The husband of a woman who fell to death while hiking in Italy has shared the couple's last picture in an emotional tribute.
Maurizio Filini and Laura Barbieri, 47, had been climbing the popular Mount Guglielmo in northern Italy when she suddenly slipped and fell 160 feet in front of her partner. Mr Filini quickly raised the alarm, triggering a rapid response from paramedics and a mountain rescue helicopter, but Ms Barbieri was pronounced dead at the scene.
She is believed to have slipped on ice at an altitude of around 1,700 metres, even though she was wearing crampons, Italian media reported.
In an emotional tribute to his partner, Mr Filini shared a photograph of them sitting arm in arm and smiling at the top of the mountain, with a monument to the Redeemer in the background.
“This was our last photo, I will love you forever my Laurina, have a good trip,” Mr Filini captioned the photo on social media. Tributes poured in for Ms Barbieri in response to Mr Filini’s post.
Messages shared online spoke of her love of nature, climbing and motorbikes.
“You loved risk, but life is strange: it was just a wrong step on a mountain path that took you away. I know that now, wherever you are, you are looking for something beautiful," read one tribute.
Friends of Mr Filini also paid their respects on his Facebook page.
"Hi Maurizio, I’ve just seen the picture now!... I'm so sorry, my condolences to you, and a big hug," one person said.
Another wrote: "Maurizio I have no words... I totally understand what you're going through right now. I'm giving you a huge hug."
Ms Barbieri’s funeral is due to take place on Wednesday in the Lombardy city of Brescia, where the couple lived.
