Montanus
The Wild Side
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Giorgio Frattale and Francesco D’Alessio are two old friends and wilderness and bicycle enthusiasts. In 2013 they conceived Montanus (from Montane in classical Latin), an all-seasons bikepacking project, based in Abruzzo, the Italian region where the mountain chain Gran Sasso d’Italia shows its majesty.
Montanus is an attitude, an intimate journey. Montanus is the call of the wild of Buck, the dog in the novel of Jack London. Montanus is the smell of moss on your gloves, the dry red mud on your bike, the frost on your sleeping bag. Montanus is the life outside the ‘comfort zone', it is an inspiration for those who want to experience nature. Montanus is about enjoying the slow ride, perceiving the smells and taking in the colors.
You can follow Montanus adventures at montanuswild.com, on Facebook and Istagram @montanus_thewildside.
The latest film from Montanus, “Cascadia – In the Shadow of Giants,” follows the duo’s bikepacking journey through the vast wilderness along the Oregon Timber Trail. It’s a reminder of how small we are beneath towering peaks and endless forests and how deeply we belong to the land that endures beyond us. Watch it and find a photo gallery from the trip plus a behind-the-scenes look at their rigs here…
In 1953, a group of British scientists traversed the Icelandic Highlands to study and map glaciers. One of the glaciers the Cambridge Langjökull Expedition studied at the time disappeared in 2019. Seventy-one years after that scientific expedition, the Montanus duo circumnavigated the Langjökull glacier and filmed the breathtaking views of Iceland’s second-largest ice cap, which is sadly set to disappear over the next 100 years. Find their film, photos, and kit details here…
Montanus visited one of Earth’s most isolated and little-known places for their latest expedition. Socotra is a small island in the Indian Ocean that harbors a breathtaking landscape full of surreal endemic flora and fauna. “Socotra” is a short film that follows their ride around this remote and extraordinary place. Find the film, a stunning photo gallery, and more about their gear here…
In their latest video, Francesco and Giorgio from Montanus assemble two Kona Unit X dream builds using select components and accessories. For comparison, they tailor each for the trips they love most: one for expedition bikepacking and another for alpine mountain riding. Watch the video and learn more about the builds here…
The latest Montanus project transports viewers to an incredible stretch of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Chilean Andes along the eastern side of the Ring of Fire. “Cordillera de Fuego” is a short film that follows them on a new route in the shadows of snow-capped volcanos and ancient monkey puzzle trees. Find the film, a photo gallery, and some insight into their gear and equipment here…
Vivid, the latest film project by Montanus, follows Francesco and Giorgio on a two-day bikepacking trip to a remote hut in Italy’s Apennine Mountains retracing their first bike adventure back in 2013. Watch this stunning film here alongside a photo gallery and a writeup about the trip…
In the latest film from Montanus, the duo returns to the breathtaking Apennine Mountains as lockdown measures ease in Abruzzo, Italy, allowing for a trip to renew their minds, bodies, and spirits. Watch “Second Wind” here, alongside a collection of photos, a write-up, and details on the gear they used to make it…
Sometimes your bike leads you to new and wild places; other times it can take you even deeper. In their latest film, Bee Wild Bee Free, Giorgio and Francesco combined bikepacking and beekeeping, a process that brought them closer to nature and played a significant role in their environmental consciousness. Watch it here alongside an amazing photo gallery…
While clearing fallen trees from one of their favorite local trails, Francesco and Giorgio (Montanus) decided to offer the creatures that live there a token of gratitude. See it unfold in their latest video, and find a photo gallery with some behind the scenes tidbits from the project…
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