Alessandro Fantelli
I was born in 1980 and belong to a generation that has experienced so many changes, very fast, bursting.
Dynamics that have imbued my life with a constant sense of impermanence.
I spend my childhood carefree in nature, without mobile phones or GPS.
As I grew up, I cultivated many passions, mainly related to sport and the mountains. But I also grow another passion, that of alpine wildlife. Animals leave constant tracks for those who can see them, but you can hardly find them.
Of all of them, there is one that, due to its reserve, size, strength and intelligence, has fascinated me since I was a child and in some way represents me: it is the brown bear.
Alessandro Fantelli, my story
Studies
I finished my classical studies and enrolled at theUniversity of Economics in Trento, before completing a Master's degree in Tourism Management after graduation.
University is my luck. I got to know the other half of the apple: Patrizia, who has accompanied me on all my adventures for over 20 years. With her I have built a beautiful family with Isabella, Federico and our boxer Yndia.
The work
I am lucky enough to work in an important company in the world of tourism and with a good entrepreneur who teaches me many things. I start from receptionist and go through all the steps until I become a partner and manage the Val di Sole Rafting Centre, for over 10 years.
The change
Then comes 29 October 2018, a day that no one in Dimaro will ever forget. Nature decides to show its muscles: a landslide of debris and mud submerges part of the village. A friend, a mother, my babysitter as a child, dies, leaving her family alone.
Everything changes quickly for me too. I no longer have a job, I am evacuated from home, I have a mortgage on my back: my certainties no longer exist.
I have two options: to feel sorry for myself or to roll up my sleeves and accept what has happened. I opt for the second. I rebuild the Rafting Centre with my lifelong companions, I recreate my job.
But the landslide has changed me. So I decide to sell the shares in the company to make a trace, to leave a mark, to give myself my own adventure.
In 2020 I founded Ursus Adventures with four people, a unique reality in the world of experiential tourism that wants to give true experiences in Nature 365 days a year.
The Mission
My will now is to bring value to the wonderful land where I live, to create job opportunities for young people and to actively engage in developing experiences that respect and enhance the environment. Within a 'world context' that is rapidly changing, I have decided to commit myself mainly to two topics: climate change and coexistence with wildlife.
Climate change is real and very tangible in the 'highlands'. In recent years we have witnessed extreme phenomena and the constant retreat of glaciers. We have an obligation, with our behaviour and actions, to fight it. We must consume responsibly, contribute to the development of a healthy mountain culture, take care of our rivers and mountains, give ourselves a limit in development. Go back a little in order to move forward.
Co-existence with wildlife is a real challenge for our mountain territories. I live in an area that is particularly intact and rich in fauna, including an important presence of large carnivores (bears and wolves). I have decided to commit myself through my actions to creating awareness, educating and developing culture. The difficulty is enormous, especially in light of the attacks in Val di Sole, but the objective is to work on solutions rather than emphasising problems. Returning to dialogue and reasoning, letting go of fears and nastiness.
These values are the foundations on which Ursus Adventures was built and which I intend to pass on to future generations.
