FROM VERSILIA, IN TUSCANY, TO EUROPE: SOLO TRAVELS OF MORE THAN 13,000 KILOMETRES, WITH HER GUITAR AND SOFT TOY MASCOT. ROCK-AND-ROLL SOUL AND A PASSION FOR MOTORBIKES
June 2025 (G.T.) – A burning desire to climb into the saddle and hit the road, ready to discover something new; a cheery type of “elsewhere syndrome”, which comes with a longing for freedom and authentic emotions. To experience adventure and discover places and people, a big budget is not essential. All you need is a scooter; take it to your trusted mechanic for a due check-up, decide where you’re headed (bearing in mind that it might change during the course of the trip), pack a few essentials and don't forget your guitar and soft toy mascot! This is just what Patrizia Giannelli - stage name Hydrea - did: the musician, writer and tireless traveller from the Tuscan area of Versilia tells her story here in Wide magazine.
From left, 2022, the first scooter adventure in Corsica; right, return to Italy.
PROUD OF MY LIBERTY.“My passion for two-wheelers inspired me to come up with the idea of going on a very unusual adventure that had never been done before, in the saddle of my 50 cc Piaggio Liberty scooter (from 1999), a scooter that I’ve always been incredibly proud of. Of course, I’m aware of the limitations of my 50cc, so in April 2022, I decided to set out on a mission, organising my scooter adventure in Corsica and Spain, thinking that with a little organisation and a good dose of courage and daring, I’d be able to manage alone.
From left, 2022, the Haute-Provence Alps (France); Sagrada Familia, Barcelona (Spain).
THE SCOOTER’S DEBUT ADVENTURE: CORSICA, 2022. “21 April 2022: I set off on my first Scooter Adventure, balancing a suitcase between my knees and a guitar on my shoulders. I left Tuscany (Versilia) and hopped onto a ferry from the port of Livorno to Northern Corsica, travelling between Bastia and Isola Rossa. Then, I took another ferry to the Balearic Islands and Spain, visiting Ibiza, Minorca, Mallorca and Formentera. I continued towards the Iberian peninsula, stopping off in Barcelona, Teruel, Zaragoza, Valencia and Girona. Then, I headed back to Italy, travelling through France, and stopping off in Toulon, Marseille, the French Alps and gorgeous Provence. The journey, which lasted around two and a half months, was intense from every perspective. The scooter covered around 2,695 km of provincial roads, including difficult routes such as the Haute-Provence Alps, despite being a vehicle designed exclusively for riding in the city.”
From left, 2022, “somewhere in Spain”; right, heading for Barcelona.
FROM MONTECARLO (FRANCE) TO AUSTRIA, 2023. 25-28 May 2023: “A mini–Scooter Adventure, stopping off at Montecarlo (France) during the Formula One GP, where I had the good fortune to be able to ride around the track on my Liberty the day before the race. It was such a thrill to get there, and to have taken part in the event in my own way! Kilometres travelled: 658.
In August, over the course of six days, I toured the entire island of Elba, taking a tent with me along with my guitar and suitcase. Meanwhile, between 18 to 25 of November, in spite of the cold weather and steep, dark mountain roads, I ventured as far as Austria, crossing part of the Veneto and Friuli regions of Italy and stopping in Graz and then Vienna, where I treated myself to a slice of Sacher torte in its birthplace, as well as visiting the city and its wealth of monuments dedicated to great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, along with its historic cafés. 1,890 Km travelled.”
From left, 2024, on the road to Czech Republic; right, Kranjska Gora (Slovenia).
IN CENTRAL EUROPE, 2024. 29 April-22 May: I decided to test my limits - and the limits of my scooter - once again, riding all the way to Poland and visiting much of central Europe, including Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, chalking up a total of 4,622 km. During these trips, I benefited yet again from the freedom that a two-wheeled vehicle offers, meeting fascinating people who showed me around their cities and welcomed me into their homes, enabling me to get to know their customs and traditions. I also had my fair share of problems, such as when I was in Prague at night and the scooter manifold was damaged by a hole in the road. But I got lucky when a mechanic came my way, and managed to fix it for free with a bit of glue. Then there was the time in Slovenia when I got a puncture and repaired it on my own, so that I could continue my journey to Poland. At the end of every trip I've taken, I've always told myself that it was worth the effort, because putting myself to the test, particularly all alone, has helped me to grow as a person, and I’ve learned many things about myself and others.
From left, 2024, Slovenia; right, Warsaw (Poland).
28 August-2 September: A mini–Scooter Adventure to attend the Formula One GP in Monza (Italy), before continuing to Lake Como and then Lugano in Switzerland. Meanwhile, from 30 December to early January 2025, I was in Corsica again, this time in the south. I got on the ferry in Livorno and disembarked in Bastia, before continuing towards Bonifacio and then Ajaccio. Despite being very picturesque, Corsica’s roads are also very dangerous, but despite this, I managed to ride without incident, even in challenging conditions.”
The Italy – Poland stages (outward journey): VERSILIA/TUSCANY – FRIULI (San. Daniele), SLOVENIA (Maribor, Bled Lake, Ljubljana), SLOVAKIA (Bratislava), HUNGARY (Budapest), CZECHIA (Brno, Prague), POLAND (Katowice, Warsaw). The stops (return to Italy): POLAND (Warsaw), CZECHIA, AUSTRIA, VERSILIA – FRIULI (San. Daniele).
