Luigi’s Freedom Ride is a wholly charming, sweetly funny story of one young good-hearted Italian man. It’s about life, bicycles, the joy of the journey and the simple beauty of a life well-lived.
Luigi is a young Italian boy growing up in Tuscany in the 1920s, dreaming of cowboys and adventure, when a young Englishman gives him his first bicycle, thus sparking a lifelong passion. When World War II begins, Luigi enlists with the Bersaglieri, the Italian Army Cycling Corps (naturally), before unexpectedly finding himself fighting alongside the Partisans. Despite encountering great sorrow and tragedy, Luigi’s zest for life remains undiminished, and his next adventure sees him cycling through the Holy Land, Turkey and Sri Lanka before finding an unexpected home – and an extraordinary surprise – in Australia. Highly recommended, especially for a holiday read. Buy a copy of this book from Collins Booksellers Orange for a chance to win the bicycle on display in the window.