March 2022 – “EuroApe” is back, the must-attend event for fans of the legendary “three-wheeler” created by Piaggio from a “rib” of the Vespa at the start of the post-war period to meet mobility and transport needs for cargo and people. Ape made urban mobility and light transport history: it is a unique vehicle that has been labouring tirelessly for over seventy years on roads all over the world, characterised by an unmistakeable design and fun look.
(Image source: Ape Club d’Italia Facebook www.facebook.com/apeclubitalia).
And over the decades, the small commercial vehicle has gone through a metamorphosis: from a “labourer” cousin of Vespa to glamorous guest and star of events and exhibits, one of the most celebrated and sought after symbols of Italian style. A testament to this transformation is represented by the countless appearances in advertisements, films, and events where Ape provides its familiar and fun profile.
And the growing passion for Ape materialised in 2006 when, out of the initiative of the historic hub of “Apisti”, the Ape Club d’Italia was founded for the purpose of promoting this very passion for the three-wheeler, safeguarding and recovering historically significant vehicles, involving new generations, and coordinating Ape Proto sports activity. The Ape Club d’Italia is supported in the pursuit of its activities by Piaggio Commercial.
PROGRAMME: PARADES, VEHICLE SHOW, “RACING” EXHIBITIONS, OUTINGS. The EuroApe event is organised by Ape Club d’Italia (the President is Jean Claude Aiazzi), with the logistical support of Piaggio Commercial. it is a gathering that attracts “Apisti” from all over Italy and abroad to characteristic Italian villages and cities. The 2020 edition, suspended due to the pandemic, therefore becomes EuroApe 2022 and it will be held in Cuneo, in the main square, Piazza Foro Boario, from 8 to 10 April 2022.
MUNICIPALITY OF CUNEO – OFFICIAL VIDEO
www.facebook.com/ComunediCuneo/videos/291627433095269
The Ape Village will be open here as early as Friday afternoon on 8 April, thereby kicking off the many events on the full programme for the weekend. Until Sunday the 10th, visitors will be able to admire a plethora of Ape models which will properly represent its history and evolution. The organisers’ goal is to involve the Municipality of Cuneo and its territory, as well as to surprise and astonish visitors with the colourful river of fans driving their beloved Ape vehicles, coming from all over Italy and abroad (Switzerland, Germany). More than 70 vehicles are expected, including historic models, souped up vehicles, and racing prototypes.
Plus, there will also be an exhibit of the most significant, rarest, and most valuable Ape machines, not to mention exhibitions of the powerful racing Ape units (the “proto” version, fitted with 1,000cc engines for track racing) in the ex-heliport area, with a track and garages set up specifically for the occasion. The public will have the chance to admire the parked vehicles, take souvenir snapshots, and meet Apisti. The programme also includes a first outing on Saturday 9 April in the afternoon. The column of Ape vehicles will head to Entracque, in the spectacular setting of the Maritime Alps, to visit the Luigi Einaudi Hydroelectric Power Plant and the “Uomini e Lupi” fauna centre.
The column will then return to Cuneo with a second parade through the city streets. The vehicles will remain on display for the entire evening in piazza Foro Boario while the participants are occupied at the traditional gala dinner. At 9 in the morning on Sunday 10 April, the Ape Village will reopen, and the racing Ape exhibitions will continue until it’s time for the honour parade through the streets of Cuneo and a second outing to discover the territory. The destination this time will be the antique Filatoio di Caraglio - Caraglio spinning machine - (with a stop in Boves). Built in the late seventeenth century, it is the oldest silk factory in Europe, restored for museum and display purposes. After the tour, there will be an awards ceremony in the spectacular halls of the Filatoio. The return to Cuneo, around 3 in the afternoon, will close out this 11th edition of EuroApe, inviting all to return in 2023 for a new big event in another Italian location.
The first edition was held in Pontedera (Ape’s native city) in the province of Pisa in 2008. This was followed by Desenzano (Brescia) in 2009, Biella in 2010, Pantianicco, province of Udine, in 2011, Pavone (Turin) in 2014, Trevi (Perugia) in 2015, Mondaino Tavullia (Rimini) in 2016, Codroipo (Udine) in 2017, Salsomaggiore Terme (Parma) in 2018, once again in Pontedera in 2019 (for the 50th anniversary of Ape 50), and now in Cuneo, in Piedmont.
INFORMATION AND DETAILED PROGRAMME:
www.temperino.it/euroape
