Who Is

Ezio Antonio Rudatis

My name is Ezio Antonio Rudatis, and I was born in Switzerland to Italian parents. I believe both my surname and the fact that I was born abroad have shaped my life. I lost my father when I was just five years old. With four children to care for, my mother couldn’t manage everything on her own, so I was taken in by my grandmother and uncle in Italy. They raised me with love and affection until I was eleven. Thanks to my uncle, those early years were filled with outings and adventures, and from a young age I developed a strong curiosity for new places and a growing passion for travel.

After completing compulsory schooling, I returned to live with my mother and my beloved brothers. I quickly started working and was fortunate to learn many different trades. Whenever I could carve out a bit of free time, I would set off on a trip of a few weeks, often on my own. At sixteen, I embarked on my first journey across Europe. I already saw myself as a budding traveler, with a tent, sleeping bag, camp stove, and backpack as my constant companions on adventures that would eventually take me all around the world.

Over the years, I traveled both solo and with my beloved wife. Taking a few sabbaticals, we journeyed along the Trans-Siberian Railway, crossing Asia, through China, and all the way to Australia. Then came Africa, and later, after spending a year traveling alone through South America, I continued the journey with my wife Miriam and our two children, Martin and Mariana. Together we kept exploring new destinations, eventually sharing this passion with our first granddaughters, Zahira and Eva. Altogether, we have visited more than 110 countries. Yet what always lingered in my heart was the dream of doing it “slowly.” That dream has now become reality: a journey around the world by bicycle.

At sixty, not yet retired, I set off with the ambition of reaching all five continents. My route heads eastward — through the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, and Africa — with the goal of crossing fifty countries and covering more than 80,000 kilometers. Of course, that’s only the plan on paper… we’ll see if strength, health, and luck will be on my side. But in the meantime, I’ve begun my path — my journey beyond the horizon.