The opening ceremony for "Pedaling, sport, health and inclusion towards Cortina 2026" took place yesterday morning at Venice's "Tronchetto," launching a cycling journey spanning six days and six stages that will traverse the Veneto region and conclude in Lienz, Austria. Promoted by the homonymous amateur sports association, the initiative was created with the objective of demonstrating the effectiveness of physical activity as a tool for health, social inclusion, and combating Parkinson's disease.

  Representing the municipal administration was Ermelinda Damiano, Assessor for Social Cohesion, who expressed the city's full support for the numerous cyclists departing and the representatives of sports organizations who came to support the caravan. The event also featured Paola Roma, Sports Assessor for the Veneto Region, and representatives of the organizers.

  "Venice is a city historically linked to the idea of bridges, and this project aims at exactly that: building solid bridges between different territories, between communities, and above all, between people. It does so through the healthy values of sport, but also through the noblest principles of social inclusion and solidarity," declared Assessor Damiano. "Our Administration is deeply proud that an initiative of such high civic, human, and therapeutic value is taking place today from the city of Venice."

  The initiative, which takes the form of a true "Life Project," underscores the central role of sport as a fundamental ally to traditional pharmacological therapies. The choice of departure from Venice also celebrates the commitment of the territory and local healthcare, with the Veneto Region leading the way through the development of the Diagnostic Therapeutic Care Pathway (PDTA) for Parkinson's, a patient care model that serves as a reference at the national level.

  The caravan, strengthened by the warm welcome received from Venetian institutions, will head towards Treviso for the first stage, carrying with it the message of social cohesion and hope promoted by the lagoon city.

F.C.