Three Birthdays—and Three Cats!

On June 19, 2022, three friends and three remarkable mothers—Marilena, Franca, and Silvia—celebrated their birthdays. We pulled together a surprise party at the bar Il Vagone, located at Cascina Biblioteca in Milan. We wanted something different from the usual ice cream or pizza night: a proper happy hour at lunchtime. Once we'd locked down the venue and settled on a price, we went wild with invitations. For gifts, we came up with the idea of cover-ups printed with the phrase "Same beach, same sea… with us"—since the three of them were heading to the beach in Cesenatico the first week of July. But we sent the wrong photo by mistake, and the three cover-ups arrived printed with a cat instead! When Nives first saw them, she was disappointed. Then we all laughed it off and turned it into a running joke. The three birthday girls were thrilled and moved: "Thank you all for such a beautiful party," they said. "It was a wonderful day with truly special people." They weren't expecting anything like it—a whole celebration just for them, surrounded by warm and cheerful friends. For us, it doesn't take much to have a good time and spend a carefree day together. Big thanks to everyone who organized, who thought of the gifts, who arranged for the cake. We're a fantastic team! We love doing these things because there's real satisfaction in seeing it all come together so well.

(Flora and Nives, Milan)

Pedaling Together

To mark the twentieth anniversary of Comunità Arcobaleno dell'Arca, we decided to organize a bike journey from Bologna to Rome (we were there too—read how it went, ed.) using the tandem bikes we ride during our activities. The goal was to connect the two Arca communities in Italy—Rome and Bologna—while also mapping the journey we've made over these twenty years: a path with steep climbs and smooth descents, beautiful views and surprises, all earned through daily effort and, above all, traveled together.
This is not a challenge but a chance to overcome the limits that often exist only in our prejudices. True to the spirit of L'Arche, we designed an accessible route that lets the young people who join us have an experience suited to them—safe and secure. The journey spans eight days, October 8–16, 2022, and we can't wait to live it and share it!
For information and fundraising: larchebologna.it

(Luca Errani and Daniela di Fine, Bologna)