Original subtitles

Have you ever heard the phrase: "All roads lead to Rome?"

Well, I’m not sure they all lead there.

However, if you decide to rely on me to take you between historic cities,

facing steep mountains and along lakes and rivers,

crossing valleys and plains...

Then be sure that you'll be able to get to Rome.

Gianfranco wanted to get to Rome.

I decided to do this trip by bike that I told you about.

You know that during the pandemic I’ve...

Thought about how we could do our part as restaurateurs.

At the kind of job to do to support the environment.

We already do zero-mile shopping,

we have local suppliers, but...

I'd like to

go on a trip and tell this story.

The story of us searching for these products.

Shall we have a toast? - Welcome!

Thank you. Welcome, welcome.

The first stop.

Well, it will be a long journey.

A long ride actually. - Exactly.

- For gianfrano certainly. - 700 kilometers.

I came to get some cheese for the pope.

Very good.

Fulvio is coming with me.

He will act as

connection to

meet the producers.

He's not coming by bike. I don't think so because he...

I don't think he has the desire or the strength.

I don't know if I can do all those kilometers either.

I guess we can put this in the basket for the pope, right?

Now you have it all: Goat, cow, and sheep.

Have a good ride.

Thank you! Bye. - Thanks, bye!

Hello? Hi fulvio. Listen, there's an issue.

I've left the battery keys at home, in sant'ambrogio.

And without those I can't charge them.

I don't have much autonomy left, so we've to get them back.

Can you go? Meanwhile I'll start from chieri towards portacomaro.

Thank you, I'm so sorry. See you later, bye.

And it's only been 30 kilometers... At least he noticed it immediately.

Now it's important to not get lost.

Forget it.

The first stop is portacomaro.

I was thinking of passing there because there's a producer

who named the vineyard after pope Francis

and they make a grignolino called "laudato sì"

so I thought I'd start from there

and just like I made deliveries I will do, as a theme of the journey,

this... this special delivery.

I collect all the products starting from the grignolino of portacomaro

which is the birthplace of the family of pope Francis,

and I take them to Rome doing a special delivery.

So that the concept written in "laudato sì" connects

with the work that I do, that we do here at the restaurant.

Since Mrs. Carla is the godmother of this vineyard...

I am the godmother.

Oh, you're the godmother. - Of course.

Shall we go and see it? Let's go.

Before he was elected pope,

did you see each other more often?

Oh no. - No, no, anyway no.

Because he was in Argentina.

How did we see each other more often?

We saw each other once a year.

Once a year he came to Europe for his own business

and then he came to visit us.

He came to visit us at my place, where I had a spare room,

and he stayed with me.

That's why we're a little more familiar with each other.

He stayed with me. For 50 years now.

Yes, 50 years.

This is a cultural and environmental enterprise.

Because this was completely barren soil

still surrounded by barren soil.

So ten years ago, with a group of friends,

we decided to do something, to...

Send a message.

Because in ancient times there was a vineyard here

so we said:

"Let's try to bring back the vineyard, to recover some land".

Accidentally, we decided on it on the day of pope Francis' election.

And it has its roots right here in these hills

and then it automatically became the pope's vineyard.

He was a young man... In fact, I have some photos of

the first times he came here

when he was just a young man.

He was a young man because he had...

He's 86 now... Back then he was 36, 37.

Like you today. - Almost.

A nice basket with a bunch of food wouldn't be bad, right Carlo?

However, the important thing is that it's genuine foods, seriously crafted...

And natural. - Right.

As pope Francis said in his encyclical, we just try to apply...

His teaching.

- And our wine is called "laudato". - Laudato, yes.

Laudato, it's true.

Therefore, a vineyard producing laudato

- could only have her as its godmother. - A godmother like that.

It could only have a godmother like that.

Well done. - Thank you!

I worked in the art business for many years, because my grandpa and dad did that.

What do you mean?

I mean setting up exhibitions and...

Connecting them with the final buyers.

So I hung out with a lot of artists for the first ten years of my business.

I started when I was somewhere near 19 years old.

I did it until I was thirty, thirty-two years old.

And then I began my career as a restaurateur.

But, in the last one I started to hang out with...

Just as I used to hang out with artists' studios,

now I have been going to wine cellars for years.

