Modern Vespa

From your post about renting it, you rejected a couple because of brake fluid issues etc.

If the seat was bad after 15 mins, why didnt you take it back then and get a different one?

The one and only time I rented a PTW was on the first Greek Rally organized by the late, great Al Fragola aka Aviator47. It was super sketchy. But so were all the others. Sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have.

adri/Jess,

In my experience, I found Italians to be the warm, welcoming and
wonderful people.

Also, a unique culture that does not always include being efficient. To continue to rent a scooter with a bad seat, "no problem, maybe fix it tomorrow" (Nessun Problema, Domani). Beautiful people.

In Naples, someone would be hosting a dinner party. There was no possibility of setting a set time for the event. Between crazy traffic, whole roads being closed without notice, or a horse drawn cart breaking down in the middle of a critical intersection, the concept of being on time went out the window. We simply would start the dinner party when everyone finally arrived.

At first I was critical of these inefficiencies. Then I simmered down and
actually enjoyed a different pace of life. Taking your time, enjoying good food and wine, with family and friends, became more important.

Bad seat, "Nessun Problema".

Roberto Di Napoli della Campani
1970-1975

You rock that Hemminway look, but I still look at those old pictures and see you hanging out in some obscure place with anarchists.

But yeah, Italians are a different breed (at least from the perspective from someone growing up in a German immigrant community....)

I recall walking down a street approaching a few workmen digging under the sidewalk. One of them noticed me approach from far off, by the time I was 20 feet away they'd stopped working and when I passed they were asking me for a cigarette. One way to meet the locals.

Huh? What alternative universe is this?? lol

No, I did not reject any bikes. Nor did I say anywhere that I did
The guy kept me waiting because another couple arrived me (fair enough), so I entertained myself by checking out what kind of maintenance the Vespe were in (brakes, fluids, etc.)

No, I did not "reject" any bikes. Again, nor did I say that I did I don't know where you guys get this stuff from.

I said I made it 15 minutes out and at that point "I knew something was off" - as I said in my post.

It was only after being about 30 minutes out that I realized, the seat was bad. At which point my options were to waste about an hour and a half going back, waiting for the guy, switching bikes, and then getting back to my current spot, or just make lemonade, make the most of my day, and use the 1.5 hour saved to do some work for a client when I got in, which would more than pay for the rental.

It was a no-brainer.

100% agree.

I thought of that a lot while riding through Emilia Romagna as people were still talking about those who died during the flooding and I was looking off to the side of the highway and seeing giant puddles making mini ponds in the middle of farmers' fields.

Hard to complain about getting rained on the first 5 days of the trip when you know that's what the locals are going through. Make lemonade.

As soon as you say that, it's easy to see that you were in Napoli. Napolitano is one of the languages I am interested in, but Italy doesn't recognize it as a real language, unlike Friulian, which is probably spoken by eight 95 year old people. So even though everyone in Naples speaks it, and it's definitely not Italian, there's no standardized written version of the language.
Much like the Irish and Scotts are trying to make Celtic language films that nobody who wasn't born there understands, and the Welsh are at it too, there seems to be an interest in Napolitano today. i don't remember the name of it, but I saw a series that was mostly Napolitano, and it was weird hearing something that's almost, but not quite Italian and not being able to figure out what they were saying. My first wife spoke Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, French, Genovese, Italian, and English, and the switch to Genovese from French always threw me. She spoke Italian with her mother, and Genovese with her grandmother. You expect to hear Italian, and you almost do. Napolitano is the same for me.

I know what you mean. I learned French in school, but not Spanish. When people speak Catalan (or Balearic or Occitan) it sounds more familiar than Spanish, but I still don't understand any of it.

Definitely a growing amount of content in Napolitano. We're currently on Season 2 of L'amica geniale (my brilliant friend in english on netflix) and I'm waiting for new episodes of la vita bugiarda degli adulti (the lying life of adults on netflix) which is also in Napolitano and based on the books by the same author, Elena Ferrante.

I can understand Napolitano fluently, because both my parents are from the south. Cosenza, a few hours further south from Naples, has their own dialect, as does Reggio Calabria, another couple hours further south.

I can speak (roughly) Calabrese. I can only understand Cosentino. But if you can understand either you can understand Napolitano.

