A short post to keep you up to date. Once got back to Italy, I’ve been immediately recovered to Venice hospital where I stayed for 18 days. Now I live in my parents’ house to continue the medical treatment.

The pneumonia has nearly gone but I’m still very weak. Unfortunately my immune system is now at very low levels: I’ve lost 13 kilos and my muscles have disappeared.

I’ll need a long time to fully recover so I don’t think I’ll be fit enough to continue the voyage this summer. I had to surrender to a tiny being that changed a lot my life. The days in hospital gave me the time to think.

In the beginning I lived this illness as a curse: Then I understood that, as usual, nothing happens by chance. I undertook this adventure in an akward psychophysical situation: Bad weather, unfit diet and worries did the rest, so I got sick.

Now, along with all the team, I’ll try to fine tune the organization of the journey for next year. In the wake of that, I’d love to travel around Italy an abroad to tell about this first part of the adventure, so meaningful and rich of encounters. Helped by Paolo Muran (the producer of the documentary) and Nicola Pittarello (the director) I’ll mount part of the movie and show it. The beautiful pictures taken by Massimo Di Nonno and Michele Spiller will also contribute to tell our journey along the Thames.

First of all, I’ll take care of getting fit as never before.

Clodia is still moored in Ramsgate: My dear friend Harry, who lives in Withstable, will take care of it.

I wish to thank the Director and all the staff from the Ramsgate Port, and David, Peter, Ian in particular.

They’ve been close friends and didn’t ask for any fee for mooring more than one month. Think that we were planning to stop there for two days at the most…

Life is so full of surprises. Thanks to all of our partners: With their materials we have experienced the perfection of Clodia, from mattresses to solar panels, from sails to nautical wood. Thanks from the deepest of my heart.

Thanks to Eden Exit, they did a wonderful job, Emanuele, Matteo, Claudio, and Ivor for the translations.

The mast and the boom were made very quickly and wonderfully by Nicolò Zen and his girlfriend Diana. Thank you my friends.

Armando Rossato and Franchino worked to make our life easiear. And Carlo took wonderful pictures.

Francesca, we loved you. Nicola Zago, Nicola Baggio, you were the beginning. I will never thank you enought.

Thanks to Marco Scurati, Sandro Soramaè, Pati De Ross. Without you things would have been different.

The Circolo Velico Casanova, Mr. Rallo and Mr. Bruson, the Canottieri Giudecca in Venice, Mario Brunello,all the staff of Caterpillar, Michael Kierkegaard, Michele Raunich, Andrea Tagliapietra, Tito from Campalto, for the drysuites and the life jackets, Mr Sacchetto for the boom tent.. And so many more that I will take time to remember all of them!

A special mention goes to Ali and Anne who took care of me for nearly a month, in London. Thanks also to Roland Poltock who built the boat, to Silvio Lago with him and to all the Lago’s staff that made Clodia possible. Thanks to Jacopo who saved my life in the first place.

The second saviours are Venice Hospital doctors: Thanks Doctor Rosini. And thanks to all the people who gave us hospitality, support, help, such as Patricia and Iain in Ramsgate, Lena and Bob in Faversham, Earl, John and Harry in Withstable and many more that I’ll thank very soon.

And  all my gratitude to the Erith Yacht Club, the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club, and all the wonderful persons who helped us in such a generous way.

Now I have to stop, but the journey goes on.

Giacomo De Stefano

 
From the team: after two nights aboard Clodia under a thunderstorm, Giacomo had a relapse. The doctors suggested him to get back to Italy for a couple of weeks, since resting seems not to be enough of a cure.

He will shortly be in Venice to undertake a therapy that should allow him to continue his voyage.

In the meantime Jacopo, who was working in a farm in Southern France, waiting for Giacomo to get better, has decided to walk his way back to Venice along the following itinerary: Grigioni region up to Tirano, Tonale pass, Val di Non, Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa, Val Badia, Agordo, Belluno, Venezia.

He wants to thank al the people who helped hin in the last month: Francesca and Ben, Gerard and Costant, Serge and Patricia Desboulles from the Tejuliande farm, their son Laurent, Marion, little Celia, Stephanie and her partner Mickey, their daughter Emile and all friends from Sant Nicolas de la Grave. He also thanks Edy, her husband and their daughter Alice, Emma and the town of Savognin, Don Antonio, Don Matteo all the boys from Tonale school camp.

 
I know that you all are tired and annoyed by this long stop, as well as me, thinking that’s all ended: Be patient, please.

I’m recovering, I’m almost ready. I wish to leave on Friday to Ramsgate at first and then to Dover where I’m awaited by the Channel crossing, at last.

 
I feel down for this unexpected situation and I can’t wait to get moving once again, although Ali and Anne are wonderful friends and here I’m taken care of as a king.

They healed my body and my soul.

These days in London, despite recovering, have been intense. I also participated to a protest rally, in the anniversary of past year’s elections, against the anti-democratic dictatorship in Iran that is causing deaths and sufferings.

The western governments seem to look at Iran through George Bush’s eyes: A country to be wiped, controlled and exploited.

But Iran is not just corrupted and greedy governants: It’s lived by millions of wonderful people, looking for peace. Radar, satellites and television are not the right way to understand a country, we need to look deeper.

The embargo will be a failure that will make even richer who is already wealthy. Free Iran.

A few days ago, in Lewisham, in a small creek I spotted a trout.

The salmonides, whom trouts belong, are indicators of clean waters because they don’t adapt to pollution.

I was touched. Just under the jammed city traffic I could see the simplicity an purity of nature that always does the right thing if we don’t tamper it.

 
My dear friend and guru Marco Scurati moved me a deserved cricitism: I rarely talk about environment. It’s true and I apologize, but here it all seems so well protected that I forget the problem. I tried to talk about many environmental organization but I had no luck so far.

In the meantime I’m also gathering lots of links of interesting websites related to our project. I had to put aside the website for a while because I receive tons of e-mails and answering is a full time job! Not to mention that I was very tired. I try to communicate what I see and feel but unfortunately, even by using videos, it’s impossible to transfer the most of it: It’s just too much.

The core of communication happens here, in the different places and locations, meeting people: It’s still the best way.

The website anticipates what I wish to do in the real world: Bring the boat around Italy and Europe and, from the water (rivers, pools, lakes, creeks, any water place) tell my story, get people aboard, show as I lived and what I have seen by showing the wonderful videos of Nicola Pittarello and the beautiful shots of Massimo Di Nonno or Michele Spiller (and any other).
 
Both a real world and virtual show, a sort of “social poetry” as Beuys said, where participation is the essential part of the communication.
 
Somebody wrote that we’re “Gesamtkunstwerk” (see 70,8% and Doryman), which means Total Artwork (Richard Wagner, forgive us).

It sounds bombastic but I believe it’s true

Bye

PS: The Un Altro Po website is now up and running once again at www.unaltropo.wordpress.com, where you can find all information about the trip that I undertook in 2008 along Italy’s longest river, aboard a boat like Clodia.