Caucasus 2014

Thursday 22 January 2015

Il video del viaggio Caucasus 2014

Un breve video che racconta il viaggio fino in Kazakhstan su YouTube

Wednesday 30 July 2014

30 July : Leg # 11 -Macerata (Italy) - Brescia (Italy) 518 km

A glorious sun shining was the best good morning Italy gave us for our last riding day. Luca led the team for a tour of the country side around the town of Macerata on very narrow roads in a very beautiful rural countryside with several middle age old villages strategically located on top of hills for defensive strategy, all around it was a very green part of Italy.
On the way to the town of Recanati, we stop by Giovanni home and visit his family. Recanati is the home town of Giacomo Leopardi famous Italian poet we stop at the exact view point that inspired him to write the Infinito (Infinity) famous poem all over in Italy.
From there we rode to visit one of the major sponsor of our charity, Vincenzo and Giacomo Taffo, owners of NSC company, together with Marisa Biagiola and all the company personnel Vincenzo and Giacomo were waiting in front of NSC offices to welcome us together with the local mayor Francesco Acquaroli.
We took that opportunity to have a guided tour of NSC facilities with Vincenzo providing explanations to all our queries.
As for " good Italian tradition" we ended the visit at the restaurant where we enjoyed a quality sea food lunch confirming, if needed, the good quality of life we enjoy in Italy.
In the afternoon Giacomo and Lorenzo said good bye to Vincenzo, Luca and Giovanni and started heading north toward home. Last stop in Medesano, where Lorenzo lives. His family was waiting him and very happy to see him safe at home. Finally also Giacomo arrived in Brescia, where Paola was patiently waiting him.

Today we have made 518 km, the total trip back home is of 6,500 km.

Mission accomplished, all the team members are safely back home, this is the end of the "Ride for a Smile" adventure.

During this long journey we met amazing people, a lot of friends, we saw beatiful places, we never felt unsafe. But the happiness to be back at home was great.

I had three fantastic friends riding with me during these days, they never showed a moment of weakness during the trip, but only focused to complete the trip safely.

Final thought to our bikes : their great performances and reliability were key elements to complete successfully the trip

Thanks to you all who have supported us and donated so generously to our charity.

A detailed report will follow about the destination of the money collected

Some numbers :

Total km : 10940 (4440 + 6500)

Legs : 17

Average Km/ day : 643

Country visited : 16

Borders crossing : 19

Fuel consumption : 739 lt

Lamps

Leg # 11 Macerata - Brescia 518 km

A beautiful landscape of Marche

Recanati

Marche Region

Native house of Giacomo Leopardi

This is Italy

Sempre caro mi fu quest'ermo colle....

A warm welcome from NSC team

Vincenzo Taffo and Giovanni

The Mayor Francesco Acquaroli and Lorenzo

Giacomo Taffo and Luca

Marisa Biagiola and Giacomo

All smiling after a lunch Italian style

Welcome back, deduška Lorenzo

Finally you are back home

29 Luglio - Leg # 10 : Split (Croatia) Macerata (Italy) 210 km

Lazy start today having only few hours riding in front of us. We left Split with the sun in the sky and after 160 km we were in Zara, the weather there was overcast, many black clouds around and menacing to rain.
Croatia highway is very good and without traffic.
The ferry to Italy company was Jadroline, not a lot of passengers on board, during the crossing we relaxed and recalled so many nice memories of our trip. The ferry left Zara in time and six hours later we were in Ancona where Marco, a biker friend from Brescia was waiting for us.
All together we rode to Macerata on secondary, sightseeing roads of the beautiful Marche region.
Emotional welcome in Macerata from our friends of the local bikers club Pistello and Giovanni and Luca's families welcoming back home their loved ones.
In the evening we had a good Italian dinner in Macerata down town and at long last we satisfied our hanger for a dish of pasta, hurray!!??
Tomorrow plan is to ride all together and for the last time to Recanati NSC , National Service Company, and meet out friends working there.
Giacomo and Lorenzo will then continue riding north to their homes but without Luca and Giovanni for the first time after so many days spent on the saddle riding together.
Today we made212 km for a total of 5981 km since the start of our trip back home.

Lamps

Leg # 10 : Split - Macerata 210 km

Leaving Zara with Jadrolinjia

Bye Bye Croatia

A wake in the sea : the home is closer

Gas platform in Adiatic sea : we were there

Marco : the first welcome in Italy

Recanati : a piece of nice Italy

Warm welcome in Macerata

The Pistello Motorbike Club

The unstoppable Marisa

Nice to be back

Kisses and

Smiles

Now deduška is relaxed

Luca's Family

Giovanni's family

Back home : thanks my friend, great job

Tuesday 29 July 2014

28 Luglio - Leg # 9 : Skopje (Macedonia) - Split (Croatia) 772 km

This is the very last long, difficult transfer leg of our trip back home, we had 770 km to go in front of us mainly on standard national roads and several borders to cross.

Starting from Skopje in Macedonia we have been riding in order through: Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and at last arriving in Split Croatia.
Going through all these borders crossing was easy apart the Kosovo border where we were requested to buy bikes insurance because of no cover in Kosovo by our green cards.
We kept going through continuously changing landscapes, the Dalmatian Coast being the most beautiful and deserving a dedicated trip only for it in the future.
We were impressed by the "development" of Albania where the country "growth" is clearly visible.
Late in the evening we arrived in Split and, what a surprise, we did have a 10 minutes rain today for the very first time since we left Aksai.
Before dinner the usual tourist visit down town where the remarkable Diocletian Palace is worth while a visit, a lot of crowd everywhere.
Tomorrow the plan is to ride to Zadar, only 160 km away where in the afternoon we will get on the ferry to Ancona, Italy here we come at long last.
From Ancona we will ride to Luca and Giovanni home town Macerata.
Today we made 772 km for a total of 6769 km since the start of our trip back home

Lamps