“Every day that passes, I fall more desperately in love with the mountains… I am ever more determined to climb the mountains, to scale the mighty peaks, to feel that pure joy which can only be felt in the mountains.”

—Pier Giorgio Frassati

This summer, join COR Expeditions and Altum L’alto Pilgrimages in Italy on a one of a kind mountain climbing experience in the spirit of Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Discover a man & soon to be saint whose heart and spirituality was formed by his experiences in the alpine, and let your heart be renewed while climbing the same rock that he touched, standing on the same summits that he reached, and praying in the same churches where he knelt. 

This trip is an incredibly unique combination of challenging outdoor experiences and profound spiritual pilgrimage. This mountain climbing trip is guided by COR Expeditions and will include mountaineering on the high alpine peaks that Frassati called home, as well as visits to religious and historic sites from his life in and around Turin and Pollone. After spending time in and around his hometown you will have the option to join a continuation of this experience by registering for Part 2 of this trip with the same trip participants. Part 2 will go to Rome to experience the joy of Frassati’s canonization along with the Vatican’s Jubilee of Young People event. Each participant has the option to participate in only the mountain climbing/Turin touring portion of the course, or to participate in both the mountaineering and Rome pilgrimage components, depending on his or her own interests & schedule. Also, some participants might already have plans and reservations for the Vatican’s Jubilee of Young People and Frassati canonization, these individuals are invited to join this mountain climbing trip with COR prior to their plans in Rome.

Highlights of the mountaineering course include:

  • 4 days of mountaineering on Via Ferrata (“iron path”/cables) routes up beautiful and technical peaks that Frassati climbed, weather permitting. Possible peaks include Monte Pirchiriano (936 meters), Monte Mucrone (2335 m), Pointe des Neyzets (2736 m), and Monte Cheberton (3131 m), and others in the Turin area. 

  • Tours of Frassati’s childhood home and stomping grounds in and around Pollone and Turin.

  • Visit Frassati’s tomb, the Shroud of Turin (if open to the public), the Sanctuary of Oropa,  Sacra San Michele which is an ancient 10th century monastery, and other sacred sites. 

  • We anticipate having a  chaplain who will join us for the entire course, climbing with us and providing daily Mass in town or on the mountains, as well as opportunities for Confession, Adoration, fellowship, and more.

Mountaineering Trip Itinerary

July 24: Fly into Milan and COR will provide transportation to our lodging at the Sanctuary of Oropa, meet the group and do some training for the Via Ferrata system. The first meal COR will provide is lunch upon arrival.

July 25: Start the morning with a Via Ferrata up a moderate mountain/Via Ferrata. That afternoon visit Frassati sites in Pollone and stay at the same lodging at the Sanctuary of Oropa.

July 26: Start the morning with a more challenging mountain/Via Ferrata up Mount Mucrone, the mountain beloved by Pier Giorgio.

July 27: Climb a Via Ferrata up to the Sacra San Michele, an ancient monastery and visit some sites in Turin in the afternoon.


July 28: Climb our most difficult mountain/Via Ferrata and rest after or optional sightseeing in Turin if interested.


July 29: Visit a few sites in Turin that morning and catch a train to Rome (to continue on your pilgrimage with Part 2) or transport to Milan for a departure flight.

Cost and Trip Options

PART 1: Initial Mountaineering Course Only, July 24 - 29, 2025

$2200 per person

This is an all-inclusive trip (other than flights to Milan, Italy). To learn more about what is included, see the FAQ section below. COR accepts scholarship applications for this course.

Apply today!

PART 2: Optional Add-On, July 29 - August 3, 2025

For an additional fee of $1100, continue the course with ALP for the next 6 days. Take a train to Rome on July 29th for the Jubilee of Young People event and the Canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on August 3rd (tentative date, pending confirmation from the Vatican.) This portion of the course has much more autonomy for participants to choose how to spend their days, while ALP provides hospitality such as lodging, food, and transportation. For this second portion of the trip, you will register directly with ALP, a premier adventure pilgrimage company with years of experience leading pilgrimages in Rome. To learn more and register, click here.

What is a Via Ferrata?

This will be a physically demanding trip and involves climbing technical peaks with high exposure (steep cliffs and ridge lines hundreds of feet in the air). Utilizing the Via Ferrata mountain climbing system makes this trip accessible to participants who do not have prior mountaineering or rock climbing experience. A Via Ferrata is a system of cables anchored into mountain cliffs that climbers can attach themselves to at all times, reducing the risk of a fall. These systems, while not often found in the US, are widely used across Europe in place of traditional rock climbing which uses ropes and other technical equipment. A huge advantage is that this system allows for the entire group to move together and avoid wait times since there is no belaying on ropes. It also allows a complete novice the ability to climb more technical routes. COR will provide training and instruction on how to use the equipment correctly (climbing helmets, harnesses, via ferrata lanyards, and hiking shoes/boots, rock climbing shoes are not needed) and COR staff will guide and instruct the group throughout each climb. Rock climbing skills are not required since steeper areas of the climbs have ladders to utilize. While the system prevents much of the risk associated with climbing technical peaks, participants do need to be strong & athletic hikers so that the group can move together efficiently.Participants also need to follow the system protocols and guide instructions to minimize risk. Click here for more information on the Via Ferrata system and photos!

Note: Here is a video found on Youtube to give an example of a Via Ferrata on one of the mountains we plan to climb. The video is not our own but the visuals do show what to expect on our climb.

  • Who can come?

    Participants must be 18 or older and in good physical shape to participate. (Interested participants under 18 may inquire but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

    What experience is needed?

