People always associates sport with positivity. It makes people healthier, stronger and happier. Then, what's best than doing sport and make someone else happy and healthy, too? Bikes for Children is an initiative launched by Sport Senza Frontiere (SSF) and promoted by Cisco, to support children in difficult socio-economic conditions. A 700 km ride along the Via Francigena by bike. A meaningful experience, which combines social responsibility and passion for sport. A group of 50 cyclists will take part to this challenge, which started Saturday, October 1st, from Orio Litta (Lodi) and will end in Rome, the 9th of October. Famous testimonials belonging to the international sport scene, such as Jury Chechi, Giorgio Calcaterra, Roberto Cammarelle and many others, will join Bikes for Children too, together with several companies. In addition, a fundraising platform was created, as well, to collect all the donations in support of disadvantaged children. This project aims at offering a sanitary educational training and free sport courses to children in difficult conditions, helping them and their families to monitor their health status and their integration within the group. The cities involved are Milan, Rome, Naples and Buenos Aires: they will welcome and help more than 700 children. Studio Volpi will support this initiative too, following our friend Luciano Pomelli in his ride. He has been working at Cisco for 9 years, currently as Manager Systems Engineering. Leg by leg, we will be discovering unforgettable places along the Via Francigena, made even more unique by this generous, social initiative. Here is the link to Bikes for children's crowdfunding: https://crowdfunding.sportsenzafrontiere.it/ Keep following us and please, support this charity project. Thank you for your immeasurable help. Studio Volpi

The Via Francigena: a path with a long history, to rediscover the beauty of Italy.

Luciano Pomelli, supporting the initiative Bikes for Children, is biking along an historical route: the Via Francigena.

The very first documents which adduced to its existence date back to the 9^th century. Sigeric, the Archbishop of Canterbury, recorded his trip in 990, as he was returning to England from Rome. He described the 79 legs of his itinerary towards Canterbury, writing them down in his travel journal. His description was very detailed and the information turned out to be very useful to establish which was the original path of the Via Francigena between Canterbury and Rome.

The interest in this route, at first only limited to scholars then spread to devotees, who wanted to take a pilgrimage route towards Rome and Jerusalem, brought into being a network of passionate people, who started to mark paths and tracks with paint and brushes, uncovering the Italian stretch of the Via Francigena. It partially lied indeed under the asphalt of motorways and highroads, which had traced the original path of the main roads of Middle Ages and Roman Age.

Lucca was one of the main destinations of the Via Francigena, mostly thanks to the Volto Santo (Holy Face of Lucca) and the relics of very important Saints, such as Saint Regulus and Saint Frediano, who had Irish origins and therefore attracted several pilgrims from Northern Europe, who ached for venerating their relics.

At this moment in time, the stretch of the Via Francigena of Garfagnana, named Via del Volto Santo, can be covered trough old paths and mule tracks, with numerous medieval bridges for the crossing of Serchio river and its tributaries. Even if it is still not signalled and equipped with a dedicated structures' network for welcoming the pilgrims (in monasteries, cloisters, parishes, etc), this route passes through a territory where a diffused hospitality is guaranteed by lots of holiday farms, B&B, small shops, cafés and restaurants. This makes this path equipped enough for an enjoyable transit of pilgrims and trekkers.

Bike for Children is an initiative supported by Studio Volpi and international partners, such as Decathlon, Corriere della Sera, Cisco and many others. Help us in this very important project: follow with us Luciano Pomelli in his ride, ending in Piazza S.Pietro in Rome on the 9^th of October. A small action can make the difference. OCTOBER 9TH This Sunday, the 9th, Bikes for Children arrived in Rome. Luciano Pomelli and all the other cyclists, after over 700 km by bike, entered S.Pietro square, ending their charity ride triumphantly. The income of this initiative and its crowdfunding platform will be devolved to children in needs, supporting them in your integration within the community, monitoring their health status and allowing their participation to free sport courses. Thank you for following and supporting this beautiful project.