BACK IN THE SADDLE AFTER GHANA AND NEPAL, FOR AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. ARTICLE BY GIANLUCA PELLEGRINELLI
““Somewhere in Australia”, a meeting with Julie Pond (President of the Vespa Club Australia, President of the Vespa Club Melbourne, Board Member of the Vespa World Club).
Article by Gianluca Pellegrinelli (member of the Vespa Club Conegliano, Italy; article sent from Bali, Indonesia, 22 January 2025) – “Between 2022 and 2023, I travelled on my red 1981 Vespa P200E through Ghana and Nepal, which I also wrote about in my book NEPAL BY VESPA (in English; NEPAL IN VESPA in Italian).Following these trips, I decided to set off on an incredible new adventure, choosing to make my way to the furthest point in the world from Conegliano (province of Treviso, Veneto region, Italy) – Bluff, a little fishing village on New Zealand’s South Island, before making my way back to Italy on my Vespa.
Bluff, Stirling Point, New Zealand, image source: https://southlandnz.com/listing/stirling-point/257/
A long journey lasting around 8 months, travelling 30,000/35,000 km across New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia, China or Myanmar, Mongolia, Russia, into Europe and then back to Italy. I set off on 4th November 2024, crossing the whole of New Zealand (1 month, 5,500 km), and then Australia: 1 and a half months, 7,000 km, including 1,200 km in the Nullarbor Desert, with temperatures of nearly 46 degrees. A few days ago I arrived in Bali, Indonesia, ready to depart tomorrow (23 January 2025) on the Asian leg of my journey.
vespUp blog, New Zealand-Italy::
https://vespup.com/it/blog/nuova-zelanda-italia/diario-di-viaggio-2/
THE LARGE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY OF VESPA ENTHUSIASTS. My experiences and emotions on this trip have been truly unique, both with regard to the places I have visited, the people I’ve met and the amazing sense of closeness I felt with the Vespa community every step of the way. As my ‘blue dot’ moved, I was contacted by followers, offering accommodation, assistance with Vespa maintenance and tours to help me get to know the local area. This really made me think about how Vespa has managed to create a movement that spans the world, and which I believe is unequalled in terms of the sense of belonging and community it offers.
vespUp blog, New Zealand by Vespa photo gallery:
https://vespup.com/it/galleria-fotografica-nuova-zelanda-in-vespa/
DUDEDIN, NUOVA ZELANDA. I’d like to mention a couple of the most significant of all the experiences I've had. In Dunedin, a small town right in the south of New Zealand, I meet Marco Zilioli, an Italian who moved there more than 10 years ago; the following morning, we are joined by Clive Barrow, a doctor originally hailing from England. They share a passion for Vespa and insist on taking me to visit the Toitu museum; I accept, first and foremost out of courtesy.
Shortly after entering the museum, I spot an exhibition on the right dedicated to the history of the Vespa scooter in the town - incredible! It’s a large space with a 1950s Vespa on display, as well as various other types of material and a video showing period films on a loop. A surprise as welcome as it is unexpected: we’re 20,000 km from Italy as the crow flies, in a place that has very little to do with us, and yet Vespa is here in the spotlight like a real star.
TOITU OTAGO SETTLERS MUSEUM, Dudedin, Nuova Zelanda: https://www.toituosm.com/#!home
Otago Vespa Club/Scooter Division Dudedin: https://www.facebook.com/groups/457153177738563/
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA. In Adelaide, the Vespa Club has a strong presence - it may not be huge, but it’s certainly very active! When I arrive, Paul offers to keep my Vespa safe at his house, and every day he drives me back and forth to my destination, dropping me off and picking me up. A meeting is organised by the President of the local Vespa Club in a local pub, attended by many Vespa enthusiasts who are curious to hear about my trip, and see the Vespa at the heart of these intrepid adventures. The next day, there’s a group tour in my honour to Windy Point - a panoramic spot on a hill with breathtaking views of the city. Many thanks to the Adelaide Vespa Club!
