For the past two months, Giovanni and two other Maltese climbers, Martin Fiorentino and a friend, have spent hot summer days training to climb two mountains in Turkey – Mount Kackar, and Mount Ararat, a dormant volcano and the highest point in Turkey, at a staggering height of 5,137 meters.

As part of their training, in preparation for this ascent, Giovanni and the team spent countless hours – throughout the months of July and August – hiking up and down the stairs to Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, as well as running up Maltese hillsides.

Following a 7-hour climb through loose boulders, Giovanni and Martin Fiorentino first summited Mount Kackar on 18th August 2022. Their final ascent began at 3am, and they returned to high camp some 12 hours later.

The climb took a total of 4 days to be completed.

Immediately after Mount Kackar they travelled two days to reach the start of Mount Ararat in order to attempt the summit, along with another Maltese climber.

On 22nd August 2022, they started the climb – returning to their tents in the evening to rest. The summit push to Mount Ararat is not for the faint-hearted, and on the 25th of August 2022, at 6.15am the Maltese team reached the peak after 4 hours and 13 minutes – making them one of the fastest teams to summit this mountain.

Proper clothes and mountain gear were necessary due to the extreme temperatures – at points even going down to minus eleven.

During both ascents, the Turkish mountaineer guides were impressed by the performance of the Maltese team – especially since Giovanni managed to complete this remarkable feat at sixty-two years of age.

In fact, Giovanni recalls how one of the other foreign climbers, a young woman, told him that she now fully understands the age-old adage ‘age is just a number’.

This is not the first rodeo for Giovanni. He has been part of Maltese teams that have climbed mountains in almost every continent around the world, including Kilimanjaro in Africa, Aconcagua in Argentina, Denali in Alaska, and Elbrus in Russia.

“Acknowledge that nothing is impossible once you set your mind to it, but it is wise to be aware that the mountain always has the final say. Coming back to your loved ones is the most important goal in life,” Giovanni says as part of his life motto.

Tag someone who would love to take on such a challenge