Home Storie da raccontare Gliding over difficulties: Vanni Oddera meets Andrea Devincenzi in an adrenaline-filled experience on Monte Rosa

Gliding over difficulties: Vanni Oddera meets Andrea Devincenzi in an adrenaline-filled experience on Monte Rosa

What does it mean to turn a difficulty into a new direction in life? In this episode of Storie da raccontare, Andrea Devincenzi shares his journey after the accident that changed his life and led him to become a Paralympic athlete and motivational trainer. Together with Vanni Oddera, between the roads of Alagna Valsesia and a paragliding flight over the peaks of Monterosa, their experience becomes the story of how autonomy, determination and the desire to challenge oneself can open new horizons.

Accessible video transcript

[00:00–00:10]

[Shots of the snowy landscapes of Alagna Valsesia, in the Monterosa area. Ski slopes and mountain views are visible. Vanni Oddera and Andrea Devincenzi travel in a Jeep along snowy roads.]

[00:11]

Vanni: Tell me who you are in two words.

[00:13]

Andrea: I’m a Paralympic athlete and a corporate trainer.

[00:16]

Vanni: What happened to your leg?

[00:18]

Andrea: In 1990, while riding my motorcycle, I collided with a car coming from the opposite direction. Today, living with two crutches and one leg, among other people, is completely normal for me.

[00:32]

Vanni: What’s your relationship with the car?

[00:34]

Andrea: The car allows me to live, to work, and to reach my sporting challenges. So I’d say it means freedom.

[00:42]

Vanni: What would you say to someone who feels discouraged?

[00:44]

Andrea: To be patient, and to be aware that there’s work to be done.

[00:48]

Vanni: What drives you to keep seeking new challenges?

[00:51]

Andrea: Today, I like to look for my limits. Challenges are what keep me alive every single day.

[01:00]

Vanni: You drove me here—now are you ready to follow me?

[01:03]

Andrea: Absolutely ready!

[01:06–01:25]

[Andrea and Vanni get out of the car. Andrea goes paragliding on skis, gliding above the ski slopes with an instructor. Then the Jeep is seen setting off again along the snowy roads.]

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