Feeling at home at the end of the world and other bicycle-anthropological digressions

Wherever you are, it becomes your home.

Whether it’s on the outskirts of a big city,
by the sea,
on a rocky ledge in the Dolomites,
or in the grasslands of Mongolia,
your tent, that thin layer of fabric
flapping in the wind and drumming in the rain,
becomes like a castle.

For us travelers,
the tent is a magical object:
it creates an emotion far greater than its size or function, and
when at the end of the day we close the zip
and switch on our headlamp,
we finally feel we have arrived.
The tent, pitched,
with our bike, backpack, or skis beside it,
is home, it is story, it is the thrill of a life fully lived.

The first time I slept in a tent,
I was 14 years old, with two friends,
in a forest in the Dolomites.
I didn’t close my eyes for a second,
frightened by sounds,
the footsteps of threatening men
or huge hungry animals,
that I could clearly hear near the tent.
It wasn’t pleasant, but 50 years later
I still remember how we felt
like true explorers, and how, for the first time,
we were guests of Nature.

❤️ Wrong Roads make good stories

One of the most beautiful things about BAM! happens when the music fades out.
People of every kind keep talking, sitting on the grass or in front of their tents.
Someone opens a beer. Someone tells the story of crossing Mongolia.
Someone has already been asleep for hours, lying next to their bike.
Then in the morning you wake up and hear the village coming to life,
the smell of coffee, someone already laughing at dawn.
And you realize that BAM! is much more than an event.

But where do people sleep at BAM?

– In the BAM! camping area
Buy your acces at this link
and bring your own tent.

– In the BAM! camping area,
in pre-pitched tents:
our friends at Ferrino and Vaude
provide fully assembled tents.
You only need to bring a sleeping bag and sleeping mat.
Book them here

– In the camper van and RV area
managed by the Municipality of Piazzola,
500 meters from the Villa. It’s located here.

– At Hotel Filanda, 
a beautiful Bike Hotel just a few kilometers from BAM!
Contact them and they will reserve a special rate for you.

– In the many B&Bs and hotels
around the area, in Piazzola sul Brenta or along the Treviso-Ostiglia route.

Here you can find all the information about the BAM! Camping Area.

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🚀 A few beautiful and interesting things. Or just interesting. Or simply beautiful. 🚀

⚡ Tech – The travel power bank

It’s not easy to find the right balance between weight, charging speed, and battery capacity.
And of course, it also depends on whether you need it for a trip around Italy or Europe — or to cross a desert.

Our choice is Anker. We’ve taken it into the snow, through the rain, and kept it in a backpack for months; it’s still there, loyal as a Labrador.

👉 You can find it here

🧥  Tech – Never without it: the Patagonia Houdini jacket

We’ve had it for more than 10 years and tested it in every possible condition, summer and winter alike.
The Patagonia Houdini jacket is one of those pieces you should always carry with you: it protects you from the wind, from light rain, adds an extra layer when you’re cold, and packs down incredibly small.
For bikepacking, it’s simply perfect.

👉The Houdini jacket

⛺ Travel tents: the Vaude Lizard 2

There are countless criteria and personal preferences when choosing a travel or trekking tent.
The Lizard 2 is lightweight, compact, quick to pitch, and can even be set up in the rain without getting the inside wet.
The interior is also surprisingly spacious for a two-person tent.
In short, we really like it. There’s also a one-person version for those seeking absolute minimalism.

👉 What do you think?

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This year, the Saturday night at BAM! will be more explosive than ever:
on stage, DJ Aladyn and Saturnino, the king of groove.
And of course, just like everything at BAM!,
this concert is completely free.

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🌍 WE’RE NOT JUST TRAVELERS

🌊 🌊 Atlantic, by Simon Winchester

A wonderful book, best read while savoring the sheer magnitude of the stories it tells.
The history of the Atlantic Ocean, from when it was simply a terrifying place, to when humans first began navigating it, all the way to the present day, is an endless collection of great stories and small anecdotes.
Epic naval battles, heroic discoveries, titanic storms, and an ocean so vast it almost defies explanation.

RFK Funeral Train, di Paul Fusco

In 1968, photographer Paul Fusco followed the funeral train carrying Robert Kennedy’s coffin from New York to Washington, photographing the people standing along the tracks:
children, families, workers, police officers, ordinary people pausing to salute the passing train and say goodbye to Kennedy. Those images became one of the most powerful photographic narratives of twentieth-century America and, in their own way, they also tell the story of a journey.

The project is called RFK Funeral Train, and you can find it online or in bookstores.