Now, the winemakers... - They're artists.

The winemakers I hang out with,

they have the creative act in common with artists.

And I can assure you that those that

I still attend today are ateliers.

The wine cellars that I attend are ateliers.

However, I think they have a lot in common,

perhaps even more than this...

I'm not sure.

It's about dedication and exhaustion

of achieving a result through great effort.

I believe the artist faces a lot of struggles, in fact

during my journey,

which wasn't endless,

I've lived near artists

and that made me...

It frightened me a bit because

there is a lot of suffering in art.

In my opinion, winemakers suffer less.

They feel better. I mean...

They're happier.

The person who finds solace doesn't give up in the face of challenges,

because they experience a peace that is stronger than the trial.

Therefore, it's a great gift for spiritual life

and for life as a whole.

I think today is a great day, gianfri.

I hope it's better than the night, otherwise...

I'll put the gloves on. - Yes, go ahead.

The important thing is that you're prepared.

I'll reverse out. - Reverse out.

Jesus...

Are you drunk? - Yes.

- Should I take the map? - Okay, let's see where we need to go.

I had never slept in a vineyard before.

No? And you thought you were doing well up until now?

I don't know, I still need to realize.

- I'm looking. - Look, we've already been here.

You go up. I mean, I'm driving...

Busonengo. "- Busonengo."

Bu"sonengo.

Yes, everything considered. - Exactly.

So where do we go from here?

Your journey continues, gianfranco. You're finally back on the road, my road.

It's time for me to introduce myself.

I am around 16 centuries old, a time during which I was certainly

one of the best-known streets in all of Europe.

I have witnessed the birth and growth of countless towns and villages.

The number of people who have crossed over me is incalculable.

And they gave me the name that still defines me today:

Via francigena.

The rice weeders arrived in June and July.

There were a lot of them, around 200-300.

They came from all over Italy, from northern Italy...

They arrived by train in vercelli and were greeted by...

An organization, the "rice weeder house", where they were organized.

Then the landowner would come and take some of them.

They were then taken to the farm,

where they had beds that I'll show you shortly.

They made hay and laid it on these metal nets.

And they stayed here for about ten days.

Since the 1960s, after the agricultural revolution

brought fertilizers, herbicides, and tractors everything changed.

This village was home to 52 families so...

52 families!

Totaling about 200 people.

Now there's just one family here, the four of us.

And the work here is carried out by two people.

Are you ready?

- I guess if I get on my bike... - You'll get back on track.

Tonight we sleep in garlasco or mortara, something like that.

Tomorrow night, piacenza.

Piacenza. And after that?

The day after piacenza we go to castell'arquato.

6 santissima trinità street, garlasco. That's where you need to go.

Yes but it will get us... It brought us right to the stop before.

Flag.

Bravo!

What? - Three kilometers.

Yes! Three kilometers.

Gianfri where are you? I'm already in garlasco, at the pilgrim's house.

It wasn't an easy journey.

Rain, dirt, wind, sand.

It also started getting dark early.

Good morning everyone! No, actually, good evening.

Hello guys, welcome.

Let me tell you, I’m not an athlete and it shows.

I decided to do it because I felt compelled to do so.

I said: - Of course.

"I want to talk about these themes."

I want to ensure that something reaches my daughter

who is 12 years old, and if there's a need to

change this world, I want to do it.

We are all talking about sustainability now.

Yes, yes. - But what are we doing?

What do you do on a daily basis?

I told myself: "This is what I can do."

- And this... - Everyone has their own small part.

Everyone has a role to play.

If we all do our part, maybe something will start to...

If everyone contributes a valid piece, the whole...

Comes together. - Comes together, but...

It's a matter of mindset, of culture.

It's not deeply ingrained yet.

So we need to start taking concrete actions for people to say:

"I can do it too."

I live in a town like this, with ten thousand people.

My restaurant is ten kilometers away from where I live.

I do my shopping within a twenty kilometer radius

and during the week I travel by bike.

It's true I have an assisted bike that helps me get to my destination.

- It's normal, you have to carry stuff. - But that time...

I do it for myself.

In the meantime, I think... I feel the breeze on my face.

- It's different. - It's a different approach.