https://vespaclubadelaide.com.au/
I arrive in Melbourne; Stefano, the Vespa House’s resident mechanic, has been in contact over the last few days on social media, offering his services in maintaining my Vespa. It's the first place I go, and there are Vespisti waiting for me; Roy offers to host me at his house for all three nights of my stay. On Monday morning, I return to the workshop so the maintenance can be carried out - Dean, the son of the long-standing owner, proudly shows me all of the nooks and crannies of the workshop and the shop. It’s like a museum - in operation since 1956, it is managed by his father Frank; while we look around - I’m fascinated by the place - he is beavering away in the workshop carrying out maintenance on a recent Vespa Primavera 4-stroke, as well as getting a brand new Vespa GTS 300 Sport ready to be delivered to the customer who has just bought it, and is set to come and pick it up later.
There’s so much history between these walls, with shelves brimming with spare parts old and new, and a passion and sense of the past that is tangible. I spend the whole day with them; the time runs away with me. In the end, they change the oil in my Vespa, swap the tyres and change one of them, oil the accelerator, replace the kickstand, and give me a litre of oil for the fuel mix, as well as two T-shirts - and they still don’t want anything in return.
“We’re one big family, it's an honour for us to have you here from Italy”, they tell me. I almost have to argue with them to get them to accept 100 Australian dollars, which isn’t even 60 euros! The day after, I set off for Sale, 250 km away, and two members of the Vespa Club spend the entire day with me, keeping me company for the whole journey. They have the latest automatic Vespas so at the petrol station they fill up faster than me, then go in and pay for my fuel too - I can't believe it! Thanks to Vespa House and Vespa Club Melbourne.
https://vespaclubmelbourne.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/VespaClubMelbourne/
In Sydney, I go to meet Scooter Meccanica - lots of people have spoken to me about him and I find out that he’s been expecting me too, and has been following my movements for days. Sandy is 50 and has been working on Vespas for 30 years: he sells them, repairs them, modifies them and collects them. His premises is a combination of shop, workshop, home, museum, exhibition space for vintage items and games room. I wander around inside, fascinated, taking photos and films in an attempt to immortalise what I'm seeing, although I'm only too aware that I'll only be marginally successful in my goal.
When Sandy has finished delivering a Vespa he sold recently, he starts telling me about his visits to Italy, and shows me photos with Mauro Calestrini, President of the Vespa World Club - his enthusiasm ramps up, and it’s great, it's contagious! He repeats at least three times how much he loves his job and tells me that he couldn't imagine doing anything else in his life other than working on Vespas. We're in Sydney, not Pontedera (headquarter of Piaggio Group, in Tuscany, editorial’s note), it's fantastic.
In Perth and Brisbane too, I meet members of the local Vespa clubs, who welcome me with open arms and prove to be extremely helpful.
All of this has been meticulously and enthusiastically organised by Julie Pond, President of the Vespa Club Melbourne and the Vespa Club Australia: even before I had left Italy, she had given me plenty of advice as well as contacts in all the cities I visited. She and her husband Greg were on holiday at the time - on two white Vespa GTS 300 scooters - but they didn't hesitate to make a long detour to meet me at a petrol station in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the Australian outback.
vespUp blog, Australia by Vespa photo gallery:
https://vespup.com/it/galleria-fotografica-australia-in-vespa/
Australia. LH, Gianluca Pellegrinelli with Julie Pond, President of the Vespa Club Australia (and of the Vespa Club Melbourne) and Board Member of the Vespa World Club. RH, Julie with her husband Greg.
Now, as I said at the beginning, I have left Australia behind me and landed in Bali, where I will resume the third part of my journey tomorrow - the South East Asia leg. I should arrive in Italy in June 2025, provided I don’t run into any problems crossing Thailand, Myanmar and China.”
Thanks Gianluca, may the road be with you!
vespUp Around the World, the blog by Gianluca Pellegrinelli:
https://vespup.com/en/
Previous articles:
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/travels/from-manager-and-entrepreneur-to-globetrotter-gianluca-pellegrinelli-talks-about-his-book-nepal-by-vespa/index.html
