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WIDE REWIND
BY 05/16

THE GLAMOUROUS SIDE OF THE APE

IT TAKES PART IN INTERNATIONAL EVENTS AND TV PROGRAMS: THE VERSATILE THREE-WHEELER CHARMS EVERYONE WHEREVER IT GOES. THERE’S NOTHING LIKE IT.

OFFICIAL PIAGGIO VIDEO: THE APE CALESSINO IN LAMPEDUSA

LAMPEDUSA: AT THE 68TH PRIX ITALIA. The request for help came from the Chairman’s Office of the RAI (the public Italian television): the supply to the island of Lampedusa of a fleet of Ape Calessino three-wheelers for a shuttle service for the guests, delegates and jury members of the international event. And here are the eight Ape Calessino vehicles in their smart customised livery displaying the Prix Italia logo, which travelled round the island, between the port, airport and centre, nimbly manoeuvring up and down the narrow streets. Their passengers included dignitaries (starting with the President of the RAI, Monica Maggioni, photo below) and many guests attending the event.

Other Ape vehicles, in a three-wheel shop version, were seen in the main streets of Lampedusa. The Prix Italia is an international award organised by the RAI for the best radio, TV and Internet programs.

A total of 87 public and private broadcasters from 46 countries around the world make up the Prix Italia community. The week-long event, held every year in September, in a different Italian city of art and culture, is an opportunity for the industry to meet up and discuss program quality, and also provides fertile ground for agreements and cooperation. The 2016 award – the 68th – was held on the island of Lampedusa, and also looked at the way Europe is handling the migrant question. The issue is a very familiar one on this Sicilian island in the Mediterranean, at the front line in receiving huge flows of migrants and refugees.

IN RIMINI, FOR TTG INCONTRI. TTG Incontri is Italy's main B2B tourism marketplace. At the 53rd edition (13-15 October, Rimini Fiera), the Piaggio Commercial Vehicles stand exhibited two of the Ape Calessino used in Lampedusa (the other six have stayed in Sicily, where they were put up for sale by popular demand).

Emerson Gattafoni (Italian TV writer, presenter, director) with an Ape Calessino on the Piaggio stand at the Rimini tradeshow. Emerson has presented two seasons of the popular “Road Italy” TV program, travelling around Italy in an Ape Calessino.

The tradeshow is the top event of the year for the travel industry, where national and international players meet up to network, develop business activities and discuss new ideas. This year’s show had a record turnout of more than 63,000 visitors, who had the chance to admire the three-wheel icon on the Piaggio stand, and assess its use as a high-quality alternative for tourist mobility.

IN TV, ON “TU SI’ QUE VALES”. An Ape in a street food version, called “Ape Magna”, was a co-star of the 2016 Italian edition of the popular TV talent-scouting program “Tu sì que vales”, broadcast by Canale 5.

(Photos: wittytv.it).

A young couple (Manuel and Michela Renzi, 30 and 23) presented their on-the-road “chippie” (their speciality is a chip kebab), which they created by equipping a red Ape. The jury gave the idea the thumbs up, to great applause from the audience.

IN GERMANY, AS A TV SCREEN SUPPORT. The versatility of the Ape is legendary: it can even turn into a support for TV screens: the idea comes from the Italo-German association in Bayreuth to enable the public to watch the World Cup matches.

IN TURIN, “TERRA MADRE – SALONE DEL GUSTO”. Quality street food from Ape Piaggio in Turin, where itinerant cuisine encountered international gastronomy. The 20th edition of the most important international Slow Food event, “Terra Madre – Salone del Gusto” (22-26 September 2016, Turin), was a great success.

The gathering was a must for street-food versions of the Ape and the Porter, now fully paid-up members of the on-the-road food industry, with regional specialities and homemade ice cream. For five days, visitors were able to enjoy the best in street food, prepared with care and creativity. The Salone del Gusto was held outdoors in the most attractive and symbolic locations of the Piedmontese capital. This year’s extensive program took “Love the earth” as its theme, with exhibitors from around the world, events on gastronomic diversity, movie projections, conferences and debates on food-related questions.

SORRENTO: 25 APE VANS AT THE STREET FOOD VILLAGE. The last date of the year for the cheerful Ape is the event organised by the Pro loco association of Sorrento, from 8 to 10 December 2016: “Api Christmas”, at the Street Food Village in Piazza Angelina Lauro, with a huge range of delicacies on three wheels and heaps of entertainment at the heart of the Amalfi Coast. Twenty-five Ape vans, international chefs, music and performers, good food, a combination of tradition and modern show cooking exhibitions on the three-wheelers. Exclusively Ape, the one and only!