I'm not stuck in traffic, stressed out.

Yes, I get it. - Do you understand?

Getting frustrated. - It makes sense.

Solace is a personal moment, that deeply moves us.

It's not flashy, but subtle.

Gentle, like a drop of water on a sponge.

The person feels surrounded by god's presence

in a way always respectful of their freedom.

Do it with kindness.

Look at that!

It's perfect.

So we have the passport.

Passport. - Passport.

- He takes me through the port. - Credentials. Credentials...

Of the pilgrim.

We have to fill it out though.

At every stop...

We get a stamp. - There's the stamp.

You see?

The brazier on the left. - Oh, this way.

- You know that here in piacenza... - What happened?

No, in piacenza we have the three dops, great cold cuts.

There's only a small issue.

We don't have pigs.

But!

We have a great art in making cold cuts so...

There are those who manage to make coppa, cold cuts...

Especially with salt and spices, very correct.

The problem is that there's a lack of pigs

of a certain weight raised in a certain way,

because it costs too much.

Now the coppa is calibrated to be consumed as soon as it gets the dop, seven months.

As soon as it reaches a year,

it becomes too salty because it's poorly balanced.

This is for large-scale distribution.

Yes, large and medium scale. Because now...

They can't keep up with the demand in piacenza, but

the price is set by large-scale distributors.

It's a place... You can feel it.

There's a great energy. You feel that everything is in place.

- Everything is very well taken care of. - Oh well, but they are... I mean...

They are simply professional.

Unfortunately nowadays in catering we know well that sometimes professionalism...

More than sometimes actually...

No no, just the seriousness of doing a job with the heart.

I'd like to make a toast. - Yes.

At this stop in piacenza.

Is there much wheat grown in this area?

Well, obviously on the hills...

As in all agriculture, less and less is done.

It's tough. - We've always been...

No, because it pays less.

In the plains, it's easier to work and...

Fertilizing, you have more clayey soils,

richer alluvial soils. So you have more...

- Yes, the profit is... - Quintals per hectare.

Unfortunately, the hill is somewhat neglected.

We continue to reseed our

wheat so that it hybridizes

and adapts well to this region.

This was the secret... And also to have...

Different varieties...

A drier year, a year that is...

- More variety and there's more... - Colder, warmer.

There is one that grows more and one that grows less.

- Right. - So there's always a stable production.

Yes, yes, you create a balance and

there are those who will be nourished for one year and those for another.

And biodiversity is always good for our intestinal microbiota.

Instead of... Also that's why comes the - instead of monoculture.

Intolerances, allergies.

Because if you only use that...

From there you can see from mount Rosa to mount baldo - really?

It's an amazing view.

Now you can see Milan with all the new skyscrapers.

Because it's the first high spot of the plain.

That's crazy, beautiful.

What does it mean to be sustainable for you?

The fact of being autonomous, the fact of being...

Able to carry on your company in this way?

Being autonomous is certainly important but

but it's not the only aspect...

Being sustainable also means...

To live and work the land

as clean as possible.

In the meantime, it's not sustainable to have a organic vineyard by the river

and to use eighteen copper and sulfur treatments.

It's not sustainable just because it's organic

therefore, finding the right balance,

as clean as possible in that area.

There is no point in getting angry and saying:

"Oh but I earn by doing that, so I do that"

no, if it's wrong and the land can't handle it...

- You should stop. - You need to understand its limits.

Exactly. That's important.

Consolation is a peace that does not leave you sitting

and enjoying it, no. It gives you peace

and motivates you to take action.

During consolation, we are inspired to do a lot of good, always.

Consolation drives you to serve others, society, and people.

Gianfri has left. We left croci this morning...

Castell'arquato. - Castell'arquato.

- Last night we stayed at this place. - Beautiful.

Yes, very nice.

Yes, apples upon apples. Today...

Yesterday I cleaned the cellar to make a good impression.

I took care of it. - That's fair.

There were bees everywhere, you know.

So is this cider thing slowly gaining popularity?

Yes, very slowly. I can say that there's

more excitement among producers

than among consumers, but...

There are many winemakers who

have started making cider. - Exactly.

All right.

I'll leave you to your tasks for a moment so

I can see where the others are and if they need any help.