TURIN AND A TOUR OF BRITAIN, 2025. “During the first few days of March, I wanted to take my scooter to glorious Turin, and given that the Aosta Valley was fairly close, I also stopped off there, visiting the city of Aosta and admiring the stunning landscapes that the region has to offer. Compared to others, this was a mini scooter adventure, but I was still really excited to arrive at the Mole Antonelliana in Turin on my Liberty!
From left, 2025, London, UK, Abbey Road Studios; right, Hard Rock Café London.
22 April-15 May. Scooter adventure in the UK – London: On 22 April, I set off on a very challenging journey, to London. Obviously, the costs for this new trip were high. Above all, I had to spend a lot on the mechanical work necessary to get the scooter as ready as possible for the journey, so I could travel in complete safety. To cover all these costs, I launched a crowdfunding campaign on 11 March on the site Produzioni dal Basso. Unfortunately, I only raised 200 Euro, but I set off anyway. The total travel time, there and back, was 23 days. I set off from Tuscany (Versilia) and made my way through Liguria, Piedmont and then France, finally arriving in Calais, where I got on the ferry to the UK, headed for Dover.
Left, White Cliffs of Dover; right, France-Italy border.
On the journey as a whole, I would estimate that I travelled around 3.326 kilometres. On this adventure, too, there were various tyre-related problems. There was a destroyed valve in my front tyre, and a piece of metal completely ripped through the rear tyre. Despite these issues, which I quickly resolved, my trip was full of powerful emotions, like seeing the White Cliffs of Dover for the first time, as well as driving on the left for the first time: to be honest, I was terrified at the idea, but I got over it as soon as disembarked at the Port of Dover: I was driving at night, so there wasn’t much traffic, and I learned quickly - and luckily without any accidents. Furthermore, the people I met, both in France and the UK, were so keen to help me, especially when I found myself in the middle of a busy road with a totally flat rear tire. These little gestures stay with you, and really drive home the importance of supporting one another.”
From left, 2025, French Alps; right, on the Route Napoléon.
ITALY-UK AND RETURN ITINERARY: The Italy–France stages (outward journey to UK): VERSILIA – TURIN - GRENOBLE – DIJON – CALAIS. The France – UK stages: CALAIS – DOVER (via ferry) BRIGHTON - CRAWLEY HAMPTON COURT - RICHMOND UPON THAMES– LONDON. The stages (return to Italy): LONDON – BEXLEYHEATH - DOVER - CALAIS (via ferry) DIJON- GRENOBLE – ALESSANDRIA – VERSILIA.
Sa sinistra, 2025, Alpi Francesi; dx, sulla via di Napoleone.
HYDREA’S SCOOTER TOUR OF ITALY: Italian regions and cities visited by scooter. Aosta Valley: Aosta. Lombardy: Milan, S. Siro (stadium), Monza, Casalpusterlengo, Lodi, Lake Como, Chiasso (Italian/Swiss border). Piedmont: Turin, Superga, Alessandria, Val Susa, Venaria Reale, Caselle Airport, Cuneo. Lazio: Zagarolo, Rome. Veneto: Mestre and Venice, Bassano del Grappa, Padua, Marostica, Vicenza. Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Udine, S. Daniele, Sacile. Liguria: Genoa, Recco, Sanremo, Cinque Terre, La Spezia, Bordighera, Savona, Varazze, Ventimiglia, Alassio. Tuscany: S. Galgano, Livorno, Florence, Pistoia, S. Pellegrino in Alpe, Garfagnana, Lucca, Pisa, Abetone, Pontedera, Elba Island, Piombino (port), Equi Terme. Pescia, Collodi, Montecarlo (Lu), Follonica, Cecina, Pontremoli, Sarzana, Montecatini, Empoli, Prato, Grosseto, Argentario, Castiglione della Pescaia, Bagni di Lucca, Orbetello. Ponte Buggianese, Nozzano Castello, Capannori, Camporgiano. Emilia-Romagna: Porretta Terme, Parma, Modena, Salsomaggiore Terme, Ferrara.
Photo courtesy of Patrizia Giannelli.
HYDREA & LIBERTY AT THE PIAGGIO MUSEUM IN PONTEDERA (JUNE 2025).
5 June 2025, Patrizia visits the Piaggio Museum with her faithful travel companion, the Liberty. “In my family, we’ve always driven Piaggio vehicles. I started traveling almost as a bet with myself, as well as out of a desire to discover new places and meet new people. Over the course of all my scooter adventures abroad to date, I’ve travelled a total of around 13,191 kilometres.” Not bad for a 50cc! She’s already plotting her next adventure, and reveals: “I have decided to organise a new big scooter adventure to Mount Olympus in Greece, travelling through Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.” Once thing’s for sure: Hydrea, her much-loved Liberty and her guitar are an inseparable “band”. Happy travelling and music-making!
(Photo: Wide magazine).
Hydrea social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hydrea_official
Facebook: https://facebook.com/HYDREA.New.Prog.Age7
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hydrea71
