Hey, this is Dimitra, one of the ten new volunteers working with VulcanicaMente until the end of October! Today, I am introducing you to our team, what we do and also our first impressions of living and exploring Lecce. We are a team of ten young people from all over Europe; five girls and five boys from Estonia, Greece, Romania and Spain came to Salento to organize and participate in a Euro Bike Tour. Our purpose is to promote sustainable mobility and prove that cycling can be more than a workout or occasional recreation, while exploring the natural and cultural treasures of Salento. For the next five weeks, we will be working together to organize events, promote our activities and come in touch with the local community to understand how cycling can be more effectively weaved into the lives of people in this area. Our first week in Lecce has been exciting to say the least. Using our artistic skills, we made our own signs to attend the Fridays for Future global strike in Piazza Sant’ Oronzo, and took the opportunity to interview some locals about cycling and the sustainable future of Europe. We also took part in the Critical Mass bike fiesta, something that most of us had never heard about before, and were absolutely thrilled by the experience! Cycling in the streets of Lecce on a Friday evening with good music proved like the best way to make new friends- and also to cause some trouble to the drivers who did not seem so happy to see us. In the streets of Lecce we have discovered concerts, local artists and food treasure-corners, so in just one week we have already had a good taste of how lively the city is. No matter what you are interested in, Lecce has something for everyone: it combines traditional with new, serene with active, a modern lifestyle with an old twist. Using the bikes that Cicloficina Populare Knos has kindly lent us, we have also cycled and explored the surrounding area. On our first weekend here, we rode to Frigole and enjoyed a day at the beach under the warm sun. The next days, we explored the traditional trulli and stunning countryside around the area and, of course, we visited the home of VulcanicaMente in San Cesario to get down to work. Everywhere we go, one thing never fails to impress us: how kind and willing to help everyone here is. People here gift us their smile generously, and they are happy to chat and know more about us. As David, one of the Romanian volunteers commented during a group discussion, “Salento emanates a true sense of hospitality and authenticity which you rarely see nowadays.” Thoughts come true, and this thought was more than proven when we visited our home for the last ten days of the project. The owners welcomed us to their house and gave us a tour around, and even let us dive in the pool! After our swim, we all ate the aperitifs our lovely hosts had prepared for us, all made from delicious local products. Coming to Italy, of course we couldn’t stay unimpressed by the delicious food here. Apart from the famous dishes like pizza and pasta, we have also become obsessed with the local goodies such as pucce leccessi and pasticciotti. No matter the region of Europe we are from, north, west or south, all ten of us agree that our stomachs have been more than happy here. Of course, we also wanted to get to know more about each other’s culture, so we organized an intercultural night where everyone cooked typical dishes from their country, accompanied by traditional music and dances. The reasons that made each of us join this project vary. For some, it was a passion for sustainability and learning more about environmental protection. Others were more interested in the cultural exchange and sharing a unique travel and living experience with people from different backgrounds. For me, personally, it was a combination of all these things, topped off by my love for the outdoors and cycling in particular, and a desire to challenge myself physically but also mentally during the eleven days of cycling that await us. So far, our stay in Lecce has been magical. We have met amazing people and created memories that will stay with us forever. Volunteering with other young people is an amazing opportunity to learn more about other cultures but also yourself, and for me it has been inspiring to see my fellow volunteers, who are quickly becoming a family, working so passionately on our common goal. I am definitely looking forward to exploring more of the natural beauty and history of Salento during our bike trip, and getting to see a more raw side of the area, so stay tuned to find out more about our adventures!
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The bike is suitable for everything. Bicycle users are constantly increasing, and that is always good news. The fact is that many of these new bikers keep their bikes locked throughout the week, and use it as a stress-reducing tool on weekends. They have made a great discovery, but it takes just one more step to understand biking mobility at its best. If bike is great to just go for a ride and enjoy, why should we not use it to go to work, to do the groceries, or to travel?
The last stop of the day was always a camping. I was astonished with their beautiful locations (as well as the great prices). I would like to recommend one of them: Salento d'arare, an amazing camping in Marina Serra. You may now think that the trip was nice "even if" going by bike. No, it was perfect BECAUSE we went by bike. Our only mistake was not to make it much longer! There is always a lot of reasons not to do things. (Un)fortunately, bike is always a right choice! Here is a list of not accepted excuses: "I can't move by bike, I don't have one". You don't need it! You can use LeBike, Lecce's bike sharing service. "My bike is broken and I don't know how to fix it" Easy! Take it to a ciclofficina. They will not only fix it, but teach you how to do it. You have Ciclofficina Popolare Knos and soon Onza Onza will be available too. "Lecce is not suitable for the bike. I'm scared to take the bike in the city" Although traffic is a bit of a casino in Puglia, cycling responsibly is safe and fast! In addition, more bikes on the street means less cars. In other words, as soon as there is a Critical Mass of bike users in Lecce, traffic will adapt to human needs, and not the other way round. "I have a bike for the city but it is not suitable to travel" First, don't underestimate your bike or yourself! Remember that you can organize a slower or shorter trip. But of course, safety first! You can rent high quality bikes from CPK Lecce. They will provide everything you need and share their huge experience with you to make sure you travel safe and comfortable. If you prefer, you can leave the trip planning for the experts and join a guided trip with Salento Bici Tour. Believe me, you won't forget the experience! Travelling is a bit too much for you? Then you can start by going for a ride on weekends. FIAB Lecce is just one of the many bike-lover associations. "It's too cold to bike in winter" Winter in Lecce? Maybe you just forgot to take your coat. If you still have excuses (or not), you should join LeccePedala group on Facebook! It is a citizen movement that works tirelessly to spread the use of the bike in the city. I don't want to miss this opportunity to promote the European Mobility Week, that will take place from 16th to 22nd of September. This is a great opportunity to start discovering a new way of moving and living through many different activities and events.
If you are curious about travelling by bike, keep tuned to VulcanicaMente! Soon, they will start their second Euro Bike Tour, an Erasmus+ project to discover Salento in this beautiful way. |
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