A three-kilometer swim across the Strait of Messina, from Sicily to Calabria. The adventure of three people from Fidenza and one from Laureto will start at 11 am on Tuesday 2 July from the Pilone in Messina, with an estimated arrival between 12:30 and 1 pm, in the Cannitello area of Reggio Calabria. On Tuesday, Andrea Lanari – one of the three people from Fidenza – will set off accompanied by his son Kevin (18 years old), his friend Lorenzo Carnevalini (from Loreto) and Marco Trillini, an instructor specializing in swimming for people with disabilities, as well as press officer for the Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII. Lanari, a spokesperson for Anmil (National Association of Mutilated and Invalid Workers), will swim with his companions for the entire journey after a serious injury that caused him to lose the use of his hands. An open water event entitled ´Safety conquers the Strait´, sponsored by Anmil and the City of Messina. The collaboration of the Municipality of Messina, the Port Authority and the Coast Guard is invaluable. Together with Asd Trirock, the company organizing the crossing, and Giesse Logistica, they will ensure it is carried out in maximum safety. It will be a unique undertaking: Lanari, following a serious accident at work, had both of his arms amputated, crushed under a press without protection, and will face the sea currents with two forearm prostheses specially made by the Inail Prosthetics Center in Vigorso di Budrio. “Andrea and I met on Facebook, even though we lived in the same town,” explains Trillini. “I immediately understood that he too had a dream of crossing the Strait. Mine,” he says, “is a personal challenge to celebrate my 40th birthday, which I will be celebrating next November. For more than 20 years,” he continues, “my life has been spent mainly in the water.” And it is precisely water that has “a great power”, according to the swimming instructor: “It allows people with disabilities to move around and make movements that would be difficult to do on land. And then there is that unparalleled sense of freedom. Good food and good sport are the first medicines we have available. Then, of course, for those with some disability it has a greater physical and relational value”. Trillini had announced the event a few weeks ago by creating a fundraiser on the Retedeldono.it portal. If the initial goal was to collect 2 thousand euros, at the moment there are a thousand more: “We have exceeded 3 thousand and I am very satisfied”.
Nicholas Moricci
