A sea of motorcyclists, with their heterogeneous, lively, colorful human cargo, animated by passion and pride of belonging, peacefully invaded the streets of the Serchio Valley since early Sunday morning to reach the Apennine village of San Pellegrino in Alpe, in the municipality of Castiglione di Garfagnana. A population that found itself united to participate in the 28th edition of the “Motomessa” that since the summer of 1977 has represented an annual event that knows no rest, but has continued to grow over the years until it became, from a local event organized by a handful of passionate motorcyclists, an unmissable event of national importance. A ritual that was repeated with the same basic rules established in the last century, enriched by the presence of the Archbishop of Lucca, Paolo Giulietti, who at 11 celebrated the Holy Mass with Don Fulvio Calloni, the hermit responsible for the Sanctuary and Don Silvio Righi, the historic motorcyclist priest, in the suggestive and panoramic area of the Molo, in front of the Sanctuary of San Pellegrino and San Bianco.
A square full of motorcyclists and motorbikes, all rigorously parked in a row even along the mountain road that marks the border between the Provinces of Lucca and Modena and between the Regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, then enthusiastically welcomed the traditional blessing imparted by Archbishop Giulietti, who himself climbed onto a motorbike to facilitate the rite and involve all those present.
