I wrote last year [1] about the Italian Dr Luca Lo Sico, who planned to cycle from London to Athens in support of the Parthenon Marbles.
He has now arrived in Athens, and been welcomed by Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Angela Gerekou.
He follows in the pedals of Dr Chris Stockdale [2], who undertook a similar cycle ride in 2005 for the same reason.
[3]Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Angela Gerekou with Salvatore Lo Sicco
From:
Greek Reporter [4]
London to Athens on a Bike for the Parthenon Marbles Return
Ioanna Zikakou
Aug 7, 2014Salvatore Lo Sicco, a British-Italian professor who works in the UK, traveled from London to Athens on his bike to rally for the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles.
Lo Sicco started his route outside the British Museum, which houses the Marbles that Lord Elgin removed from Athens in the 1800′s, and finished in front of the steps of the Acropolis Museum.
His journey began on July 1st and after 35 days and 8 hours of cycling he arrived in Athens. Lo Sicco’s project was supported by the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles.
“I believe that the return of the Parthenon Marbles is a moral and historical obligation for all of us. We can shake things up in Europe,” said the professor turned cyclist.
Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Angela Gerekou met with Salvatore Lo Sicco and congratulated him for his initiative. She also offered him a complimentary return ticket and a figurine replica of a dove from the Hellenistic period.
“Thank you on behalf of all the Greeks. The vision for the reunification of the marble remains alive. Initiatives such as yours, fill us with emotion and strength to continue to fight for an international issue that concerns people of culture and art and ordinary citizens around the world,” said Gerekou.
The Parthenon Marbles, which have not been moved from their spot in the British Museum’s Duveen Galleries since 1962, have been the center of a long diplomatic controversy between Greece and the United Kingdom.