Story

The Moped Cycle Diaries

"In support of Parkinsons' UK'

Can you support father and daughter along their 2,500km journey? We will be travelling from Italy to Ireland on two mopeds and across five European walled cities.

Dad & I have joined forces to raise money in memory of Rosetta a fab mother and wife who died 2 years ago after a 30-year battle with Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition. One person in every 500 has Parkinson's. That's about 120,000 people in the UK. Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too.

Mum was only 43 when she was diagnosed. My brother and I were too small to understand what this meant.  We didn't understand for far too long.  For this, we are raising some money and awareness for Parkinson's UK.

Why five walled cities? The idea came about to mark my last month in

Derry/Londonderry - the 'Walled City' , first UK City of Culture 2013 and my home for the past five years. After fifteen years of Irish summers, time has come to move across the Irish Sea.

The journey, it will start on 3rd of August with us leaving our home town Saronno for the walled city of Bergamo in Northern Italy, near Vaprio D'Adda, the village where mum was from. We will then stop in Metz

(France), Bruges (Belgium), York (UK) and cruise along the Hadrian's Wall. We will finally head down to Lancaster (my new 'home') and from there we'll get a couple of ferries back. The plan is to get to Derry on 23rd August - the day of 'St Rose'.

A big THANK to Unite Against Hate and Parkinsons' UK

for the help and support and the T-Shirts!

Maria Angela and Luigi