Motovista/adri,

You guys really know your language differences in Italia.

My Italian landlord Gennaro did not consider himself Italian.
He was Napolitano.

Side story: I learned a good measure of the Italian language from our neighbor in Minneapolis. Maria was a war bride (from Naples) who married a US Army serviceman. My mom got use to working during WW2 and was fortunate to have Maria right next door who took care of me, along with her son, from the time I was born to age 5. So, it was Italian from the start. Molto bene.

I was ashore on staff assigned to NATO in Bagnoli just North of Naples while in the US Navy. When I arrived, I had the advantage being Italian spoken. However, most of the Italian service personnel were from Northern Italia. They had their time with me - "Roberto, where did you learn to speak like that?" Evidently, I sounded kind of low class and illiterate.

Roberto Copeland

You made it sound as though you had a pick of the scooters and after seeing a few with dodgy levers and dark brake fluid, you chose the primavera.

Speaking of seats...
What do they call the curry hook?
Can you even buy a curry?
If you can buy a curry could you buy a curry and could you have the curry that you could buy and did buy topped with fries?
What would they call the fries?

…and?

Did you make it back to Canada? How was the trip?

In a word... Magical. In two words... Unforgettable.

I'll always remember having the missus on the back seat, riding our way through Rome, small streets, giant piazzas, repeat over and over, until we turned a corner and BOOM, the Colosseum was right in front of us. We were gob smacked when we turned that corner and saw it. I'm glad she was there with me.



I'll always remember riding through the mountains of Lazio and into Tuscany, smiling at the Italian Cyprus and pine trees, racing against the rain as the country flooded, and the experiences I shared with the people I met taking shelter under bridges and at gas stations.



I'll always remember being in Venice, by the Doge's palace, standing beside the same street light post that I stood with my dad 15 years earlier, and remembering being right at that exact spot there with him, the two of us marveling at the city around us. That was the moment where I was like, this is it, this is real.



I'll always remember riding north from Milan, to Lake Como and beyond, traveling in tunnels through mountains and on bridges in between them, way up in the sky, bridge, tunnel, bridge, tunnel, over and over until one day you come out and your eyes adjust to the light and you see the Alps in front of you and think, "Oh, my, God... I am nothing."



Maybe I'll forget the Moto Guzzi museum, and the Ducati factory tour and museum, one day... but 45 minutes away from Ducati lives a friend of mine for over 20 years. We took his 11 day old son for his first night out for dinner. We forgot to take a picture, but I'll always remember.



I'll probably forget this but, when I returned to Rome to drop off the missus at the airport before continuing south solo, it was still kind of magic. It was like, "Ok, I've done half the country, twice. This is absolutely do-able." I felt so much more comfortable, at home, confident... I started really having A LOT of fun touring and getting up to all kinds of silly shit.



I'll always remember the day I left Naples, visited Ercolano's Roman ruins, Vesuvio, rode the Amalfi Coast, and made it to my home in Calabria. I stayed out for over 14+ hours that day. It was the culmination of everything coming together. The entire trip stemmed from sitting in a bus on my monthlong tour of Italy with my dad in 2008, when I looked around us and told him one day I'd redo our trip, but by motorcycle. This was it, I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and I was doing it. I had to put everything together that day. It was like going up against the final boss in a video game. It was the most beautiful, and most grueling day of the entire trip. It was absolutely magical and unforgettable. That was probably one of the best days of my life.



I got in that night and texted a friend, my only friend my age in my dad's hometown, and woke up to a reply from her in the morning. "You're here?! Message me as soon as you're awake. It's my day off. Let's get breakfast!" And before I knew it she showed up outside my door, "Adriano, scendi!", It was the same thing she's been shouting at me to get me to come outside and hang out since we were little kids... I guess inside, we still are, and that's what makes life beautiful.



I'll do a proper write-up for every day, and a short video, but... I'm still playing catch up right now.

Spectacular sir!!

Rome was craaaaazy but loads of fun.

Did you stop off at the keyhole?

you are entitled to your opinion, bless your heart. My beliefs are my opinions. It seems the are more then a few on this site that either believe they know what others think. I have been informed that indicates a possible mental deficiency. I do not choose to walk in shoes other then my own, the pain of doing so likely would affect my judgement negatively. You may do you and I will do me. bye!!!
again!!!!

