Milan’s traffic moves quickly, almost absent-mindedly, as if the horizon ended where the buildings stop. And yet, on clear days, all it takes is a glance upward to realise the city is not alone: surrounding it, almost as if standing guard, mountain ranges rise—long a natural boundary, and at the same time a promise of escape. It is from this awareness that ‘Mountains of Milano’ was born, a project through which Vibram seeks to refocus attention on a natural heritage often taken for granted: the mountains that encircle Milan. Places that millions of people have within a few hours’ reach, yet too often remain outside the frame of everyday life.

The idea behind the project is as simple as it is powerful: a reminder that adventure does not necessarily begin in distant places, but can start much closer to home: on those peaks that emerge on the horizon when the air turns crisp after a storm. At the same time, ‘Mountains of Milano’ aims to bring mountain culture and the question of safety back to the forefront. Spending time in these environments is not merely about following the growing appeal of the outdoors; it means entering a complex ecosystem that demands preparation, awareness, and respect.

At a time when more and more people are leaving cities in search of open space, and that balance of silence and movement, the mountains can sometimes appear more accessible than they truly are. In reality, as seasoned alpinists often remind us, it is not distance that determines the difficulty of a natural environment, but the way in which it is approached. With Vibram, we had the opportunity to spend a night at Rifugio Albani, at the foot of the Presolana massif. It is in this setting that the encounter with Hervé Barmasse takes on particular meaning, as his vision of exploration aligns naturally with the spirit of the project.

“You don’t need to fly to Nepal or Patagonia to engage with a serious environment: the peaks surrounding Milan—the very ones many people visit on weekends—can demand the same level of attention and respect as the great mountains of the world.”

— Hervé Barmasse

This focus on safety and quality of movement is also deeply embedded in Vibram’s history: an identity built on the direct relationship between the human body and the ground beneath it. A Vibram sole is not designed to draw the eye; it is something you feel, step by step: when the terrain shifts, when the rock becomes unstable, or when fatigue makes every foothold more delicate.

The company’s own history tells of a deep connection with these mountains. Its founder, Vitale Bramani, used to reach them by bus from Milan, long before sustainability became part of the contemporary outdoor vocabulary. A simple gesture that already contained a clear vision: the mountain not as a distant destination, but as a territory to be lived, respected, and preserved.

The peaks surrounding Milan are not merely a distant backdrop, but a constant invitation to slow down and step outside routine: to rediscover the value of conscious movement. And perhaps this is the most meaningful lesson to emerge from the experience with Vibram: the most authentic adventure is not necessarily the one that takes us farthest away, but the one that teaches us to see, with new eyes, the places that have always been right in front of us.