Get up and leave early, a few kilometers from Duilhac we said goodbye to Franco and Marco, who took one more day of vacation, so Gianni and I took the way home. The stretch of road that we have traveled before taking the highway has been wrapped in a truly unique, magical, unrepeatable atmosphere! The light of the morning with the low sun that created long shadows and the clear air, still fresh, the non-existent traffic in these streets lost in the Languedoc countryside bewitched us with their silence broken only by the roar of our engines. Entered in Tuchan we spotted a friendly Boulangerie and once purchased Pain on chocolat we sat on a comfortable bench under the plane trees to enjoy them while we watched the coming and going of the people who parked the cars, they went in and out of the store and started their day. Turned the corner of the square we drank a coffee in the Bar of the country and then we reluctantly left this idyllic peace to go, after many kilometers, towards the busy life of our days, we reached the highway and we started the long ride back. We made a lot of attention not to exceed the speed limits and we made two stops, the first in France to eat something and then in Italy, from the parts of Sanremo to catch your breath and think about which way to get to Genoa, because the day first, on the 14 th the Morandi Bridge collapsed with enormous human damage (43 victims). At the service station we talked with two policemen who confirmed that we could exit at Genoa Airport and return to West Genoa. Arrived in Rapallo we said goodbye to Gianni and Sestri Levante, to end up in beauty, I left the highway and I made the Passo del Bracco.

Bikers: Gianni Valle, Franco Cozzani, Marco Galeazzi e Leandro Bellani.

Bikers: Gianni Valle, Franco Cozzani, Marco Galeazzi e Leandro Bellani.

After a quick stop to admire the Castle of Queribus, stop at Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet to buy croissants and pain on chocolat and then at the bar for a coffee. First destination to be reached: Les Gorges de Galamus, a few kilometers from our hotel, unique and evocative. After..

Bikers: Gianni Valle, Franco Cozzani, Marco Galeazzi e Leandro Bellani.

– 5 days to go around the Pyrenees with friends are few, but enough !.
Started at 5:20 am, I met at the exit of the Variante Aurelia tunnel with Franco and his giant friend Marco, then at 6:20 am in Piazzale della Franca in Chiavari we met with Gianni, a good breakfast based on Ligurian focaccia and off to France. A long journey of highway transfer along the Italian and French coast with several “bouchon” passed along the emergency lane, with a heat around 37 ° C, a quick exit for a stop in the shadow, on the state road before Arles, and again on the road to Carcassonne. We stopped to rest, take a breath and drink a kir in a square full of tourists and then we took the last stretch of road to reach Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse where we booked for the night.

Finally the road became a road and we quickly forgot the highway. The hills preceding the Pyrenees have begun.

Bikers: Gianni Valle, Franco Cozzani, Marco Galeazzi e Leandro Bellani.

Bikers: Gianni Valle, Gianluigi DeAndrade, Giovanni Sansostri e Leandro Bellani.

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.

_____________________________________________

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.

1st DAY

First meeting with Marino at Padivarma and then with Gianluigi at the roundabout in Chiavari, breakfast and on the motorway until Cagnes sur Mer, on the frontier little adventure with the loss of the ignition key of Gianluigi’s bike, fortunately rediscovered! From Cagnes we took the Route Napoleon and stopped at St. Vallier-de-Thiey to eat, of course at the “Bonaparte” restaurant. Cross the Gorges du Verdon and stop for ice cream in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and away, accompanied by lavender plantations, not yet in bloom, but always beautiful.

Once in Manosque, guided perfectly by the BMW navigator and secured the motorbikes, we took a walk in the city center to have a very frugal dinner in a brasserie and then in bed to regain energy.

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2nd DAY

After a light breakfast in Manosque we took the road towards Auvergne. In the stop just before Simiane-la-Rotonde, we admired large birds circling in the sky in search of food, arrived in the nearby town filled with gasoline and then began to climb towards the 1909 mslm of Mont Ventoux, fantastic panorama thanks to a clear air that allowed us to see the distant arch of the Alps.

In the parking lot near the summit we got to know a group of photographers / journalists who were doing a service on behalf of the French importer of the Royal Enfield Himalayan and Benelli TRK 502. Down from the pleasant mountain stop at Vaison-la-Romaine in a nice plein-air space to eat camembert and charcuterie purchased at a Lidl of a previous country along the way.

Another stop in Suze-la-Rousse to admire the beautiful castle, then back on the road along the majestic Gorges de l’Ardèche and the spectacular rock arch at Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. We arrived in Chambon-sur-Lignon late in the evening, tired but satisfied, once we found the B & B La Vigne, we came back to the town to have a nice dinner at the Epicurien; the return to the deserved rest was prolonged by a failure to identify the right intersection so that with a pleasant night jog, where we could appreciate the light of our super craved spotlights, we finally arrived at La Vigne. Good night!

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3rd DAY

Great breakfast in the company of Laurence, the very kind owner of B & B then back on the road, and what a road! Perfect temperature and breathtaking views. Descent from 1200 m asl with castles, lakes, green meadows and blue skies up to Pradelles where we made a rest stop.

Arrived near the big cities, the traffic became challenging and given the long transfer stage we decided to take the highway, we left the parts of Le Castellet, the country of the automobile circuit, to finally reach Solliès-Pont, the country of my childhood vacations. Hôtel almost to forget and good dinner in Solliès-Toucas.
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4th DAY

Breakfast at the hotel and off to Italy, still motorway to Menton, stop in an open bar in Sospel and then inside, towards Colle di Tenda with a cultural stop in La Brigue to admire, unfortunately only from the outside, the Sanctuaire NotreDame des Fontaines, we will be back!

At the start a light rain began that fortunately left us shortly after passing the Italian border. Stop eating Robilant in the excellent restaurant “Magia delle Fate” food very good and very nice and kind staff. Sliding roads with little traffic, highway for Mondovì, stop at the roundabout of Montezemolo for a last break and at Altare we took the highway again. In Chiavari we say goodbye to Gianluigi and then Marino and I continue with a high pace towards home. Greetings and see you soon !!!

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Bikers: GianLuigi DeAndrade, Marino Ricciardone and Leandro Bellani.

Stop in Sesta Godano for lunch and then meet on the Passo del Bracco with friends of Ponente, Gianluigi and Gian !!! What a pleasure to see Gian again, it was almost five months! Handshakes and hugs, ice cream and coffee and then everyone at home!

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Biker: Leandro Bellani

Bikers: Gian Ruello, GianLuigi DeAndrade and Leandro Bellani.

Return to the road back through the Lagastrello where we divide, Ubaldo and Giovanni descend towards Spezia, Gianluigi and I continue to Monchio delle Corti to go back to the Passo del Cirone, from there we descend to Pontremoli where we take the motorway return.

Bikers: Gianluigi DeAndrade, Giovanni Sansostri, Ubaldo Castellini, Franco Cozzani and Leandro Bellani.