THE WORLD ON 2 WHEELS AND 2 PEDALS

bici

Before we became slaves of the 4 wheels and Mr. Ford revolutionized our travels, the bike was certainly the best way to move and own a bicycle was a source of pride among friends and relatives.

To understand the value that a bicycle could have at the beginning of the last century, think that few could afford to buy a bicycle and often only by paying installments for ten years, very numerous families shared a single bicycle that was usually for use by the head of household and in turn for others.

Emilia Romagna has contributed many innovations to the world of cycling, sometimes revolutionizing the welding phase, others discovering paints that created astonishment in people; there are many names that should be mentioned for improving even a detail of the bicycle world, here we recall Linicio Marastoni born in Reggio Emilia in 1922 and became famous by the United States to Japan for being the tailor of the bicycles he treated with extreme care and perfectionism, we still remember Mario Martini the first in the world to donate the faded paint revolutionizing the way of “dressing” bicycles, with him the ability that makes Italian style able to give elegance and recognition to each of our creation.

Martini vernici

Emilia Romagna is the second Italian region for cycling tourists, the territory is pleasant to go through, going from easy paths to flat areas, passing through designed hills and after stopping at some farm or a spa, you reach the top to the Apennines for the toughest routes; the region has been very active in rediscovering forgotten places that can be lived again today and that are ready to tell their story with enthusiasm and who passed us there before and left a trace.

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The symbol of the bicycle has adapted to many scenes, from the postman who leads his vehicle with devotion and care to complete his honest work as best he can, to share a ride with a friend to go to town or with the girl just conquered with the promise of perhaps teaching her to ride a bicycle, finally the scenario that gave more character to this means of transport was the sport and all the competition with which you can push two pedals and cut a finish line.

The human being is characterized by the symbols it creates and the bicycle started as the passion of young boys who had learned to weld two tubes and who saw a dream in those tubes, or they looked at a naked frame when they invented a work art able to win not only for technical skills, but also for style; the next step was attacking an engine and creating the first motor bike signed by a still young Ducati factory and sold all over the world.

bicimotore

The common point of all these stories is the Idea that comes into your head without warning and immediately afterwards the Passion arrives that suggests that what you thought is right and the only thing to do is to reach the goal, this is the starting point of many Italian companies made up of dreamers who first of all were artisans and as such the only thing they could do was build something that would make them enter history.

IL MONDO SU 2 RUOTE E 2 PEDALI

bici

Prima che diventassimo schiavi delle 4 ruote ed il Sig. Ford rivoluzionasse i nostri spostamenti, la bici era di certo il miglior modo di spostarsi e possedere una bicicletta era motivo di vanto tra amici e parenti.

Per capire il valore che una bicicletta potesse avere all’inizio del secolo scorso, pensate che in pochi potevano permettersi di acquistare una bicicletta e spesso solo a rate per dieci anni, le famiglie molto numerose condividevano una sola bicicletta che di solito era ad uso del capofamiglia e a turno per gli altri.

L’Emilia Romagna ha contribuito con molte innovazioni al mondo del ciclismo, a volte rivoluzionando la fase della saldatura, altre scoprendo verniciature che creavano stupore nelle persone; ci sono molti nomi che andrebbero citati per aver migliorato anche solo un dettaglio del mondo della bicicletta, qui ricordiamo Linicio Marastoni anno 1922 nato a Reggio Emilia e diventato famoso dagli Stati Uniti al Giappone per essere stato il sarto delle biciclette che ha trattato con estrema cura e perfezionismo, ancora ricordiamo Mario Martini il primo al mondo a donare ai telai la vernice sfumata rivoluzionando il modo di “vestire” le biciclette, con lui si è consolidata quella capacità che rende lo stile italiano in grado di donare eleganza e riconoscibilità ad ogni nostra creazione.

Martini vernici

L’Emilia Romagna è la seconda regione italiana per presenze cicloturistiche, il territorio si presenta piacevole da percorrere, andando da percorsi facili in zone pianeggianti, passando per colline disegnate e dopo una sosta in qualche azienda agricola o una stazione termale, si arriva in cima agli appennini per i percorsi più tosti; la regione si è attivata molto per riscoprire luoghi dimenticati che oggi si possono vivere nuovamente e che sono pronti a raccontare con entusiasmo la loro storia e chi prima di noi di li ci è passato e ha lasciato una traccia.

