FILIPPO VILLA

I met the river at 5 years. In Vigevano, on the Ticino.
There I learnt to swim, then I moved on to chlorinated water, swimming as a competitive swimmer, until I was 17, the age when I rediscovered Ticino and started canoeing.
Since then I have not stopped. Going down streams and rivers with my canoe and friends around has become a way of life. Between a new torrent, a rapid, a jump, an evening on the waters on which we had sailed.

At 21, I become a rafting guide and, almost without realising it, my passion turns into work. I learn, grow and start travelling in search of rivers outside Europe, between South America and Asia.

I opened and ran AqQua for 10 yearsa rafting centre, which still operates in the Ticino with routes and projects dedicated to schools and children.
Meanwhile, work is transformed.

Today I practice as a clinical psychologist in a private practice in Vigevano (www.spazi-impensabili.it) and I work on wellness promotion projects in local high schools. I lead experiential workshops on group dynamics and have just finished school as a Gestalt psychotherapist in Turin.

I collaborate with the Italian Rafting Federation as an instructor for guide training.

Together with David, we manage to combine the river background with my current profession to facilitate processes in emergency psychology, disaster management for large-scale rescues.