Alessandro Bossini, the Giglio-born 30-year-old with eyes as blue as the waters of his island and curly-haired rebel, is truly an out-of-the-ordinary character when he tries to convince you that his are not extraordinary ventures, but almost normal little things as if he weren’t a many times triathlon champion and a man with extreme records!

He just wanted to say, “discovering the world and oneself travelling alone and meeting lots of humanity.” He isn’t a boastful diva, but a spontaneous person who just tries to get the message across that barriers, distances and difficulties are a real embellishment.
He began one day as if by accident by getting on his bike in Florence and ending up, pedal after pedal in Valencia!
From then on he’s never stopped and he’s been cycling alone around the world since 2005. Cycling around India and Nepal, the Mediterranean, Australia and Italy, his travels whereby he has undertaken to promote social values to such a point that the Tuscan regional government, Grosseto provincial government and the Giglio Island council have conferred upon him the title of “ambassador of peace”.

Alessandro Bossini in silence, without the loud speaker to blast out his music, he has also continued to promote these values in the water, having remembered that he’s a man of the sea, also smashing all the records in this field, fulfilling unparalleled undertakings of lone swimming crossing in the following stretches: Giannutri island – Giglio island, Elba island – Giglio island, Montecristo island – Giglio island! 


Now here we are and the undertaking is upon us, due to take place from 1 to 7 September: the First Tuscan Archipelago Swim Crossing, which will bring together the aims of promoting the area, sport and social commitment. From this point of view it also involves his participation, “two strokes’ training” as he calls it, at the Piombino-Rio Marina swimming stretch of Run x You – Correre with love, a charity marathon designed and set up by Florentine runner Michele Innocenti for the needs of the upcoming structure for the disabled I Sassi Turchini.

Alessandro immediately fell in love with the project and wanted to get involved with the cause of Associazione Volontari Gruppo Elba also in terms of his record crossing, promising to donate all the funds, which will come from the wave of publicity of this never-before-attempted venture, to the disabled structure on Elba Island: 7 islands in 6 days covering a total distance of 210 kilometres of open sea where he will swim with the sole help of a wetsuit and goggles, attempting to combine the seven pearls of the Tuscan Archipelago in a single stroke.
65 hours of swimming when Alessandro cannot have any contact with the support boats, else the record will be rendered invalid according to FIN, which is in charge of the regulations.

Why are you doing it?

Because I love the sea and it’s normal for a lad who, like me, born on an island, wants to take on the waves. I started when I was a boy with my mates, challenging one another to reach, day after day, the furthest rock and so one day I reached Giannutri…

What goes through your mind during these long lone swims?

Joy, a sense of freedom and real contact with the sounds and smells of the unpolluted nature of our islands, which I want to bring into the spotlight. Seven of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean, seven pearls of culture and history still underdeveloped in their uniqueness.

Are you promoting the archipelago then?

Yes, I’d like to emphasise the special warmth of the islanders, their typical cuisine and the wild scenery of the sea. Seven islands so near and yet so different and distant. With my crossing, symbolically, I’d like this sea, which divides the islands, to no longer be seen as an obstacle, but a bridge exploding the myth of the islanders as hermits of the sea and confided by the waves. The sea is not a prison, but a meeting point; just read the history books. 
We also know that you care about promoting the coastal waters and their biodiversity.
We need to improve the management and preserve the land and marine biodiversities of our islands. My swim, without the help of mechanical means, means reassessing the human dimension and offering ourselves to nature not as a tyrant but as a respectful user of its equilibrium.

Are you also promoting open sea swimming?


Yes, because this is a discipline that has little media appeal despite the beauty and freedom that this activity offers, which is rarely found elsewhere. This crossing attracts all sea lovers; an invitation to not fear the sea since, if respected, it offers so much: the freedom of the waves, the smile of dolphins, the colours of the sunset and much more…


Last but not least, what do you have to say about your strong and decisive commitment to society?


The enterprise that I’ve set for myself has a social and sporting value. Attempting to break down such a vast and seemingly overwhelming barrier for man’s strengths means being an example for everyone to overcome all the uncertainties that paralyse us with fear. 
I’m right by the side of the wonderful youth of Gruppo Elba because being with them gives me joy. I’d also like some of them to break down their own barriers at Run x you at the end of June by diving into the sea with me, if only just for a few metres, just to feel the excitement of a moment in the sea. I’d like everyone to be able to break down the barriers of diversity and everyday problems.