On Friday, April 19th, the Italian educational-sports event of the European Project “Re-cycling. Bike Reuse and Riding Fair” took place in Cameri, in the province of Novara, at the historic Villa Picchetta. 130 students from the “Francesco Tadini” Secondary Schools in Cameri and “Luigi Majno” in Gallarate (province of Varese), along with their teachers, participated in a day dedicated to the use and repair of bicycles and the discovery of the beautiful Ticino river natural park.
The event was organized by the IBIS Consortium with the Lombardy Region – Directorate of Sport – the lead partner of the European project. The valuable collaboration with the Ticino and Lake Maggiore Protected Areas Management Authority and with the Municipality of Cameri, which sponsored the event, also attracted the support of AIB (forest firefighting association) of Bellinzago Novarese, the Red Cross Committee of Galliate, the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), and other local associations.
The students were able to explore the bike paths and walks within the Park, visit the Old Mill, and engage in bike repair workshops led by technicians from Decathlon Novara. Students of the Casorati Art High School in Novara conducted artistic drawing and painting workshops with middle school students, all on the theme of bicycles.
Simultaneously, the book “Reading the Territory by Bike” edited by Toni Farina was presented, broadening the horizon to all the cycling and pedestrian paths of Piedmont. It was also an opportunity to present to teachers the project “The Drylands and the Art of Habitat Maintenance” and its educational opportunities. An outdoor picnic brought everyone together under the trees to celebrate spring, sports, and a way of moving – by bicycle – that contributes to the health of the environment and people.