(Feb 22) – Simone Salvagnin, twenty-eight years old, comes from Schio, near Vicenza. Partially sighted (as result of retinitis pigmentosa), he is a climbing world champion, and practices swimming and mountain biking. He arrived yesterday in Patagonia at the end of the first stage of a long journey, started this January 12nd, that will bring him to face the most difficult crests of South America. The first target of the expedition would have been Chile’s Ojos del Salado, which with its 6,981 meters is the highest volcano in the world. But the climbing has been stopped at 6000 meters by the harsh climatic conditions, so Salvagnin and his helper reached Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and capital of Tierra del Fuego province, after about four thousands miles through Patagonia, most of them riding a tandem bicycle. For the next step Salvagnin will travel about 3000 kilometers between Argentina and Brazil, along with a dozen other cyclists, to meet the local communities native of Veneto, for an initiative entitled “Bici e Radici” (Bicycles & Roots). (Ram)
USHUAIA, THE WORLD’S END
Capital city of Tierra del Fuego province, 65.000 inhabitants: Ushuaia is considered the southernmost city in the world, on the south coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The record is disputed by Puerto Williams in Chile, a settlement of 2000 residents, coming from the nearby military bases. Even if the Chilean town is farther south, it is not considered a urban entity because the population doesn’t reach more than 5000 inhabitants.