Dined inside the premises that hosted us with the group of new friends and later we went in the circus tent to listen to Giulio Romito who told us about his trip “a little unlucky” started by being part of the Mongol Rally with Honda Transalp 650 but then interrupted causes several problems to the mechanics of the bike.

Early Saturday morning, while I was browsing among the parked motorbikes, a child came up with a piece of paper in his hand and asked me if I did the autograph !!! I told him: but I’m not famous and he replied that there, at the Travelers Camp “ALL ARE FAMOUS”,

I could not do it! However since the morning was dedicated to relaxation, I ran away and I met with Gianluigi at Passo del Bocco, after a nice breakfast with coffee and focaccia we went for a challenging stretch of dirt road to Faggio dei 3 Comuni to finally reach Monte Penna and the restaurant where we stopped to eat.

Then running to Granara where Gianluigi did not want to stop and started almost immediately while I attended the various events scheduled: a first aid course, a first approach to photography and finally the two beautiful stories of travel, those in the Balkans of Matteo Nanni, a young boy who has already had many experiences and who has transmitted to us, with his sensitivity and emotional charge, the generosity and helpfulness of the people he met in Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia.

Then the one in Botswana by the couple Fabrizio Cedrati and Elisa Montagnini who, with their magnificent KTM 690 Enduro, traveled the South African roads from Durban to Botswana with breathtaking views and encounters with African animals whose sight, like all the great things of the nature, leave strong emotions within you. On my return they moved from Swaziland and Lesotho and I felt involved because they traveled many of the roads I had traveled with Gloria and our South African friends many years ago.

Pleasant dinner in the company of a Milanese age (Suzuki VStrom 650) and other young friends. At 9:30 pm again in the circus tent for the description of the journey to Ladakh by Massimo Adami and the one in Vietnam with the Vespa.

In bed late and in the morning I return home with a new friend from Turin but living in Milan: Paolo Bertinat. We made the Passo del Bratello and we stopped to eat in Pontremoli, at Locanda Baciottini, then I accompanied him to take the highway to Levanto, passing the Passo del Rastrello.
At home and in bed early!

In the short time spent at the Travelers Camp, the few people with whom I have had the opportunity to exchange opinions and opinions have all been non-trivial, all with a passion in their eyes, with a dream inside to be realized, all with “one more gear” , I will try to come back in the future to get to know others!

Driver: Leandro Bellani

Drivers: Leandro Bellani, Gianluigi DeAndrade

Here is the “Map of the geographer” (as we call Gianluigi).

Drivers: Leandro Bellani, Paolo Bertinat.

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IL PROGRAMMA DEL TRAVELLERS CAMP 2018

VENERDI 25 MAGGIO
19.00– Arrivo partecipanti, brindisi di benvenuto.
20.00- Cena.
21.30- FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE: Giulio Romito è andato a farsi un giro in moto, sulle orme del Mongol Rally. Giulio racconterà del suo viaggio verso la terra di Gengis Khan. Attraverso suggestive immagini potremo rivivere il suo itinere verso il cuore dell’Asia.

SABATO 26 MAGGIO
9.30- Colazione e attesa degli arrivi.
10.30- LAZY MORNING. Mattinata dedicata al relax, alle nuove conoscenze o all’esplorazione della zona. A poca distanza è possibile infatti raggiungere il passo della Cisa, Borgo Val di Taro o il castello di Bardi.
12.30- Pranzo.
14.30- WORKSHOP: “First Aid”
Primo “First” Montagna, viaggiatore rodato e volontario per la pubblica assistenza, è la persona adatta per illustrare le basi del primo soccorso. Cosa fare e cosa non fare quando si è vittime di un rovescio della sorte per strada.
15.30- WORKSHOP: “Fotografia in viaggio”
La fotografia di viaggio è un tema che sta particolarmente a cuore al Travellers Camp. Abbiamo quindi pensato di riproporre la materia, approfittando della presenza di Giulio Romito (Fotografo e viaggiatore), il quale illustrerà l’importanza delle immagini e la loro valorizzazione.
16.30- Coffee break
17.00-RUOTE & PAROLE: Il viaggio raccontato dai protagonisti. Appuntamenti per conoscere i personaggi e le loro storie, fatte di strade, immagini ed emozioni.
17.10- Matteo Nanni-Balcani Matteo è particolarmente attratto da quella parte di Europa che protende, anche culturalmente, verso est. Avendovi viaggiato a più riprese riporterà le sue impressioni sull’incrocio di terre e culture che contraddistinguono l’area.
17.50- Fabrizio Cedrati & Elisa Montagnini. Nel 2017 presentammo, in collaborazione con Clover, il loro progetto in divenire per l’Africa. Ora tornano al Travellers Camp per raccontarci della loro avventura in Botswana.
18.30- Massimo Adami – Ladakh. Con un video e diversi aneddoti Massimo racconta le suggestioni del suo viaggio nel cuore dell’himalaya indiano, tra passi oltre i cinquemila metri, spiritualità arcaiche e panorami mozzafiato: un’esperienza unica.
20.00- Cena
21.30- RUOTE & PAROLE by night: Pietro Porro. Il funambolico progetto di “Nessuno ferma le Stelle” si è concluso: Da Milano A Saigon sulle orme del grande Giorgio Bettinelli. Pietro riporterà i momenti più salienti di questa intrepida e talvolta “improvvisata” cavalcata.