Per maggiori info ecco il Sito web

Il simbolo della bicicletta si è adatto a tante scene, dal postino che conduce il suo mezzo con devozione e cura per portare a termine al meglio il suo onesto lavoro, alla condivisione di una corsa con l’amico per andare in paese oppure con la ragazza appena conquistata con la promessa magari di insegnarle a condurre una bicicletta, infine lo scenario che ha dato più carattere a questo mezzo di trasporto è stato lo sport e tutto l’agonismo con cui si possono spingere due pedali e tagliare un traguardo.

L’essere umano si contraddistingue per i simboli che crea e la bicicletta è partita come la passione di giovani ragazzi che avevano imparato a saldare due tubi e che in quei tubi hanno visto un sogno, oppure guardando un telaio nudo si sono inventati un’opera d’arte in grado di vincere non solo per competenze tecniche, ma anche per stile; il passo successivo è stato attaccarci un motore e creare il primo bicimotore firmato da una ancora giovane fabbrica Ducati e venduta in tutto il mondo.

bicimotore
Di Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles en Classic Motorcycle Archive, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2952266

Il punto comune di tutte queste storie è l’Idea che ti spunta in testa senza avvertire e subito dopo arriva la Passione che ti suggerisce che quello che hai pensato è giusto e l’unica cosa da fare è raggiungere l’obbiettivo, questo è il punto di partenza di tante aziende italiane costituite da sognatori che prima di tutto erano artigiani e come tali l’unica cosa che potevano fare era costruire qualcosa che li facesse entrare nella storia.

ENG – UNESCO IN EMILIA ROMAGNA

Unesco

The UNESCO organization was founded in the same year as the end of the Second World War as a warning to create peace and preserve all that is beautiful in the world, whether it was built by man or created by nature itself.

After an event that had brought so much destruction and that in many cases forever erased secular sites, the desire was to create a new concept of peace through material and immaterial symbols that influence society, considered as our DNA heritage; Hence, every year since 1945, UNESCO has been trying to create peace and education thanks to the beauty of symbolic places and realities that contain an indescribable value; it is therefore our duty to keep the peace to save all this.

Recently there was a good news for the Emilia Romagna region, on June 21st 2019 the ‘Po Grande’ Biosphere FiumePoReserve was declared a UNESCO heritage, which has become a single area that already unites two UNESCO sites: the Delta del Po (2015) and Collina Po (2016), we have therefore inserted the whole area between the two extremes of the longest river in Italy and which contains an important mosaic of ecosystems: the oxbow, natural islands, forests, valleys and cultivated fields so important for our economy and our traditions.

 

This is the last recognition of a modest list that sees the Emilia Romagna region as the protagonist in various aspects, let’s see them together.

Here are the cultural sites on the list as World Heritage:

  • Ferrara, Renaissance city and its Po delta (1995)
  • Paleochristian Monuments of Ravenna (1996)
  • Duomo, Civic Tower and Piazza Grande, Modena (1997)

Included in a provisional list that matches the first step to obtain recognition by UNESCO are:

  • Parma Historic Center (2006)
  • The arcades of Bologna (2006)

In 2013 the Mediterranean Diet was named Intangible Cultural Heritage and in this case the whole of Italy is the protagonist, having contributed to the transformation of the most humble raw materials into starred dishes, perhaps it is not too cultural a feature, but we are the people who, while eat, we talk about food and this underlines even more how strong the bond with our kitchen is.

The Malatesta Novello library (2005) of Cesena is included in the important Memory of the World Registry.

Cesena

In the network of creative cities we find:

  • Bologna, UNESCO Creative City for Music (2006)
  • Parma, UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy (2015)

The program ‘Chairs Network’ launched in 1992 aims to promote collaboration between human resources and experts focused on solving important problems and challenges to contribute to the development of society, the awards recognized in the Emilia Romagna region are the UNESCO Chair in Urban planning for sustainable local development (2008), University of Ferrara and the UNESCO Chair in Religious Pluralism and Peace (2008), University of Bologna.

“Building peace in the minds of men and women” This is UNESCO’s motto, which is to build peace in the minds of men and women and do it through places and abilities that distinguish humanity from the rest of living beings, we really hope that all this wealth and beauty will make us more aware of our heritage and more conscientious in respecting it.

