Italian student travels 1,500 miles by bicycle to visit grandparents

A student from Italy traveled by bicycle for 1,500km (932 miles) across Europe to reach his grandparents’ house in England.

Claudio Barchiesi, who is 20 years old, cycled from his hometown in Barzano, Italy, to Barrow, Suffolk. It took him 15 days to complete the journey, passing through eight different countries along the way.

He wanted to get one euro for each kilometer he rode for charity, but he has received 4,285 euros (£3,678) up until now.

Mr Barchiesi expressed his enjoyment of the journey.
The student, who started on 23 August, said his 15-day trip through Europe had been a very enjoyable experience.

Before starting his trip, Mr. Barchiesi didn’t ride his bike much, only about 5km (3. 1 miles) a year.

After deciding to raise money for AIRC, the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research, he worked hard every day for two months to prepare.

He traveled through the mountains in Switzerland, along a river in France, and into Germany. Then he went through Luxembourg and Belgium before taking a ferry from The Netherlands to reach England.

Mr Barchiesi, who has an English mother, rode his bicycle for a short distance to reach his grandparents’ house near Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday.

They were standing there with balloons and signs, next to his cousin and uncle.

“He said it was very nice to arrive and see everyone, and it made him feel emotional too. ”
Mr Barchiesi said that he was burning around 37,000 calories every day. He mainly ate pain au chocolat and baguettes for his two main meals during the trip.

The college student said the best parts of the trip were the amazing view from the highest point of the Alps on his second day and getting to see the different types of life in European countries.

“He said he would travel 90km (55 miles) each day to have enough time to visit the place for half a day too. ”

“It’s amazing how everything, including the places, people, and languages spoken, can change so much within just 90km. ”

Mr Barchiesi had been staying at churches and hostels for nights. He was excited to have a warm meal and wear clean clothes. He had been cleaning his cycling gear in the shower by stomping on it with shampoo.

He planned to arrive in Suffolk when it was 30 degrees Celsius, but he said it felt just like being at home.

Regarding the amount of money we collected, the economics student expressed their surprise and said, “I didn’t think we would raise this big of a sum. ”

“I achieved my first goal and I never expected to receive assistance and encouragement from so many people. ”

Mr Barchiesi’s grandma, Pat Stoten, said she has never been more proud of anything in her entire life.