Nicolò Guarrera returns to Italy after 5-year walk around the world

Dream come true. Or almost. There are now only a few kilometers that separate Nicolò Guarrera from his home in Northern Italy, from where he had set off in August 2020 on his quest to walk around the world.

After 5 years on the trot, last Saturday Guarrera crossed the border between Slovenia and Italy and on Sunday morning he reached the main square in Trieste. There, a crowd of people was waiting to welcome him, and the celebrations for his return could finally begin — naturally, with a copious spritz and gelato! A day later he was already beyond Monfalcone, with his compass pointed west, and in a few days he will finally return to his hometown of Malo, where the biggest party the town has ever seen will be waiting for him.

Europe, South America, Oceania, Asia, mountains, deserts, cities, steppes, animals, people… during these last five years, more than 35,000 km and 24 pairs of shoes have passed under his feet. Above all though, he's experienced a countless tapestry of moments and emotions that will take a lifetime to fully unravel. All of these were shared with Ezio, his trusty twin trekking trolley that accompanied him step by step, in which he stored all his supplies and gear for his long journey.

Guarrera documented some stages of his journey directly on PlanetMountain — for the wonderful accounts from Peru, Bolivia, Patagonia, and the Australian outback, we point you to this link — but the daily diary of his adventures is on his Instagram channel, Pieroad, which has grown immensely from its initial few followers to now well over 400,000. A sign that, with his light-hearted yet honest manner, Guarrera has managed to engage and perhaps even inspire others to take a few more freedoms for themselves.

Yesterday we had the honor of participating in his stage from Trieste to Monfalcone, along with about thirty people who chose to share the final kilometers of this mega journey. There were students, retirees, people currently unemployed, and those who had specifically taken a day off work just to be there. It was beautiful to experience the collective enthusiasm and impressive to witness his walking pace (“like a retiree,” he joked, humble despite the nearly 35,000 km in his legs!).

In this atmosphere that was both light and significant, it was impossible not to be fascinated by how he was recognised on the street and how passerbys stopped him for selfies, amidst the “toot toot” of car horns and the “welcome home Pieroad!” shouted from passing cars. Yes Nicolò, welcome home!