    While prior mountaineering or rock climbing experience is not necessary, participants must be able to hike long distances efficiently and be familiar with and physically able to do challenging hikes. While some fear of heights is normal & healthy, participants must be comfortable with heights when they are tied into the Via Ferrata or other rope systems. While you are clipped into a cable at all times, you will be climbing for hundreds of feet at a time (difficult sections of the climb have metal ladder rungs so while it will not be difficult climbing with small hand holds and such, it can be tiring) and the routes are very exposed, this means when you look down you feel as if you are hundreds of feet off the ground. COR will provide an athletic training plan to help individuals prepare for the course.

    What is provided in the course fee?

    This is an all-inclusive trip (other than flights to Milan, Italy). Covered expenses include: transportation from the Milan airport and throughout the trip, lodging, all food during the trip (breakfast at the lodge, lunch on the mountain, and dinner at a restaurant each day), all pilgrim venue/museum/vendor fees, professional mountain guides from COR and ALP, and mountaineering equipment for Via Ferratas (helmet, harness, lanyard system). You will need to provide your own hiking shoes/boots and outdoor clothing and daypack. A gear list will be provided. Alcohol served at meals is not covered in this trip cost.

  • Due to the physical nature of this trip and the limited space available, COR requires an application and an interview from each participant prior to the course. While no prior mountaineering or rock climbing experience is needed, we do want to ensure that all participants know what to expect on the course and are properly prepared, informed and excited for the activities. Your interview with COR will provide more information on the level of fitness necessary for the course; a suggested baseline of fitness is that men can complete a three mile jog in 30 minutes or less and that women are able to complete the same in 35 minutes or under. Endurance and strength training are also recommended to prepare you for long, beautiful days in the mountains. While we will not be jogging on the trip, a multi-mile run is a good baseline to measure your fitness.

    Apply Today

    Have questions? Contact us.

  • Initial Course Itinerary

    The course starts July 24, 2025 in Milan, Italy with pickup at the airport. Please make sure your flight arrives before noon if possible; the course ends July 29th around noon in Turin (see options to continue the trip below.) The cost for this initial itinerary due to COR is $2200 for an individual. COR accepts scholarship applications for this course.

    • July 24: Fly into Milan and COR will provide transportation to our lodging at the Sanctuary of Oropa, meet the group and do some training for the Via Ferrata system. The first meal COR will provide is lunch upon arrival. 

    • July 25: Start the morning with a Via Ferrata up a moderate mountain/Via Ferrata. That afternoon visit Frassati sites in Pollone and stay at the same lodging location at the Sanctuary of Oropa.

    • July 26: Start the morning with a more challenging mountain/Via Ferrata up Mount Mucrone, the mountain beloved by Pier Giorgio.

    • July 27: Climb a Via Ferrata up to the Sacra San Michele, an ancient monastery and visit some sites in Turin in the afternoon. 

    • July 28: Climb our most difficult mountain/Via Ferrata and rest after.

    • July 29: Visit a few sites in Turin that morning and catch a train to Rome or transport to Milan for a departure flight.

      *Itinerary subject to change

    Subsequent Course Options

    For an additional fee of $1100, continue the course with ALP for the next 6 days. Take a train to Rome on July 29th for the Jubilee of Young People event and the Canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati on August 3rd (tentative date, pending confirmation from the Vatican.) For this second portion of the trip, you will register directly with ALP, a premier adventure pilgrimage company with years of experience leading pilgrimages in Rome. This portion of the course has much more autonomy for participants to choose how to spend their days, while ALP provides hospitality such as lodging, food, and transportation. Learn more on the ALP website.

    Take a train to Rome on July 29th and join a group or tour you are already planning to do, or be on your own for the Jubilee of Young People event and the Canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. You are also welcome to end your trip and head home following the mountaineering course. Your trip with COR and ALP will end at the train station on July 29th.

    What sites will we visit during the mountaineering portion of the course?

    • Turin: We will visit Turin, the original capital of Italy, and the sites there associated with the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati.  Most importantly, we will go to the Cathedral of Turin dedicated to St. John the Baptist where the tomb of Pier Giorgio Frassati lies in a side altar.  In the same church lies, enclosed, the Shroud of Turin, the cloth believed to have wrapped the body of Jesus when it was laid in the tomb. We will also visit Pier Giorgio Frassati's parish church known as the "La Crocetta," located right across the street from his home.  Other churches that we will visit include that of San Domenico, where Pier Giorgio took his vows as a lay Dominican, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation where he often went to Mass. 

    • Oropa/Pollone:  We will visit Pollone which is the town where the summer home of Pier Giorgio Frassati is and where he was buried from 1925 to 1990.  Not too far from Pollone lies the largest and most important sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady in the Alps called the Sanctuary of Oropa.  Pier Giorgio prayed here often:  "Tomorrow as is my custom every time I leave Pollone, I’ll go up to Oropa to pray in the Holy Shrine. I’ll remember you at the feet of the brown Madonna." (Excerpt from a letter by Pier Giorgio Frassati to Isidoro Bonini on April 15, 1925). From the sanctuary, we will climb the technical Via Ferrata route up Mount Mucrone which Pier Giorgio often climbed himself.  There is a large cross at the top and incredible views.  

    Where can I find more information on the Jubilee of Young People event and the canonization?

    The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has a website with information on both events. Visit here for more information. The pilgrimage led by COR and ALP is sponsored by Bishop James Conley, bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln, NE.

Most Rev. James D. Conley, D.D., S.T.L. Bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln

COR Expeditions and Altum L’alto Pilgrimages are grateful to have the blessing and guidance of Bishop Conley for this trip. While he is not able to personally attend the course, the Bishop will virtually present a meditation on Blessed Pier Giorgio for the members of the pilgrimage.