UNESCO IN EMILIA ROMAGNA

Unesco

L’organizzazione Unesco nasce nello stesso anno della fine della seconda guerra mondiale come monito per creare pace e preservare tutto quello che di bello c’è al mondo, che sia stato costruito dall’uomo o creato dalla natura stessa.

Dopo un evento che aveva portato tanta distruzione e che in molti casi ha cancellato per sempre siti secolari, la volontà è stata quella di creare un nuovo concetto di pace attraverso simboli materiali ed immateriali che influiscono nella società, considerati patrimonio come il nostro stesso DNA; ecco quindi che Unesco cerca ogni anno dal 1945 di creare pace ed istruzione grazie alla bellezza di luoghi simbolo e realtà che racchiudono un valore indescrivibile; è quindi nostro dovere mantenere la pace per salvare tutto questo.

Recentemente c’è stata una bella novità per la regione Emilia Romagna, in data 21 Giugno ’19 è stata dichiarata FiumePopatrimonio Unesco la Riserva di Biosfera ‘Po Grande’ che è diventata un’unica area che unisce già due siti Unesco: il Delta del Po (2015) e Collina Po (2016), abbiamo quindi inserito tutta l’area posta tra i due estremi del fiume più lungo d’Italia e che raccoglie un importante mosaico di ecosistemi: lanca, isolotti naturali, foreste, valli e campi coltivati così importanti per la nostra economia e le nostre tradizioni.

 

Questo però è l’ultimo riconoscimento di una modesta lista che vede la regione Emilia Romagna protagonista per diversi aspetti, vediamoli insieme.

Ecco i siti culturali iscritti alla lista come Patrimonio dell’Umanità:

  • Ferrara, Città del rinascimento e il suo delta del Po (1995)
  • Monumenti Paleocristiani di Ravenna (1996)
  • Duomo, Torre Civica e Piazza Grande, Modena (1997)

Inseriti in una lista provvisoria che combacia con il primo passo per ottenere il riconoscimento da parte dell’Unesco ci sono:

  • Centro storico di Parma (2006)
  • I portici di Bologna (2006)

Nel 2013 la Dieta mediterranea è stata nominata Patrimonio culturale immateriale e in questo caso tutta l’Italia è protagonista, per aver contribuito nella trasformazione delle materie prime più umili in piatti stellati, forse non è una caratteristica troppo culturale, ma noi siamo il popolo che mentre mangia parla di cibo e questo sottolinea ancora di più quanto sia forte il legame con la nostra cucina.

Nell’importante Registro Memoria del Mondo è inserita la biblioteca Malatesta Novello (2005) di Cesena. Cesena

Nella rete delle città creative troviamo:

  • Bologna, Città creativa UNESCO per la musica (2006)
  • Parma, Città creativa UNESCO per la gastronomia (2015)

Il programma ‘Rete delle Cattedre’ lanciato nel 1992 ha l’intento di promuovere una collaborazione tra risorse umane ed esperti focalizzata alla risoluzione di importanti problemi e sfide per contribuire allo sviluppo della società, i premi riconosciuti nella regione Emilia Romagna sono la Cattedra UNESCO in Pianificazione urbana ragionale per lo sviluppo locale sostenibile (2008), Università degli Studi di Ferrara e la Cattedra UNESCO in Pluralismo religioso e pace (2008), Università di Bologna.

“Building peace in the minds of men and women” Questo è il motto di Unesco, ovvero costruire pace nelle menti di uomini e donne e farlo attraverso luoghi e capacità che distinguono l’umanità dal resto degli esseri viventi, speriamo davvero che tutta questa ricchezza e bellezza potranno renderci più consapevoli del nostro patrimonio e più coscienziosi nel rispettarlo.

EMILIA ROMAGNA AND THE GROUP OF ARTISTS

Emilia Romagna boasts a large list of personalities who have contributed in an extraordinary way to the whole world and when you discover that some of them were born a few kilometers from your small country town it is certainly a factor of pride; today we discover the group of artists from Emilia Romagna who have given a new light to the art world.

