Camino de Santiago for all, Pietro’s idea presented at the trade fair

“After two years, our idea is being realised.”Pietro Scidurlo is a determined man, his “idea” is on its way to becoming real; two years ago, when leaving for the first time for the Camino de Santiago, on his handbike, he had an idea to produce, from his trips, a guide for anyone, like him, with disabilitiesthat limit some experiences. No sooner said than (almost) done. This weekend, Pietro will be at Fa’ La Cosa Giusta (Do the Right Thing), the fair-trade fair in Milan, to present the “operating” phase, which will lead to the production of the guide to the Camino de Santiago. “Santiago per tutti” (Santiago for all) is the name of the project, which is being developed by his non-profit organisation, Free Wheels, and by the publisher Terre di Mezzo, who will have Pietro on their stand at Fa’ La Cosa Giusta.

The project, idea, still has to be completed, but it is finally on its way to becoming a reality; Pietro made two visits to Spain, to travel the Camino and map it twice, in accordance with the needs of people with disabilities. “Because we’re thinking about various disabilities, not only those unable to move independently, but, for example, also for the partially sighted,” Pietro explained. “In April, we’re setting off for the initial tracking: on asphalt, for handbikes, with a census of all of the facilities.” (Photo, right: Pietro on his handbike, at the Cebreiro mountain pass). In this, Pietro is repeating the experience he had along the Camino, on his first trip, which many VareseNews readers followed with interest. However, the second “mission”, which will take 60 days during the summer, will have a different objective. “At the beginning of July, we’re going to cover the route from Sant Jean Pied de Port to Finistrerre: a group on the old road, on the route of the ‘yellow arrows’, mapping it for anyone that has a sensory disability, for example, the partially-sighted and the blind. Another group is going to follow a mixed route, the historical asphalt-path, intended for anyone in a wheelchair.” The mapping will also be accompanied by a GPS track, which will come together in the material for the (future) Terre di Mezzo guide. Pietro will be going with a genuine group of collaborators, from Free Wheels, who have joined the project, which has the support also of Alha Group, ePrice and Velo Club Sommese.

In any case, the gauntlet has been thrown down. “Two years after the first Camino, the idea is becoming a reality; we came together for this reason, and we’re getting there; it’s also a way to show that, with little economic investment, it’s possible to achieve a result that is important for so many, not only for one. So many people have contacted me over the last two years, we’re giving them something that will enable them to live this experience independently.” (Photo: Pietro, at the start of his first trip, in 2012, with the Terre di Mezzo guide in his hand.)

But how much work is there to do on the Camino? A lot, but Pietro is convinced that the guide will also help to increase the effort to make this historical pilgrimage route available to everyone, each according to his ability. “After travelling the Camino twice, I’d say that one out of four of the facilities is entirely accessible. We’ve done this work also to encourage the facilities not only to make things easy for people with disabilities who come, which is what happens now, but also to become better equipped.”