December 2025 (G.T.) - Domenico Faraci is a passionate motorcyclist and a remarkable character. Born in Sicily in 1982, he is a member of the FMI – the Italian Motorcycling Federation, Sicily Regional Committee – where he serves in multiple roles as a federal technician, off-road riding instructor and Historic Register examiner. We featured him in a memorable article in June 2024 (a must-read – link at the bottom), recounting his extraordinary solo journey from Sicily to North Cape on his Piaggio SI moped (produced in 1982 – the same age as Domenico), in tribute to his grandfather Mimmo. A one-off ‘stunt’? Not at all: Domenico has done it again! This time doubling the challenge: two travellers – Domenico and his wife Rosaria, swept up in his enthusiasm – and two Piaggio SI mopeds. Here is the story of their Tunisian adventure, undertaken with the special patronage of FMI Co.Re. Sicilia, in recognition of the originality of the feat.
Report and photos, Domenico Faraci: ‘Last year, when wrapping up my Wide magazine interview, I said: ‘I admit it, mopeds are addictive and spark crazy ideas’, fuelled by the low speeds, the ever-changing scenery and the many thoughts that pass through your mind as you travel slowly. And I ended with: ‘If you can dream it, you can do it (that famous Walt Disney quote). Think, believe, dream, dare!’
GEARING UP FOR THE TRIP. So, the idea came to me: combine my love for Africa, the moped and my ‘passenger’ (my life)! After I returned from Nordkapp, a good friend of mine, Luca Pisciotta from Palermo, called and said: ‘Domenico, I’ve got a 1984 Piaggio SI at my place in the countryside… I haven’t used it since secondary school. If you want it, it’s yours! It’s a shame to let it rust – you could put it to good use.’ I gratefully accepted and brought the moped home. My wife Rosaria looked at me and asked: ‘What are you plotting this time?’ I replied: ‘Nothing.’ But meanwhile the new project was already taking shape.
A few days later, I started dismantling the moped. Rosaria grew increasingly intrigued by my work. At one point, she asked: ‘And what if I came with you, once the SI is finished, for a weekend ride around Sicily?’ I burst out laughing, but jumped at the chance and said yes! We did a few test rides around the local towns, and I soon realised that instead of getting tired, Rosaria was overtaking me with a huge smile on her face! We ended up riding more than 300 km – from Palermo to Selinunte, Agrigento and back.
That evening, back home, I thought it over and said: ‘What if I mapped out a roadbook and we went to Tunisia at the end of summer, visited the most evocative places and ventured into the Sahara?’ Without missing a beat, she replied: ‘If in doubt… I can always pedal.’ I got the joke right away and started planning a circular route of nearly 2,000 km, averaging around 250 km per day. She wasn’t fazed – the fear was all mine, worried that she might not cope with the long days in the saddle. I did my best not to show it, and kept her enthusiasm running at full throttle. I found some cheap ferry tickets and book them straight away.
THE ITINERARY. Off we go! On 11 October 2025, I divided the journey into stages, booked a few B&Bs, and the evening ended with the now-famous line all my friends kept repeating, teasing me and paraphrasing the name of the Piaggio moped (“SI” in Italian means yes): ‘YES WE CAN.’
I broke up the stages evenly to avoid pushing the mopeds or the new rider too hard. Here are the stages: 11 October: Palermo–Tunis (by ship), arrival in Tunis and overnight stay at a B&B, 15 km: Tunis–El Fahs-Kairouan–Chebika–Sbeitla, 303 km: Sbeitla-Tozeur, 234 km. 14 October; Tozeur-Chebika-Tamerza-Mides-Redeyef-Rommel Track, 160 km. 15 October: Tozeur-Chott el Jerid-Kebili-Douz, 194 km. 16 October: Douz-Ksar Ghilane, 190 km. 17 October: Ksar Ghilane-Matmata-Sfax, 280 km. 18 October: Sfax-El Jem-Hammamet-Tunis, 290 km.
THE DEPARTURE. Arriving at the port of Palermo, we saw a line of powerful motorbikes and their riders. They watched us roll up, with our overloaded little mopeds, barely recognising what model they were, staring in silence yet clearly thinking: 'WHERE ON EARTH HAVE THESE TWO COME FROM AND, ABOVE ALL, WHERE DO THEY THINK THEY’RE GOING?’
By now, after so many miles on the ‘Piaggino’ (affectionate diminutive fort the small Piaggio moped), I have the faces of all the motorcyclists we met on the road etched in my mind. After the initial silence, curiosity inevitably got the better of them, triggering the loveliest thing a small moped can offer: exchanging a few words with complete strangers and instantly becoming ‘travel friends’.
And so our journey began: we settled onto the ship, and soon enough, whether over a coffee or a beer, people tried to strike up conversations with us, ‘the aliens on Piaggio SIs’, the very mopeds they once rode to school on or used to buy bread in the neighbourhood… and now two lunatics wanted to take them into the Sahara? That’s when the laughter started. But then, luckily, one of the motorcyclists on board recognised my Piaggino from the North Cape trip (!) and, when we arrived in Tunis, the little machine they had eyed so sceptically became a superstar, photographed from every angle. The 12 hours of sailing flew by as we told the story of that ride.
A KALEIDOSCOPE OF LANDSCAPES AND CULTURES. The journey lasted eight intense days, during which we also faced several minor problems that were resolved quickly. But the most important thing was giving Rosaria the ‘Africa bug’. She never imagined she would meet so many genuine, generous people in Tunisia; nor that we would discover splendid mountain oases that felt centuries old; beautifully maintained Berber towns rich in culture; endless roads covered at 30 km/h; the pink hue of the salt lake; canyon landscapes like those seen in films; the spectacular scenery of the Rommel track; and the unforgettable charm of the Ksar Ghilane oasis in the Sahara desert.
Finally, the underground troglodyte dwellings of Matmata, found nowhere else on Earth, the cafés where we chatted in a mix of English, French and Arabic (yet we always understood each other), the singular beauty of Sfax and Douz, the fully preserved Roman amphitheatre of El Jem (just like the Colosseum), and finally Hammamet, which sadly marked the end of the journey.
Tired but satisfied after an intense week, with no real rest because even during breaks people kept approaching us with endless questions about our ‘Piaggini’, amazed that vehicles over 40 years old could still handle major rides, eating up the miles on every kind of road. Naturally, we answered in unison: ‘YES WE CAN!’
Congratulations from the editorial team to this travelling couple and their ‘plucky’ Piaggio SI mopeds. And a special mention to Rosaria, the ‘pillion’ turned rider, who showed courage and a real spirit of adventure, inspired by globetrotter Domenico. A truly… sprint couple!
Discover Tunisia/National Tunisian Tourism Office:
https://www.discovertunisia.com/it/
FMI SICILIA - ‘IL CO.RE. FMI SICILIA CELEBRATES MIMMO FARACI’S NEW ACHIEVEMENT. THE TRIP TO TUNISIA ON THE PIAGGIO SI:
https://www.fmisicilia.it/il-co-re-fmi-sicilia-celebra-la-nuova-impresa-di-mimmo-faraci-il-viaggio-in-tunisia-con-il-piaggio-si
ALSO READ THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE:
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/travels/domenico-faraci-motorcyclist-and-globetrotter-to-north-cape-on-a-piaggio-si-moped/index.html
