Foundation of the Club Alpino Italiano

The Club Alpino Italiano is, together with its English (1857), Austrian (1862) and Swiss (1863) equivalents, among the oldest alpine clubs worldwide. It was founded in Turin, the then Italian capital, by nobles, scientists, and gentlemen led by the famed Italian politician, mineralogist and alpinist Quintino Sella. The club’s original mission was to improve knowledge about the Italian Alps and to support their ascension and scientific exploration. For many years it kept an elitist status and membership. Even though Quintino Sella was not a conservationist himself, having instead an interest in improving the exploitation of Alpine natural resources, the club showed an early interest in conservation and in a form of environmentalism based on a scientific interest in nature. It became pivotal in the 1897 creation of the first Italian association with a specific interest in ecological conservation and was the leading actor in the creation of Italy’s second national park, the Associazione Pro Montibus et Silvis.