Today, a spectacularly beautiful day of blue sky and almost-warm sunshine, we added another peak to our tally; Monte Legnoncino. At 1,714 metres it’s something of a mini-peak but this was a reconnaissance mission with a view to conquering the mountain’s big brother, Monte Legnone (behind me in the picture). At 2,609 metres, Legnone is the big boy of the neighbourhood, but it’s only a matter of time now. The starting point for both peaks is the same refuge which, in the summer, can be reached by car. Today we made our way up on foot through snow and ice, climbing some six hundred metres up to the refuge and beyond it to the summit. We were accompanied on the last stretch by an Italian couple with snow shoes and they, practised mountaineers, gave us a series of tips about how to tackle Legnone. We’ll have to wait until June, though, to be sure that the way is clear of snow and ice. Our plan is to conquer all of the summits that we can see about us. With Bregagno (2,100), Berlinghera (1,950) and Legnoncino (1,700) under our belts, we are well on the way.