Let's go find gianfri.

The first kilometers are starting to wear on you.

In these moments, you think about your daughter.

As mentioned, you are also doing this for her.

Do you remember when you were in the kitchen making

food for the people who came to your restaurant,

on party nights?

A glass of wine, music, the singing...

Then, suddenly, the void:

The epidemic that forced the whole world to stay at home.

Hence the idea: A bike to get supplies from farmer and breeder friends..

A bike to deliver a meal to the homes of locked-down clients.

A smile behind the mask, some income to get by

and you said to yourself:

"If this thing ends, I swear, I'll go to Rome to see the pope."

Are you still sure you made the right choice?

Now handle it. - Yes.

Come over here. Yes, well done.

Come, come, come. Steer.

Ok, you're done.

Fulvio told me that you have some people that bring you the apples.

Yes. - That's nice.

That boy with the scooter... - I saw him.

Did he overtake you? - He greeted you.

He is my apples pusher.

Amazing.

Yes, but do you know how he gives him the apples?

I wander around the apple trees I know,

I send the location to him, he comes by scooter.

He collects them for me and then hides the bags around

and tells me when they are ready. So, I take my Jeep and...

I go inside, filippo. - Go, go.

How nice is this cellar. - Very nice.

This is the proper dimension.

- Your apples have no treatments. - Exactly.

Because otherwise the apple is one of the most processed fruits on the market, right?

- It's scary. - To get those crunchy apples that

look like the ones of the witch in snow white...

Thirty treatments per season.

Thirty treatments per season.

And what do the treatments involve? Herbicides?

First of all, a tractor.

- That goes around. - That goes around consuming oil.

With a barrel attached on the back,

which you fill with alternating products.

Pesticides. - Pesticides.

Then what does it mean... It also means

a big shed

where to store everything, perhaps in a controlled atmosphere.

With only nitrogen inside.

From your point of view, the energy expense is...

It's mental.

With... i mean... Now...

Any, any intensive farming and cultivation is not

in synergy with nature. There's nothing to do.

If you have to live on

ten square meters of parsley...

It's not a natural situation, ok?

You have to use some chemistry.

There are no lies. There is no organic, biodynamic or any

other regulation. You can't do it, you can't do it.

Remove stop.

Cirone.

Pass of cirone.

Pass of cirone, pontremoli.

Under massa.

Yes. - Perfect, pontremoli.

Six and fifty-five.

Thank you for your work.

I put this in the basket

together with the other products.

Good. - The amabile cider.

Traditional. - Traditional.

Apple wine.

Thank you so much. - Here we are.

Thank you.

Now we can make this product known, which unfortunately

- doesn't have the right... - The pope will let me know if he likes it.

- If he likes it. - We'll give him your number.

Maybe he'll order something.

- For masses all over the world? - In the Vatican...

Instead of wine... - A cider.

A little cider.

It’s wine anyway.

This is a honeycomb that has probably been burned.

Here are some traces of...

Traces of fire.

They burned it, you see?

It was probably... A hive.

Perhaps of wasps or hornets.

Maybe someone working in the vineyard

saw it and burned it down.

As filippo told us, his theory is that...

For the man who was still a gatherer,

a honeycomb like this could have had honey

and maybe with water it could have fermented.

And therefore it could create some.

Kind of primordial mead.

We cross this pass then we should

be able to get to.

Sarzana with a bit more slant.

The dilemma was either cisa...

Or cirone.

In the end, we decided on cirone.

Then we'll tell you... In a few kilometers.

The climb is difficult, isn't it?

Do you remember the cyclists you met on the way up?

They advised you against this pass, shorter, but certainly more demanding.

Google said there were 800 meters to go

and instead you're already here.

No regrets!

No regrets! - 1255 meters, uh.

Looking from behind, you were doing well.

You had a smooth ride...

It seems to me that you handled it well.

Which sounds like bullshit but...

No, I also thought I was going to...

To die? - To die, yes.

Yes because...

Lots and lots of slope.

And this isn't a bike for... - No.

Doing these kind of things.

In fact, the battery is empty.

- Oh ok, at least it's all downhill now. - All downhill.

Nice, isn't it? I definitely enjoyed the view more than you, though.