In the music sector the first ones that are usually remembered are Giuseppe Verdi Info events and Luciano Pavarotti Info house Pavarotti whose size is not scratched and it seems instead that time keeps the same magic that in listening to Verdi’s works or the ‘Nessun dorma’ even 100 times in a row, yes have goose bumps always and everywhere.

We remain for a moment in Emilia, specifically in the province of Parma, because I want to mention two artists of the highest caliber who have been able to talk about them all over the world; the first is the conductor Arturo Toscanini, a man who is always ready with a wand in his hand both to direct the perfect symphony, but also to line up who was out of tune, he never allowed anyone to trample his opinion, it was the first conductor to become a successful star in the world of the media for directing the NBC Symphony Orchestra of New York, through his music he fought against fascism and Nazism and this attracting the respect of characters from the caliber of Albert Einstein.  Info house Toscanini

Another character, this time from the world of writing, very influential during the 20th century was Giovannino Guareschi who became one of the most sold Italian writers in the world, as well as the most translated Italian writer ever; the fruit of his best known pen is undoubtedly Don Camillo and Peppone who through his films tells the cross-section of a village of the lower Po valley during times where many ideologies were born and everyone wanted to be right, but in the end who won were common sense as well as the friendship that sometimes needs to have an antagonist to survive; Guareschi has also directed the documentary ‘La rabbia’ together with another great artist of this land, Pier Paolo Pasolini, where the two give their personal interpretation of what was happening in the world. Info museum

We continue with two artists from the almost surreal genius of the province of Reggio Emilia, who have decided to look at the world in their own way.

Cesare Zavattini was a theorist and a prominent figure in Italian Neorealism, collaborating with Vittorio de SicaZavattini on numerous films that marked a genre of the cinematographic world that showed Italy for what it was, between the grotesque and the survival, it finds itself living the world with comrades of the caliber of Bartolucci the poet, another great Emilian, and Chaplin who fascinates Zavattini with his unique imagery and who still today can describe an alienated world making us smile, he contributed when he was born the Italian publishing from Bompiani to Rizzoli, finally Zavattini collaborated in post-revolutionary Cuba for the birth of new national cinema. Info fondation Zavattini

 

 

 

LigabueWho through a decidedly personal vision has contributed to the world of art is Antonio Ligabue with his Naif paintings so he still speaks of him and of that eccentricity that often has placed him alongside the theme of Madness, but here of crazy people you can meet many and not because they have decided to be, but because life is bizarre and each of us decides how to deal with it and with what style to look at the world. Info house Ligabue

 

 

 

 

The mentioned Bertolucci is divided into two figures, the poet Attilio as well as a translator at the beginning of Bertoluccithe last century and a great intellectual, then his son and director Bernardo who contributes to the world of cinema with films like ‘Novecento’ and ‘Ultimo tango a Parigi’ with a realist power and on the verge of censorship, perhaps because daring was the only key to open those doors closed by bigotry.

 

 

 

PasoliniIf we talk about Bolognese artists it is necessary to talk about Pier Paolo Pasolini which was all what the world of culture can conceive and has left significant testimonies of his opinion through films, paintings, interviews and articles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Ferrara we remember another director, Michelangelo Antonioni, who made his films an instrument to rebel against consumerism and the middle class, although he himself was of bourgeois extraction.Antonioni

From Romagna we mention two great artists; Tonino Guerra and Federico Fellini.

GuerraAntonio (Tonino) Guerra was an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter, his life like that of many others is marked by the war that takes him to an internment camp in Germany and together with other Romagnolians he understands the meaning of writing in dialect for to remind the home of those who had been forced to abandon it, his country Santarcangelo di Romagna opened a museum to celebrate him. Info museum Guerra

 

 

 

 

If you say Rimini you say Fellini, one of the most influential filmmakers in the film industry in Italy and abroad, Fellinihas been able to interpret his world and give it to us through his films that they used to tell true stories and experienced first-hand with that touch of cruel reality and magical fantasy.

 

 

 

 

All the artists mentioned had a gift and the generosity of wanting to share it with the rest of us, they came into play through a stubborn vision as only the land of Emilia Romagna can be, a land that has always found itself in between to the exchange of things and ideas and all this wealth has been transformed into poetry, music, painting, opera, film, it was a lyrical voice and powerful thought, a well-acted joke and a creepy background.