11-Year-Old Boy Walks 6 Km In The Snow Due To Lack Of Money For A Ticket, Touches Italy, And Is Invited To The Olympics

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 02/02/2026 at 15:31

Updated on 04/02/2026 at 17:27

Imagem: Ilustração artística

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After Walking Six Kilometers in the Snow Due to Lack of Money, 11-Year-Old Boy Turns Drama Into Symbol of National Empathy

The story of an 11-year-old boy who faced six kilometers of snow because he didn’t have money for a bus fare crossed local borders and touched the hearts of many in Italy. The incident, which took place in the province of Belluno, Veneto, had a symbolic outcome: the boy was invited to participate in the opening ceremony of the Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, scheduled for February 6. The information is from Terra.

Boy’s Forced Walk in the Cold

The incident occurred last Tuesday (27), when the boy was returning from school and needed to take a bus between San Vito di Cadore and Vodo di Cadore, two villages separated by six kilometers in a valley in the Dolomites, the mountain range where Cortina d’Ampezzo is located.

Unable to afford the ticket price, he ended up getting off the bus and continued the journey on foot, through the snow.

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Invitation to the Boy That Symbolizes Hope

According to information obtained by ANSA, the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, the organizer of the Olympics, suggested the boy’s participation in the opening ceremony.

The family accepted the invitation “with enthusiasm,” turning pain into a moment of recognition and welcome.

The repercussion also led the province of Belluno to restore the previous ticket price. The company responsible for the line, Dolomiti Bus, suspended the driver involved.

Apology and Reflection

The driver Salvatore Russotto apologized for the incident. “My heart is hurt. Thinking with a cool head, I realize I was wrong. I apologize to the boy and his family,” he stated in an interview with the newspaper Il Gazzettino.

Russotto reported that the boy boarded the bus with a 2.5 euro ticket and was informed that the fare was no longer valid.

According to him, the company instructed drivers to act this way with those who did not have valid tickets, without specific instructions regarding minors.

The incident highlighted not only the vulnerability of a child in the face of administrative decisions but also the capacity for mobilization and empathy of a society that transformed a harsh gesture into a symbol of humanity.

“They didn’t tell us anything about minors, but I am mortified, I made a serious mistake. With a cool head, I would have paid for the ticket myself instead of knowing he was wandering in the snow“, he said.

With information from Terra.

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María Luiza

#233503

07/02/2026 08:17

Nao acredito nisso, ja morei na Italia, Véneto, jamais uma criança sería deixada na estrada , e tem onibus escolar ate para quem está na faculdade .

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André

#233137

05/02/2026 15:00

A passagem aumentou em função das olimpíadas (e que aumento – quatro vezes o valor anterior)!!!
Os salários aumentaram também, para que a população pudesse continuar a utilizar os ônibus sem ir à falência?

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Rodrigo Minus Carneiro

#233024

05/02/2026 07:19

Tá de zueira né???? Esse tipo de reportagem pode dar engajamento lá fora, mas aqui no Brasil é piada!!! O Brasil está cheio de crianças nos interiores do país com idades inferiores a 11 anos que andam o dobro disso, debaixo de um sol de 40° a sombra , descalços, depois de dias comendo o pão que o diabo amassou ,só pra ir pra escola e alguém vai buscar história do outro lado do mundo pra conseguir engajamento???? Faça-me o favor né???? As histórias daqui são muito mais comoventes e impressionantes!!!!As daqui fazem os daqui e os de lá chorar 1000 vezes!!!

-2

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11-Year-Old Boy Walks 6 Km In The Snow Due To Lack Of Money For A Ticket, Touches Italy, And Is Invited To The Olympics

After Walking Six Kilometers in the Snow Due to Lack of Money, 11-Year-Old Boy Turns Drama Into Symbol of National Empathy

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Apology and Reflection

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11-Year-Old Boy Walks 6 Km In The Snow Due To Lack Of Money For A Ticket, Touches Italy, And Is Invited To The Olympics

After Walking Six Kilometers in the Snow Due to Lack of Money, 11-Year-Old Boy Turns Drama Into Symbol of National Empathy

Boy’s Forced Walk in the Cold

Invitation to the Boy That Symbolizes Hope

Apology and Reflection

Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

With billions in loans, China is rebuilding Nigeria’s railway network from scratch, abandoning the British colonial tracks that have turned to scrap and creating a corridor of over 1,300 km to take the load off the roads of Africa’s largest economy.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

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