Irene Borgna

Born by the sea in 1984, she moved to the Maritime Alps after earning a degree in philosophy—ostensibly for a PhD in Alpine anthropology, but really because she felt as snug there as a mouse in cheese. She never left. Today she lives in the Gesso Valley and works in environmental education for the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps. She shares her wonder for nature, in nature—which, as far as she’s concerned, is the best job in the world. In her free time, she hikes and writes about the mountains: obsessed or just consistent? With Cieli neri (“Dark Skies”), she won the Mario Rigoni Stern Prize in 2021. For younger readers, she’s written Manuale per giovani stambecchi (“A Young Ibex’s Guide”), Sulle Alpi (“In the Alps”), and the beach-read short story Il quinto quarto (“The Fifth Quarter”). Her best-known book remains Il pastore di stambecchi. Storia di una vita fuori traccia (“The Ibex Shepherd: A Life Off the Beaten Path”). She’s a lover of cats and books (though not necessarily together), but if you really want to make her happy, give her a good story.