Brescia, hiker Fabio Festa found dead after three days of searching: he was in a ravine.

At the bottom of a ravine. 400 meters from the trail. Firefighters found him lifeless at 8:30 a.m. during the first helicopter search of the morning. The tragedy was clear even from the air. The body of Fabio Festa, the 32-year-old from Chiari who had not been heard from since Saturday evening, lay motionless on the ground. Within minutes, the most obvious suspicion was confirmed by ground crews, who reached him at the bottom of the ravine and could only pronounce him dead.

The Alpine Rescue team, who responded to the scene alongside firefighters, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, and AREU personnel, is investigating what may have happened. Fabio Festa was no inexperienced hiker. He was carrying all the necessary equipment, even for solo outings. It cannot be ruled out that he lost his bearings and, while attempting to retrace his steps to the correct trail from the Gaver plain to Lake Vacca, one of the most popular routes for mountain enthusiasts in the province of Brescia, he misplaced his footing and fell.

The 32-year-old had arrived in the mountains between Lake Idro and Valcamonica on Saturday morning. He parked his car on the Gaver plain and set off. He was expected home in Chiari that evening, but he never arrived. His parents raised the alarm on Sunday morning and launched a search. Fabio Festa was searched for several hours in vain on Sunday afternoon between Blumone and Lake Vacca, until light conditions permitted. Rescuers resumed operations on Monday, but were forced to abandon helicopter operations due to the severe weather conditions that hit that area of the province of Brescia. Once the winds died down, they only resumed overflights today.

The hiker's location was possible thanks to the last signal sent by his cell phone, which had already run out of battery on Saturday evening and had no internet connection, and the app he was using to follow the trail towards Lake Vacca.

Once recovered, Fabio Festa's body was laid to rest at Esine Hospital. Many are mourning his passing, starting with the Brescia Calcio fans, of which he was a member. As a sign of mourning, the Curva Nord canceled the celebration scheduled for July 25-29.