AOSTA — “That mountain over there—is that Mont Blanc? I want to climb it.”

It was August a year ago when eight-year-old Lelio Massimo di Roccasecca, from Rome, blurted out the words in a single breath, almost running out of air.

He was on the Bishorn, a glacier-covered peak rising to 13,625 feet in Switzerland, next to the imposing Weisshorn. From the summit, he could see the next goal he had already begun dreaming about.

A year later, the dream had become reality. On September 4, Lelio stood atop the roof of Europe after climbing Mont Blanc from the Chamonix side. He was accompanied by his father, Valerio Massimo. But once wasn't enough. As they began their descent, just a few dozen yards below the summit, they encountered a mountain guide from South Tyrol with a client. The guide was surprised to see a child on the rope, crampons on his feet. After a few words, Lelio took the initiative.

“Let's go back up with them.”

The emotion was overwhelming. “You can see the whole world below your feet—the mountains of three countries: Italy, France and Switzerland.”

That evening, at the Goûter Refuge, a sort of spaceship perched 3,000 feet below the summit, the celebration was all for him. The climbers gathered around the boy who had become the youngest person to reach the 15,771-foot summit of Mont Blanc with his own strength. “A world record,” his mother, Alexandra, and father, Valerio, say, confirmed also in a letter from Goûter Refuge’s Manager Antoine Rattin.

Yesterday afternoon, the family left Chamonix, where they have a home, and drove back to Rome.

“No,” says Valerio. “It's not about the record. Lelio loves the mountains. I imagine it began as my own nostalgia, which became a passion for him. When I was 5, I climbed Gran Sasso with my grandfather, and later I went into the Apennines with my father. I remember reaching the cross at the summit of Gran Sasso and feeling a powerful emotion.”

Valerio, who works as a private-equity fund manager, climbed Mont Blanc at 14, taking the normal French route with a friend. The mountains have always been part of his life. He has taken part in expeditions to eight-thousands in the Himalayas and Karakoram, reaching the summits of Everest, Cho Oyu and K2. Eventually, he bought a home in Chamonix, and Mont Blanc became a destination he returned to again and again.

“I know some people will turn their heads at the idea of a child climbing peaks above 13,000 feet,” he says. “But Lelio is genuinely strong—not just physically, but technically as well. His first summit was at age 3, on a very easy peak in the Apennines. I told him that if he made it to the top, he would find a little dinosaur waiting for him there, and then I'd carry it back down in my backpack. He reached the summit with ease. Later came Sasso Piatto in the Dolomites. I've never pushed him. Lelio wants to do it, and I'm happy to accompany him.”

Is it a parent's ambition?

“No. It's a father who knows how formative the mountains can be because they are a wonderful but also a demanding environment. It's true what they say: the mountains are teachers. They offer extraordinary, deeply felt emotions. I saw that climbing came naturally to Lelio. He liked what he saw. At 5, he climbed Gran Sasso along the ‘Creste’ route, rather than the normal route. I never had to push him, and I certainly wouldn't have if I'd seen him struggling too much. Along with safety, I've also taught him when to turn back.”

They were just 1,000 feet from the summit of Gran Paradiso. It was the summer of 2024.

Valerio continues: “The summit was shrouded in fog, while we had full visibility where we were. But there was no reason to go into those clouds. I explained why, and, still roped together with our crampons on, we turned around.

“My son told me he wanted to climb a peak over 13,000 feet. When I suggested we try again, he said he wanted to climb a mountain in Switzerland. The following year, we were on the Bishorn. From there, the view of Mont Blanc was irresistible.”

So, in August, Lelio trained in Chamonix with his father.

“Rigorous preparation,” says his mother, Alexandra. “We spent several nights at the Albert Premier Refuge, at 8,865 feet, and then at the Torino Refuge on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, at 11,073 feet.”

Valerio adds: “The final test was at the Goûter Refuge, at 12,582 feet. Lelio was feeling good. We had all the necessary equipment, including a pulse oximeter to monitor his oxygen saturation.

“The next day, the winds that had been forecast never arrived, and Lelio wanted to lead the rope team for the final stretch.”

Alone at the summit: “With the whole world below.”