Italian Student ‘Scoots’ Around Tipperary

Roberto Cassa, a 24-year-old Italian student at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, has been doing something a little less ordinary during his summer break – travelling around the island of Ireland by footbike, with assistance from Tourism Ireland in Milan.

Having set out from Belfast at the end of July, Roberto has travelled about 1,600 km over 17 days – from Belfast and along the Causeway Coastal Route, to Donegal and down the Wild Atlantic Way to Cork, before crossing to Dublin through Ireland’s Ancient East. Traversing long distances by footbike is nothing new to Roberto, who previously took on similar challenges in Iceland and Japan.

Roberto Cassa cycling in Tipperary.

Roberto, who is an avid photographer, has a considerable social media audience in Italy, with some 10,050 fans on Facebook. He has also been documenting his unusual trip around Ireland on his blog – posting lots of great photos and inspiring his followers to come and sample the island of Ireland for themselves.

En route to Dublin to take his flight home, Roberto travelled to Co Tipperary, stopping off to visit Cahir Castle.

Niamh Kinsella, Tourism Ireland’s Manager in Italy, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted that Roberto chose the island of Ireland for his latest footbike adventure. Roberto’s Facebook page and Instagram are very popular and he’s been posting lots of great photos of his challenging journey online – helping to inspire his followers to come and discover Galway and the island of Ireland for themselves. Tourism Ireland has also been sharing details of Roberto’s travels via our own social media channels in Italy.”

“Italy is an important market for tourism to the island of Ireland and we have seen excellent growth in Italian visitor numbers so far again this year, with the most recent CSO figures for January to June showing a +12% increase. We will continue to roll out an extensive programme of promotions in Italy this autumn, to keep the momentum going and boost business in the shoulder and off-peak season.”