From the cold mountain to the heat of the desert, from Venice to Beijing, riding a bicycle, crossing Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, and finally, arriving in China. One hundred days and a 12 thousand-kilometer-long journey, following the same routes walked by Marco Polo, his father and his uncle more than 700 years ago. The expedition "Marco Polo a pedali: from Venice to Beijing by bicycle" will start on Thursday, April 25, and will lead two cyclists Alberto Fiorin and Dino Facchinetti, members of the historic Società Ciclistica Pedale Veneziano, along the Silk Road. The initiative, linked to the celebrations of the 700th anniversary of the death of the famous Venetian traveller, will also be an opportunity to bring a message of peace and solidarity to the people and countries crossed along the route.
A rich itinerary of historical suggestions, a crossroads of different worlds, peoples and cultures, the same ones encountered more than 700 years ago by Marco Polo during his journey to the East. The life and exploits of the Venetian merchant have always fascinated them, pushing Alberto Fiorin and Dino Facchinetti to undertake this adventure on their bicycles.
"When I learned that 2024 would mark the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, I said to myself now or never, and with Dino, who is part of the same sports club as me, we decided to undertake this journey together - says Fiorin, president of the Società Ciclistica Pedale Veneziano - We want to be a sort of ambassadors of the figure of Marco Polo, and convey the respect we have for him, acting as a bridge between different cultures. And we will try to do it in our way, which is moving slowly: knowing the world from the top of the saddle is a sustainable, curious and respectful approach, in the spirit of what was also the experience of our famous fellow citizen".
One hundred days of travel, of which sixteen days of rest or institutional meetings with local authorities, divided into eighty-two stages. There are many challenges that Fiorin and Facchinetti will encounter on the route before they manage to enter Tiananmen Square in Beijing on August 1st, the heart of the eastern metropolis. Considering the itinerary, although it does not cross "complicated" countries from a sociopolitical point of view, it involves an average of 130 kilometres by bike per day, facing various weather conditions, from the cold of the mountains to the heat of the desert and the humidity of the monsoons. Adding to this, the two cyclists will travel "unsupported", meaning in total autonomy and without any vehicle accompanying them, therefore not using fossil fuels and taking only the bare essentials as luggage.
However, there's a desire to bring their Venetian spirit to the East, in Marco Polo's footsteps, and to be able to build relationships with the local populations: as a matter of fact, the "Marco Polo a pedali" expedition, sponsored by the association Ponti di Pace, aims to identify solidarity projects in the communities encountered.
"We also have planned public meetings with local authorities in representative cities such as Sofia, Istanbul, Tashkent, Alma Ata and Beijing. For this reason, we got in touch with our diplomatic representatives abroad, and we also involved the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - explains Fiorin - In Sofia, for example, we are organizing the screening of a film about travelling by bicycle, and on that occasion, we will talk about our experience and the reasons that pushed us to leave. But during these meetings, there will also be space and time to get to know the figure of Marco Polo, directly or indirectly".
While awaiting the departure, scheduled for Thursday 25 April, the day of the Festa di San Marco, saint patron of Venice, Alberto Fiorin and Dino Facchinetti organized a series of information meetings on their project. The next appointment will be Friday, March 1st at 6 pm in Conference Room A - building 53 of Forte Marghera; to follow, on Saturday 2 March, the same meeting will be held at the Auser Olivolo aps, in San Francesco della Vigna, Castello.
