May 2018 – Some people like to travel slowly, away from busy motorways, along alternative routes closer to places of historic interest and landscapes to be enjoyed without having to watch the clock. They include Stefan Leineweber, Stephan Heuser and Walter Janssen, three German friends who recently left Bonn for a “slow” trip to Italy on their Piaggio Ciao mopeds. Their destination was the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, which they reached at the end of May, to be welcomed by the museum staff for a guided tour. Equipped with all the necessities, the trio made a round trip of more than 2,000 km, travelling at an average speed of 35 km/h, and overcoming a number of not insignificant difficulties, not least the Alpine passes. A success thanks to their determination and the indefatigability of the Ciao.
CALESSINO MON AMOUR. Another trip, another travel companion. This time it was the smart little Ape Calessino, chosen by two friends who decided to make a tour of discovery of Italy: Vittorio Padovan (59) and Fermino Decarli (who celebrated his 75th birthday in Naples, during the trip), a pair of formidable pensioners with a taste for adventure. They left on 7 May from their home province of Pordenone, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, to travel down the Italian peninsula (with a stopover, of course, in Pontedera, Tuscany, where the Piaggio three-wheeler was developed 70 years ago, to visit the Piaggio Museum) to the Gargano, then back home again. Overall, they covered 6,300 km in 22 days, at an average speed of 50 km/h.
They travelled at a leisurely pace, to admire Italy's historic, architectural and natural wonders and enjoy its many gastronomic specialities. A memorable and fortunate trip, with only a couple of rainy days and endless discoveries along the way, as well as great admiration for the smart white Calessino, which certainly does not go unnoticed.
Roberto Palmino, president of Autopalmino (Codroipo, Udine), a Piaggio Commercial Vehicles dealer, says: “Our main job was to carry out a complete check on the Calessino before the trip began and to monitor it almost on a daily basis during the journey; the customer told us where they would be stopping each day; but since the van never had any technical problems, we didn’t need to contact our dealer colleagues for assistance along the route. We only had to change the oil after 4,000 km. We were honoured to support this great initiative and are very proud of our three-wheeler.”
