Traveller pushes stroller from Nordkapp to Cape Town for positive encounters

Italian traveller Ezio Marchetti is walking from Europe’s northernmost point to Cape Town while pushing a child stroller and offering coffee to people he meets, ERR’s Ringvaade programme reported.

Marchetti began his journey in June at Nordkapp. He has now walked almost 2,500 kilometres and is already on his third pair of shoes, each lasting roughly 1,000 kilometres.

After spending several days in Estonia, Marchetti continued his journey from Tallinn. His route has taken him through Norway, briefly through northern Finland and mainly through Sweden. He travelled by ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn and plans to cross Europe to Spain before continuing along Africa’s western coast.

“One step at a time. That is my mantra,” Marchetti said.

He said he began the journey because news reports mostly focus on bad events and he wanted to find something positive and meet good people. Marchetti said his previous travels had given him positive experiences, including two months in Kenya, where he noticed a contrast between the news and everyday life.

“Wars exist, of course, but there is also a lot of good in the world,” he said. “I am not interested in setting records or being the fastest. I would rather slow down, go gradually and meet people.”

Marchetti hopes to show that there are good people everywhere in the world. To start conversations, he carries a small Italian moka pot and offers coffee to those he meets.

He eats a lot of couscous and porridge because they take up little space in the stroller and are easy to prepare with a small amount of water.

Marchetti said his first days in Tallinn had been very good. He stayed in the city for a few days and described it as beautiful, adding that its landscape and trees reminded him somewhat of Sweden.

The stroller carries solar panels for generating some electricity, as well as a satellite communications device that can send an emergency signal if something happens outside mobile phone coverage. It also contains his food supplies, gas stove, sleeping bag, mattress and even a chair.

Marchetti said mosquitoes and rain in the northern regions were his two biggest challenges. He added that he was not looking for anything specific and wanted to get to know different places, cultures and people.