DOMENICA 27 MAGGIO
9.30- Colazione.
10.30- IL SERMONE DELLA DOMENICA: “MONDOENDURO”. Austin vince è l’autore di questo film, testimonianza di un impavido e scanzonato giro del mondo di gruppo. Un’avventura con qualche anno sulle spalle ma che saprà catalizzare l’interesse del pubblico per la sua verve tipicamente britannica.
12.30- Pranzo.
14.30- Saluti finali.
* il programma potrà subire variazioni per cause indipendenti dalla volontà dello staff.

NOTE: -Il programma si svolgerà anche in caso di condizioni meteo non ottimali.
-Ogni partecipante è responsabile del proprio agire verso se stesso, cose e/o terzi. Lo staff declina ogni addebito di responsabilità per l’altrui operato.
-La location si trova a 700 metri. Consigliamo di provvedere con abbigliamento adeguato e, per ogni evenienza, un sacco a pelo anche per chi pernotterà in camerata.
-E’ possibile utilizzare le proprie attrezzature da cucina, ma non è concessa l’accensione di falò.

Three wonderful days in the Piedmont Occitan, organized to perfection by Gianluigi. Four motorcycles from La Spezia and two from Chiavari, we met at the exit of the highway Lavagna, after an initial pioggierellina the sky cleared and crossing the beautiful streets inside the Liguria we arrived at the Sanctuary of Vicoforte where, between stinging and lazy, we made a stopover. In the late afternoon with a spectacular road we climbed from Castelmagno to Colle d’Esischie and then arrived in the evening at the farm “Al Chersogno”, in San Michele di Prazzo, a small hamlet of Prazzo, near Marmora. Nice company and good dinner, then sleeping to recover the energy for the next day.

On Sunday morning we left for a day to live intensely, we took the road to the Colle di Sampeyre, but near the summit we turned left to get off with an adventurous road through the Val Macra coming back to Prazzo, after we redone the climb to the Sampeyre hill: terrific air and beautiful views, I also met a biker who knew me for my trips. Then GianLuigi led us to the Lamb Ring which with its 2744 m is perhaps the tallest in the alpine arc, another dimension, a temperature around -2 ° C, wider roads and more intense traffic, but the the charm of lesser, less frequented huts is no less. Time started to go bad and we decided not to walk the Col d’Izoard to reach Briancon, we took for the Col de Vars and the summit started snowing softly, we stopped to eat something and put us ‘rainwear. Along the descent the climate improved and arrived at the bottom of the valley we went back to Italy with the Maddalena Colle (or Col de Larche) to return to our base. We are a good group and we are well together, even the second night we first go to enjoy a good dinner and then talk to us, as always, about motorbikes or motorcycle accessories!

In the morning we have breakfast and we prepare for the return, not before returning to the top, we go first to the Colle d’Esischie and then go to the famous Colle della Fauniera, during the descent we stop in a nice hut for coffee and slice of tart, then descend with a magnificent little road towards Demonte. From there, after a short break we go to Liguria. We try to avoid the highway but the time runs faster than us, arriving near Masone we pick it up and run fast, a stop to dress up rain clothes and greet us again and again, each one home. There was also a strong escapement for the rafters near home. Beautiful vacation, beautiful company and beautiful places to go !!!

bikers: Omar Isoppo, Gian Ruello, Marino Ricciardone, Mirko Ricciardone, Gianluigi DeAndrade e Leandro Bellani.

A great turn in France,

After spending the night at Cervo, at Franco’s house, in the morning we met at the nearby highway service station with Gianni and Gianluigi and from there we went to the French border. Thanks to the accurate knowledge of the area by GianLuigi we have made beautiful roads that brought us first to Sospel, then through the Col du Turini in the amazing Gorges du Daluis and on the Col de Rousset. Night at Digne-le-bains and the next day on magnificent roads we arrived in the lush Vercors where we dined and slept at Hotel Jorjane in Choranche. On the third day, we greeted with Gianluigi and Gianni that they were due to come back; Stayed Franco and I, we went back to Grenoble and further to Albertville, continuing to grind to the Grand Route des Alpes or at least a fair bit of it: Col de l’Iseran, Col du Galibier, breathtaking views and distant horizons, climb and downs, bends and short straight, the dream of every biker.

After spending the night at La Terrasse, a small little town on a hill, not far from Briançon, in a hostel in front of the spectacular Galibier glacier, the morning of the last day in Briançon the light sign warned us of the closure of the Col Izoard caused bike racing, so we modified the itinerary and started the gentle return with the Col de Vars and the Col de La Bonnette. We returned to Italy from Nice across the whole of Liguria. Returning home: “Tired but satisfied”

Bikers: Franco Montinaro, GianLuigi DeAndrade, Gianni Valle and Leandro Bellani