Archive for September, 2006
Pics from the Vespatour, 4 out of Thousand Four
Posted by Albegor in Vespatour 2006 on September 29, 2006
Once I was back from the Vespatour I’ve been busy in setting back on track the projects I was working on, but at the same time I managed to make a selection of the pics I took along the tour to show them to friends.
It was much more difficult than it could appear, since every pic has a story to tell, so you can understand how engaging has been selecting only 4 out of them to post on the blog.
Before getting to the pics the image on the left is a representation of the 4200 km route I followed: from Como to Milano, Torino, Genova, Rapallo, Monterosso al Mare, Marina di Massa, Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, Pisa, Pontedera, Livorno, Vinci, Firenze, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Montieri, Siena, Cortona, Arezzo, Assisi, Norcia, Melezzole di Montecchio, Marmore, Roma, Caserta, Bisceglie, San Giovanni Rotondo, Vieste, Loreto, Recanati, Rimini and back to Como. 
The first pic is a total surprise: she is Sophia, the Vespa Peter Moore rode in his trip around Italy. I couldn’t believe I would have found it in the workshop-museum of Marco Quaretta in Livorno, so I took the chance to take a pic with Peter’s book.
The second one was shot in Forte dei Marmi while I was having an aperitif with Federico Farioli, country manager of Handango Italia, the italian branch of Handango, the leading content provider for mobile devices. Federico is a as much young as talented in my opinion, so I’m sure the new portal will grow fast.
In the third one I had a unexpected meeting with Alberto, Angelo and Claudio from Mantova’s Vespaclub when I stopped in a restaurant in Palazzetto for lunch on my way to Siena. We had a very pleasant conversation and had a big laugh when they called me the “Vespista del 2000” (2000’s Vespa fan) when they noticed my Vespa with the GPS. 
The forth is very special, it’s my Vespa on the Colle dell’Infinito in Recanati, with the Monti Sibillini as background. I took it the last day of the journey from just below the wall with the hedge that inspired Giacomo Leopardi to write his masterpiece poem, L’infinito.
Being able to visit that particular spot – it’s possible only since 2003 – has been one of the numerous surprises the journey reserved for me.
I’m working on a photographic album. I’ll print it to show it to friends and I think I’ll be able to make it browsable even online.
For the rest of story you’ll have to wait for the book, including the name I decided to give to the Vespa, just as Peter did… 
The Bel Paese Revealed Me Its True Beauty
Posted by Albegor in Vespatour 2006 on September 4, 2006
After 4200 Km riding on a Vespa – not including the kilometers on foot -, 1400 pics taken while letting myself to be totally amazed by the finest pieces of art the human genius ever created, from the Birth of Venus by Botticelli in Florence to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, just to name the two masterpieces that impressed me the most, then being captured by the atmosphere of the Palio dell’Assunta in Siena and by the numerous enogastronomic sagre in Umbria, being kissed by the sun while bathing into the sea of Puglia and finally being delighted by hearing the different dialects spoken by the people of the italian regions I travelled by… well, I’m back home in Como with so many things to tell that a book would be the most appropriate way to deliver this intense travel experience!
I think a book would also be a nice way to thank all the friends who helped me making this trip happen and the people I met along the way.
My GPS-enabled Vespa GTS 250 i.e. did a great job bringing me from north to south and back home, and I think this sentence written on a old advertisement I spotted at the Museo Piaggio in Pontedera fully reflects its value as a symbol of freedom for italians of all ages: “One day a small plane left his wings in the sky to become a myth on the ground“.
It has been a wonderful experience, well worth all the efforts. I hope you also had a happy time and some relax during this august and you’re now back from holidays with renewed energy.
On my Vespa in front of the Colosseum in Rome, a pic shot by Monnalisa… well, it actually was a girl with “Monnalisa” written on her black shirt!