Modern Vespa

First post!!!1!

Not sure if I'm missing something here

This is us in the real Tuscan sun, in Pisa.

Didn't know then *the* museum was close

Pictures to follow. But first, let me explain the title: on our first day of riding scooters in Italy, it poured buckets of rain. In fact, it poured on us every day except the last main day of riding, and was mostly fine on the days we weren't riding. It finally got sunny at the end of the trip, but I was almost convinced there for a while that the legendary Tuscan sun was a myth.

Photos of damp scooter riders ASAP please!

Totally!!
...Pretty please

San Gimignano

Gorgeous! Can't wait to see more!

More from San Gimignano

That's one hell of a key hole in the first pic...


Dave

Firenze

Beautiful pics. Brings lots of memories from my visit there back in '90. It's an ageless place!

Ligurian rain.... and Tuscan sun before we left this morning!

A few observations about Italy:

- 99% of the scooters in Firenze are big wheel scooters. This is largely because the roads are complete shite, consisting of big ancient paving stones apparently laid down by drunken Romans and subject to eons of chipping and loosening and patching, but without any actual improvement. Over the long haul, these roads easily outlast asphalt by perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years. But they're complete and utter shite to drive on.

- 97% of the scooters in Pisa are big wheel scooters, with some actual Vespas in the mix. The roads in Pisa are asphalt over pavers laid down by drunken Italians, and are slightly less shite.

99.9% of the scooters in Italy have ginormous windscreens on them that roughly resemble shower doors. Given the heat, this came as a bit of a surprise to me, until I realized that it facilitated one of the other favorite pastimes of Italians: smoking. It's really hard to smoke a cigarette while simultaneously riding a scooter and talking on a mobile without some really awesome wind protection.

- The remaining 0.1% of scooters that don't have shower doors mounted to them have recently been run over by a car, and have two struts sticking up where the shower door had previously been mounted.

- 100% of Italian drivers (car or two wheels) are insane. This is actually not as bad as it sounds, however, it's just a style that one must get used to in much the same way that ferret is an acquired taste that develops slowly over time.

- 99% of American tourists in Italy are loud and obnoxious. The remaining 1% are actually Brits hanging out with their Yankee cousins.

- All roads in Tuscany lead somewhere. This sounds like a non-statement until you realize that you can, in fact, turn down any country road at random and have the very best scooter road you've ever ridden before you, until you get to the next random turn, which is even better.

- The Italian people of 800 years ago, apparently anticipating the advent of the scooter, built all their villages on the tippy tops of hills overlooking lush farmland in the valleys below. Each of these little towns has two and sometimes three twisty little switchback roads leading up to it, linking the town together with the other nearby villages, each on their own hill. Riding between these villages randomly and without navigational aids is, it should go without saying, delightful.

- Just because there's a bridge doesn't mean you shouldn't ford the river it goes over.

- Italians (outside the cities, anyway) like to talk to you. Even if you don't speak Italian. Expect lots of gesturing and hand waving and mutual laughter as they exhaust their five words of English and your three words of Italian.

- Buying gasoline for everyone in a village is a good way to make new friends.

- There's a seven-goat minimum.

- Diesel will fail to catch on in the United States because Americans are incapable of riding through it without falling on their asses.

- Meals in Italy take approximately one hour per course.

- Don't order more than one course for lunch.

- Don't honk at roudy Italian men peeing by the side of the road.

- And finally, on a trip to Italy, you will consume -- gallon for gallon -- almost as much wine as your scooter does gasoline. Throw in the coffee on top of that and you're well over.

Colour me jealous of your adventures in Italy.

And if memory serves, all of it's true

Pontedera

Small Cars

Italian Knockers

Had the title of this thread been "Italian Knockers" the board would probably be in meltdown.

All of the photos have been wonderful!

If I'm good, I hope to some day die and spend eternity in Tuscany.

Very envious, I am. What kind of scooter are you riding?

Officially jealous....

travel safely friends.

R

Man, that had to have been a great time. I hope to be there one day.

Thanks for sharing

Wow...! This looks like a totally awesome trip! I really miss Tuscany. I was in Lombardy earlier in the year and stayed at Varenna, a town on Lake Como. It was lovely but I do miss Tuscany.

Varenna, Italy (yes, I took this!):

Unfortunately the second was not quite true. It was also one of the Brit cousins who went down a Cortona hillside on his arse, along with MP3 and all.

My favourite part of Italy and quite as I remember it. Not done with a scooter though - that must wait for the next visit.

Your observations are so true! And your photos are gorgeous.

Safe journey.

Home at last.

Our General Route of Travel. Overnight cities are circled:



Here's some "people" shots:

Welcome dinner (all six courses and bottomless wine supply!):



Museo Piaggio:



An undaunted lead rider (yes, sleeping in the rain):



Our newly made friends of Vespa Club of Siena





Riding with the Siena Club:



The Siena Police Chief is a Vespa Club member, so a newly designated scooter parking area was created to accommodate all of us!



When JimC speaks -- everybody listens!



More after we unpack!

Lots more here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aviator6715/BellaItaliaRally2010#

Al

Superb pics!

yeaup. that looks like the italy I remember. awesome.

Firenze @ The Uffizzi

What a fabulous ride and great pics! Would love to see some of the folks we know identified in the group pics and other photos, too. How do we sign up for next year?! I assume the scoots were rented?

Firenze near Ponte Vecchio

Ahhh, those pictures bring back such good memories! Your post on the 99% made me laugh out loud....its' so true! I'm green with envy.

Firenze

Rented scooters.

Keep an eye on www.scooteurope.com for next year's events. No plans until we get some rest. Doing Greek Islands and Italy back to back was a bit tiring.

Al

San Gimignano

post deleted by Salima

What a great trip, and wonderful photos to remember it by! I had dreamed of a Vespa trip through Italy, but instead spent the money on a new Vespa. As someone once said, you CAN have everything, just not all at once.

Volterra

Fantastic photos all, looks like a great trip Jess, rain or no. Someday we'll make it there! I can't believe they smoke while riding- do you have any photos of it?