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Phrases › Hiking in Italy › Mi sento strano/a. Forse è il mal di montagna.
B1

Mi sento strano/a. Forse è il mal di montagna.

I feel strange. Maybe it's altitude sickness.

Pronunciation

Strano: STRAH-no. The r is lightly rolled.

When to use it

Use if you experience dizziness, headache, or nausea above 2500m. Alerting a companion or rifugio staff early is essential for safety.

What it means

Mi sento means 'I feel' (reflexive). Mal di montagna is the Italian term for altitude sickness — mal di means 'sickness/pain of'. It's the same structure as mal di testa (headache) or mal di stomaco (stomachache).

Variations

Ho mal di testa e mi gira la testa.

I have a headache and I feel dizzy.

Mi gira la testa literally means 'my head is spinning'.

Devo scendere di quota.

I need to descend in altitude.

The standard treatment for altitude sickness.

C'è un medico al rifugio?

Is there a doctor at the hut?

Emergency question if symptoms are severe.

Mini Dialogue

— Mi sento strana. Forse è il mal di montagna. — Da quando ti senti così? — Da quando abbiamo superato i tremila metri. — Devi bere acqua e riposare. Se non passa, scendiamo.
— I feel strange. Maybe it's altitude sickness. — Since when have you felt this way? — Since we passed three thousand metres. — You need to drink water and rest. If it doesn't pass, we'll go down.

Cultural Note

Altitude sickness is a real concern above 2500-3000m in the Italian Alps. Rifugi at high altitude often keep basic medications and oxygen. The CAI recommends ascending no more than 300-500m per day when above 2500m.

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