
Fulvio: The feeling you get when you see the grandeur of new mountains for the first time. My favorite memory was during a trip in Kongo when after having walked for hours with the guide who was cutting the bushes with his machete, he finally found the traces of the mountain gorilla. Minutes later we were able to see a baby gorilla- an emotion that I remember up to this day.
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Fulvio: Mountains are my life and for as long as my physical and spiritual being let me, I will continue walking, hiking and guiding tours.
When will you be back to guiding tours, by the way?
Fulvio: I am always guiding tours! If anyone is interested, don’t hesitate to send me an email fulpisa@libero.it
