I'm lost. Can you help me?
Perso: PEHR-so. Use perso if you're male, persa if female.
Use this whenever you lose the trail. Don't hesitate — Italian hikers are generally very willing to help and take mountain safety seriously.
Mi sono perso/a is the past tense of perdersi (to get lost). The gender agreement on perso/persa is important. Può aiutarmi? is a polite request using the formal Lei form.
Non trovo il sentiero.
I can't find the trail.
Simpler statement, useful when you just need to describe the problem.
Non so dove sono.
I don't know where I am.
Use when completely disoriented.
Può mostrarmi sulla mappa?
Can you show me on the map?
Useful follow-up once someone offers to help.
The Italian mountain rescue service is Soccorso Alpino (Alpine Rescue). The emergency number is 118. If you have signal, you can also use the Georesq app, which is the official CAI emergency app and works even with minimal connectivity.