Great report, love your pictures and your attitude about visiting old friends and reviving old memories. Makes me want to get back there!

Dude, I don't understand why you seem so insistent on this "better than everyone else" negativity, but it has no place here (and nothing to do with adri's adventure).

Unless you wanna go the way of Max6200 (spoiler alert: he's no longer welcome here), I suggest you check your tone and treat the other people here with kindness and respect.

Too often, when I see a tone-deaf and borderline political post, it's got your name on it. Those kinds of posts aren't welcome here, cause they spoil the atmosphere for everybody. They can quickly devolve into awkwardness and/or flame wars, which are way less fun than moto riding.

I'm not a mod. It's not my place to call what stays and what goes, and paradoxically calling this stuff out has similar risks to posting it in the first place.

But as a friendly neighborhood forum goer, I would appreciate better vibes. 🙏💗

All this because I assumed in 10 years I'll have less physical fitness than I do now, and that others would feel the same way about themselves

Truly old world fantastic. Italy really has the magic. Thanks for your photos and dialogue. Looking forward to your future posts. I like Europe generally, but Italy just has more old stuff. You could spend a month in Rome and not cover everything. I truly enjoy your adventures. Brings me back, and I like that feeling.

Bob Copeland

Thanks! No I cut out the middle man and went to look at St. Peter's basilica directly instead



Wish I could say missing the keyhole was by design, but it was totally by accident lol. I rented a Vespa on my last day in Rome, because, all the beautiful women were doing it, and, when in Rome... right?



I spent a good chunk of that day in the Gianicolo Hill area, which is the perfect spot for launching even just a cheap drone like the DJI Mini 2, because within 2 km (1.2 miles) you have Piazza Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, etc. However, like speeding and popping wheelies, flying a drone in Rome without a permit is illegal, so make sure you either get a permit or don't fly. Also, the Colosseum is a bit further (see pic) so you may find it out of reach without higher end equipment.



By the time I was done around there, I hit Trastevere (meh, kind of overhyped...) and hitting the keyhole on the way back to the hotel would have actually been right along the way, but it totally slipped my mind. I just wanted to get the Vespa back before closing time so I wouldn't have to do an after-hours drop off, or deal with it in the morning before leaving for the airport.



Trastevere is super hyped on instagram, but honestly... just a lot of restaurants and an excessive amount of graffiti. If you missed it, don't worry, you did just fine lol

frank thomas has been ejected from this topic

Renting in Rome and Florence were the catalysts to his and hers GTS 300s being acquired shortly after coming home

We stayed right next to the forum at Hotel Romano on Via Cavour. View from the balcony wasn't horrid.

armedferret/adri,

Forgive me for posting so much on this thread - I obviously love Italia. Armedferret, you are really hitting that professional photo composition look combining dashes of natural light and street lamps at dusk. Adri, you put us right on the street in the saddle. Molto Bene tuti, Mi piace.

Bob Copeland

Bob, I must say you did a fine job of holding this thread together.

ENJOY IT!

I wish this was an option. There are more than enough bikes in the garage that I would let the missus take her pick from... It would also give me an excuse to buy one or two more bikes lol. Unfortunately, my girl has a disability and can't pass the vision test

Go live that one-couple-two-bike-ride life for those of us with disabled partners who can't! I'm going to show your post to the missus, she's going to have a good laugh. Here's why:

Do you know what Rome, Milan, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Verona, Genoa, Palermo, and probably dozens of other Italian cities and towns all have in common?

They all have a Via Cavour.

Cavour was a key figure in the unification of Italy in the mid 1800s, so a lot of towns renamed one of their main streets after him.

When I got to the southern point of Italy, I swam in the Ionian sea, then I video called the missus. She said "You rode all of Italy! How does it feel?" and I said "I just took Via Cavour the whole way. Like Alice falling asleep and dreaming up Wonderland."

A week later I was back in Rome, on my way to the Termini train station to get to Fiumicino airport. I listened to Google Maps on my phone as I walked. It said "Take via Cavour" - because of course it would. Of my 25 days in Italy, I was probably on a via Cavour for a dozen of them.

Via Cavour in Rome was the last Italian street I was on. It was the most fitting one to end this adventure.