No, it's beautiful. - I think so.

Where we started this morning and then the whole valley.

And the silence? I mean,

we passed one motorbike.

Out of this world.

A little paradise.

However, when there's such extreme fatigue

you are forced to think about...

- You have to focus. - One thing at the time, yes. Only that.

To overcome fatigue. - Yes.

I can't do it.

I'm very envious of those who manage to do these things.

Because they can control pain, fatigue.

And manage to find pleasure, as filippo told us last night.

Or like Andrea. They find endorphins from these efforts that.

Give them pleasure so they don't give up.

These are sensations that you only find this way.

You feel like giving up, because...

During consolation you don't give up in the face of difficulties.

Consolation makes us brave.

When we are in times of darkness, of desolation, we think:

"I am not capable of doing this, no."

Desolation brings you down.

Instead, in times of consolation, I move forward, I do it.

And so consolation pushes you forward.

And to do things that in times of desolation.

You wouldn't be able to do.

Now we turn there, right?

Towards massa. - Yes.

Towards massa, la spezia.

20km to la spezia, he's at 25 so...

Yes, we are almost there.

- Does he stay in a place like this? - I've never been there.

It’s the only place where I’ve never been.

- What's the name of the... - I know him from markets but...

What's the name of...

Him or the company? - The place.

Terre della Luna. - But where's located?

It's this... Isola alta 55, ortonovo.

Isola alta... - You say we're screwed?

Isola alta...

How're you doing? - Well...

I'll tell you in a bit.

Very well.

He had quite a ride.

Where do you come from? - Corniglio.

Baganza valley.

So it's high?

Yes, in fact we did the pass of cirone, up that way.

I'll tell you...

We are receiving great hospitality on this journey.

It's the natural wine.

It's a world, it's a world... Did you get it?

We wanted that to show up, to make that clear.

That there's a parallel world where people

get involved. - Get involved.

They're... - They try.

They're good, they're welcoming...

Because one always thinks:

"Ah yes, you're going to buy some wine."

But you're not just going to buy wine.

You're going to visit some friends who make wine, right?

Who enjoy meeting with each other, eating, laughing,

joking and confronting.

- And create relationships. - There is an exchange...

Exactly.

I definitely go for a discussion of respect for nature.

So if one goes for the conventional but doesn't use herbicides

and other things, other...

Crops that can damage or whatever, why not?

There's the problem.

There was a lot of talk with those we have met so far

regarding crop diversity.

You told me before that you have

vineyards surrounded by woods.

So you don't just have the vineyard and you

haven't removed the woods to make more bottles.

You're right.

An agricultural company... - That.

It doesn't make you rich, it makes you live well.

You enjoy working.

Because it also becomes... I mean,

it's not a job anymore. It's part of your life.

- It's your life. - Being here talking to you it's not a job.

Of course. - What kind of job is that?

It's about dealing with nice people who shares...

- Right. - The same philosophy, the same curiosity.

What's more beautiful?

Is it a job? No! It's enjoyment, it's fun.

It's finding a person on the other side whose

hand you can shake honestly, with your heart.

Yes yes.

It's the narrative we have encountered so far.

It's a constant. - Exactly.

It's a constant.

It's crazy if you think about it.

On one hand, it's great. On the other you know

that there's lots of people that

doesn't realize, doesn't even...

Think about it, right?

He goes to a supermarket, he picks up something,

he watches commercial on TV...

I don't want to judge anyone, but...

- You miss other things. - Maybe we are losing sight of...

Thank goodness there are many young people who

try the challenge of returning to the land.

Also because other alternatives...

- It's not like there are many nowadays. - I don't...

I hope we can get

to a... Not a return...

Let's say a disclosure of certain realities

in contrast with this globalization.

We must clearly distinguish god's consolation from the false ones.

What happens in spiritual life is similar to what happens in human life.

There are originals and then imitations.

If the genuine consolation it's like a drop on a sponge,

suave and intimate, its imitations...

They're louder and flashier. They're enthusiasm, pure enthusiasm.

They're a flash in the pan, tenuous.

It leads us to turn in on ourselves without caring about others.

False consolation, in the end, leaves us empty.

Here we make broad-spectrum job placements.

From refugees to...

