L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 4 LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY holds a penitential rite and pro- cession to honor and remember the discovery of a Madonna and Child statue in a field, hundreds of years ago. After their life-changing pil- grimage to S antiago D e Compostela, and their bike ride from their hometown Amorosi (Province of Benevento) to Cape North (Norway), they just com- pleted their last feat by bike, again from Amorosi through the French Way up to Lisbon, and then, after the transatlantic flight, along the historical Route 66, from NYC to L.A. I had the chance to meet briefly Giovanna e Giuseppe, as they were officially welcomed at their arrival in Los Angeles by Antonio Verde, Consul General of Italy, on July 29. The Consul commended the feat accomplished by this young couple, who traversed approxi- mately 6213 miles across the old continent and the new world. "Their journey perfectly embod- ied the intense willpower, the ability to take up a challenge and the eagerness to broaden their horizons, qualities that represent the very best of Italy. In the US, and L.A. in particular, we are not new to such accomplish- ments, constantly achieved by our fellow Italians through ener- gy, creativity and passion." Giuseppe and Giovanna, p leas e tell u s h ow th e id ea behind Love Wheels was born? The idea came to us in 2014, as we were traversing by foot the main pilgrimage way from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - on the French side of the Pyrenean range of mountains - to Santiago De Compostela - capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. The total route consists of about 900 kilometers (approximately 560 ml). The "Camino de Santiago" (a.k.a. Way of St. James) repre- sented one of the most preemi- nent Christian pilgrimages dur- ing the medieval period, along- s ide the ones to Rome and Jerusalem. Its spiritual significance has never stopped throughout the centuries. We felt we were really grow ing s piritually, as w e reached Spain's westernmost point overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, "Cape Finisterre" (liter- ally, the "end of the world" in Latin). Last year, we thought bigger. Traversing the 5500 km (around 3418 ml) route from our home- tow n A moros i, province of Benevento, Campania, to Cape North, Norway. The wider dis- tance led us to opt for the bicy- cles. Keep in mind that we are both trained in karate, but we are not professional cyclists. That was our first time embarking in such an endeavor. Unexpectedly, we garnered lots of followers on our Facebook and Instagram pages. That was the official birth of our project "Love Wheels 646," that is biking across our six conti- nents in six years, trying to con- nect with the Italian communities spread throughout the globe. We just completed our last daring enterprise, a bike ride from A moros i, Italy, again through the F rench Way to Santiago De Compostela and then to Lisbon, Portugal. After flying across the Atlantic Ocean and landing in NYC, we resumed biking along the historical Route 66 up to L.A. Our initiative has been receiv- ing the sponsorship from local companies, in our beloved area of Sannio, whose culture, tradi- tions and products w e are spreading wherever we go. What was the most chal- lenging step along the Route 66? Traversing the desolate land- scapes, as you're surrounded by nothing else than the desert, rep- resented a real challenge. After a w hile, w e felt the impelling desire to reconnect with our fel- low human beings. Our individual sense of lone- liness was intensified by the fact that each of us rode at his/her own pace, keeping a certain dis- tance from one another. The most rewarding moment each time was when, after climb- ing a hill, we were finally in sight of a city, or some sign of civilization. Which, among the places you traversed, impressed you the most and why? With no doubt, Chicago, Illinois. Despite its remarkable size, this city is neatly organized and has a great mobility. That is not to say that it is totally safe, since battles among gangs still occur regularly. As far as weather's conditions in the metropolis, properly nick- named the "Windy City," we were lucky enough to have not faced headwind. On the contrary, New York holds its great fascination, but to us, who come from a small vil- lage, is too chaotic. In conclusion, tell us about your most significant encoun- ters you had along your bi-con- tinental route? In Europe, characterized by a constellation of villages, towns and cities neighboring one anoth- er, we made acquaintances with lots of people. The system of sister cities facilitates the connection among communities across each coun- try's borders . F or ins tance, Montesarchio, in our Sannio area, is twinned with La Garde, France. Moreover, we have become w orldw ide promoters of the global network of places embrac- ing a healthy w ay of living, called "Cittaslow International" – originated in Orvieto, Umbria, in 1999. Caiazzo (province of Caserta), in our home region of Sannio, was among the first to acquire such a status. So far, in the US, only com- munities in San Francisco and Miami have adopted this "slow" lifestyle, but Cittaslow's follow- ers are growing throughout the world. Giuseppe Campochiaro and Giovanna Napolitano along their North American route. Photo Courtesy of Giuseppe and Giovanna Continued from page 1 Giuseppe and Giovanna at the end of the historical route 66 in L.A.

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