Mental health,

we collaborate with kids from the agricultural institute of lucca

and...

What agriculture allows us to do is seasonality, so 365 days a year.

Compared to other...

Departments we have, such as the laboratory,

or also...

The wine production

- and gardening, it has some periods of... - Seasonality.

Yes. Some periods of mandatory break.

Here, instead, with greenhouses we do quite well, so we create

opportunities all year round.

It's 14.30 P.M.

It's 25°...In lucca.

And the river is still dry, also here in Tuscany.

Even here,

as we saw in other areas, even further north.

We're going south and I think that the situation

will worsen as we travel south.

Temperatures will be higher and there will be less rainfall.

Tonight you are... - With mauro.

With mauro. In the cellar? - Exactly.

That's good.

Today we saw what you do. Well done.

Did we do well? - Very well.

He's the one with the bike. - Hi.

Hi. - Nice to meet you.

- Gianfranco, nice to meet you. - I'm Laura.

You are part of the cooperative...

Calafata. - We visited?

We're rediscovering hospitality.

In an Italy that is increasingly closed, where everyone is for himself.

This world, instead, is still made of people...

This is reassuring because these days we have also experienced...

Just by moving around

that you enter this world and it's all gone in an instant...

Private properties and so on.

It's also a bit strange, right? A group of kids...

With an odd bicycle, with cameras...

A microphone, there's also those who close in on themselves.

We really experience two different things:

There are those who are curious and ask us questions

and then there are those who, if you are stopping to make a phone call,

not realizing there is a private property sign,

they will ask you: "What do you want? What are you doing?"

"Before doing something, you have to ask."

Jesus Christ. I mean, it's ridiculous but...

Anyway... - Yes.

The world of these people, you, the producers, us...

Who seek these things

is still made up of real people. - We try.

I think for some people it's not always fascinating, right?

Jesus, no.

In my opinion, you have to be a person like that

to do this...

Of course. Everything that is organic,

I don't think it's just the name,

- but something you have inside. - It's a way of life.

I would say so.

If you buy bread at six Euros per kilo and it lasts for a week...

You have eaten wheat, which isn't bad for you.

You have eaten something good, and with two slices you're full.

Instead, if you want to buy half a kilo

of bread every day, the next day it's already dry.

You throw it away.

It costs 2 Euros but you end up spending double.

Done with meliorative, done with...

That's the really stupid thing. When people say to me:

"Those types of bread that you always like are too expensive."

It's like they can't do the math because, - it happens a lot.

How many times do you have to go to the bakery?

There's no interest.

In my restaurant, I use a similar bread and often,

actually not that often, but it happens that they ask for a regular bread.

Then we could discuss what's normal in this world and what's not.

Exactly.

I mean. We follow some names, okay?

But what's the essence?

That's the question.

Do you also practice biodynamic agriculture?

Yes.

In our company, since we started...

We have been practicing biodynamic agriculture.

As a concept of natural agriculture that

is based on a fairly stable principle,

which aims to bring fertility back to the soil.

Where, for a hundred years now, everything has been impoverished by

chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Biodynamic agriculture is one of many concepts you can use.

For us, it is the most suitable one

to reintroduce microorganisms into the soil that

will help the plants absorb nutrients from the soil and not from

water mixed with salts as in conventional agriculture.

This is the founding principle.

I got here first!

How are you, man? - Is everything okay?

I'm okay, are you in shape?

Oh, yes. In my own shape.

Next stop? Unknown. - Now we have...

Now we have three nights to manage until our arrival.

- Until now, everything has been arranged. - Three nights and you arrive in Rome?

Yes. I mean, three nights and... The only constraint is...

So it's about 100 kilometers a day?

No, we're not in Rome.

I mean, in three nights we have to arrive...

We have one more stop.

On the 30th, we have an appointment at the s'osteria,

which is stop 38 of the via francigena.

Where exactly are we now?

We are still in the municipality of lucca.

Still in lucca?

- Yes, lucca is very big. - It's huge, Jesus.

We're in the sesto di moriano district.

At località mulerna, by that little river over there,

where you now see water three months a year.

Even now there isn't a trickle of water.

We stopped to film some dry, dry, dry water streams

from north to south.

Do you know that the most challenging part today was crossing five square meters?

We walked along the river,

everything was fine. And the toughest part...

Five meters of state road, the one that goes towards brenner.

There was this kid on a bike

who had been there for, I think, 15 minutes

- because he had to cross the street... - Because he came forward like this...

But he didn't come forward on a...

Because cycle paths are like that.

You are there, you ride and ride and ride and then... It's over!

But it's not over like...

- It's poorly done. - There's a bit more. No!

It's cut off.

Damn it.

There was this kid looking around,

- I jumped in because my vehicle is big. - It's bigger that a regular bike.

I don't give a damn and I moved on.

Someone started to slow down,

- then they stopped. - And the boy came along.

Yes, and I said to him: "Go, go".

"Thank you, thank you."

Otherwise, he would have waited for hours.

When you're in traffic, you're stressed,

you're pissed. - You're pissed!

You can't see straight.

You can't wait to come home but

- you won't get there because there's... - It's a waste of time.

- It's not time you earn. - It's more than wasted.

And then you're pissed when you arrive at home.

Yes, I agree with that. - And yet...

We traveled almost 500 kilometers on cycle paths.

There are so many.

How many people did you meet on the cycle path?

Very few. - No one?

Almost no one, in this period almost no one.

Some oil.

Which mauro kindly gave to us.

Thank you, mauro. - You're welcome.

- You were super welcoming. - You're joking.

You've been super friendly.

Because you don't know us well.

If you came every week, it would be a problem.

But we can manage a couple of times a year.

I definitely want to reiterate the COD.

- Because this thing is too great. - We eat COD here.

You're right, so... - We eat COD here.

I want to bring other people... To eat COD.

To eat COD.

We return, as Emilio said, to tables with forty people.

Exactly.

Wouldn't that be nice? - Yes, it will.

And it goes into the basket.

- Which is now super organized. - There's a hole right there.

Do you want another box? - No thanks.

Look at that. - Perfect.

We won. - Amazing.

I have no grip.

One.

Two.

Three.

Siri, turn the flashlight on.

- Ok, I turned the flashlight on. - It was about time.

Good night then.

Gianfranco, San quirico eh.

- Yes. - Not that you go one way and I go another.

No, no.

I'm sharing the location as we speak.

Very good.

It's already set for San quirico d'orcia.

We left with a lot of fog.

Eight degrees.

Now it's heating up.

We'll dry off fast.

Now we have the other...

The other stop.

From San quirico to radicofani. - But...

We have to find a parking spot.

We can thank the town of...

San...

San quirico. - San quirico d'orcia.

Who put up benches for charging bikes for free.

Something that should be common throughout Italy,

because it also helps tourism.

And desperate cyclists like me.

The companies, even those that produce wine,

are almost all family businesses.

Apart from montalcino obviously,

which has much more structured companies, but

even the name itself is very different.

Here, in the doc orcia, they're all small family businesses

where there's the father with the son, the daughter, so...

They're very small.

And they have a bit lower production,

compared to other realities close to us.

But the quality is exactly the same.

In some cases it's even higher because

the soils are different. There are...

The doc orcia is very vast, so we have

volcanic soils in the area of campiglia, abbadia,

and also tuffaceous soils similar to

those of montalcino or even montepulciano itself.

So there're, in the same doc, various...

Various aromas, various flavors.

Various flavors inside the bottle that are amazing.

There's a lot of variety.

- My name is gianfranco, and yours? - Elisa.

Elisa, nice to meet you.

Do you only host pilgrims here? No?

Also other foreigners. - No, no.

No, this is a regular hotel, so we do...

- You do hospitality, catering... - Tourism in general.

But since we are right on the 38th stop of the via francigena...

I don't know where you came from, but...

If you took...

The original francigena, so to speak,

you should have come out right here on the corner,

near the climb, by the door. - Yes.

I went there with the bike.

As you have seen, we are right at the 38th stop.

Therefore, we are accredited to welcome the pilgrim,

we have the credentials...

We put the stamp. - Stamp?

Yes. - We'll put the stamp then.

This place,

the only thing I wanted to tell you and didn't tell you,

is that it was born as...

As a step forward to give

life to the products we had, to the farms and so on,

but above all to generate inclusive jobs.

This was the real reason for this place,

and now we have four guys who are working with us.

They come from a training we did with European and regional funds,

in food and wine, so they did an entire training course, and now...

Two are included with an extracurricular internship

and two are hired on contract.

And why did you choose the pope?

I chose the pope because I read his encyclical, "laudato sì",

which talked about this topic... Among the readings I did during the first lockdown.

And I got this idea,

because during the lockdown, I was making deliveries with this bike,

a cargo bike.

And while I was wandering around these towns without people,

with these alienating landscapes...

I thought a lot and said:

"Perhaps everyone could move with more awareness."

If I can make it to Rome in a few days...

Anyone can think of taking a vehicle,

maybe electric, or different, to move around.

That was the idea.

However, you felt inspired by this encyclical in which...

Among the things I've read, yes.

- There's a place for nature. - Exactly.

- Perhaps the church has never... - There's a rebalancing.

Never said that so clearly, apart from some medieval mysticism.

We're used to pilgrims because...

The francigena enters from porta fiorentina...

Yes.

And exits from porta romana.

It's something that has been growing since 2000.

- Since the jubilee. - Yes, since the jubilee.

No one cared about it before.

So we're always happy to

welcome them, to stop for a moment

because pilgrims pass by.

They pass by, bringing stories and tales...

When you manage to stop and meet them...

There are wonderful stories, amazing motives.

Permaculture doesn't invent anything,

as it draws, on one hand, from all archaic knowledge.

Fortunately, this knowledge was not lost.

Regarding cultivation and agriculture,

all the knowledge that contributes to biology and associations...

Preserving seeds and striving

to maintain those suitable for the territory.

Therefore, tradition plays a role due to its connection with the territory.

In permaculture, native elements are fundamental.

If I were to start a permaculture project on a company or farmhouse with land,

I would gather information about the previous activities and experiences there.

What worked well, what didn't.

Regardless of different times, there is valuable

experience to be integrated into my project.

Even technology can play a role.

One hundred kilometers to San Pietro's grave.

Almost there.

Today has been...

Almost there.

The last part was challenging.

But... - Beautiful. Very beautiful.

Today was...

- How much does it weigh, 65 kilos? - 65, more or less.

But now I’m used to it.

Now it almost a shame to stop in two days

- in my opinion... - Shall we go all the way to sicily?

Gianfri, you made it!

This is the square, right?

Done, easy!

A couple of rides and here we are.

800 kilometers.

Between drinking and eating.

Wonderful, it's been a great adventure.

- What does it mean... - Being here right now is unbelievable.

Apart from the majesty of all of this...

Absolutely. - A sense of fulfillment.

Both the journey and...

It doesn't even feel real.

It doesn't seem real that we managed to do it.

I'm excited. - I believe you!

Now we take...

I spoke to the pope and he told me that he can't make it.

Ok. - He had something to do and so...

- Rightfully. - But he'll text me when he's...

- When he can. - When he can, yes. Then we see.

Off you go.

- Why does it make me laugh? - I'll follow you with my bike.

And we deliver the basket. - Perfect.

Here we have all of our friends' products.

Yes.

This evening we will thank everyone with a post.

Of course.

Let's go!

Half of Italy for that box, a mission in every sense.

But I'm glad to see you so relaxed,

I've seen you differently these days.

Your holiness...

At this time we drink milk, not wine.

From portacomaro, riding a bike,

following your encyclical.

- The vineyard of... - I know this, it's good.

It's good. The vineyard of Carla.

To Rome by bike following your encyclical.

These are products by farmers who work following your teachings.

All right. - Thank you very much.

- Have courage and go forward. - Thank you very much.

- To us. - To us.

- Now we have to think about... - The next adventures.

The next episodes of "l'oste a pedali".

I think this thing is cool, isn't it?

Make it more concise. - It's great.

Talking about areas...

We talk about perspectives that don't exist.

That people believe don't exist.

And you think that television may not be appropriate

but I think it's perfect for trying new and different things.

It's a very beautiful thing.

Now I'll see you in val susa.

I'll wait for you. - See you up there.

Step by step, please.

It's all downhill from here.

Let's go.

- Well done, gianfri. - Well done, fulvio! Thank you.

No, thank you!