Vespa Road Trip: Italy

We celebrated our 1-year anniversary this month. It was last summer that we flew to Italy for our honeymoon, rented a Vespa LX500 in Rome, bought a map, and picked a direction. We decided to go south towards Naples not really knowing the area, but we were sure we'd find stuff we liked - it's Italy! The road trip down the Tyrrhenian Sea about 5 days. It was wonderful and a great lesson on teamwork and relying on each other.

So where did this idea come from? The husband has owned a scooter for years and rides daily. The previous summer we took our Vespa on a road trip from our house in Bay View to our friend's house in Chicago. That mini-road trip taught us how to pack and got us ready for the Italy road trip. However, Rome is nothing like Milwaukee or Chicago when it comes to Vespa riding. There are seemingly no traffic rules. Or speed limits. And incredibly loud. So we developed hand signals, he drove, I directed and watched out for traffic. Working together like that was a perfect start to a marriage. And we couldn't have picked a better location.....


For packing, we left our big suitcases at the Hotel in Rome and only brought our packing bags (a must for any travel!) with just a few changes of clothes and stuffed those in the top case and hung one under the seat. I carried a tote bag. In retrospect, I should have had a cross-body bag, but it worked. We took our travel books just in case but barely needed them.


We left Rome heading east towards Fiumicino. We just followed the shoreline roads south along the coast. We hit Ostia, Anzio, Nettuno, Latina, Saubaudia - all small sleepy towns in wooded farmland areas.


After we reached Punta Rossa, a large rock formation and bend in the landscape, the terrain turned into more rocks, cliffs, towns built into the cliffs, and the sea was more green. It was beautiful. Terracina, Sperlonga, Gaeta, and Formia were all amazing. By this point in the trip we were getting tired. We relied on Matt's driving skills, not mine. We passed a million beach clubs. Next time we'll stop and relax for a few hours on the drive.


We stayed a night in Formia at the Grande Albergo Miramare, swam in their private beach, and walked in the seaside gardens. It was very homey- that is if your home is a seaside castle.



We were a little worn from the road, but Gaeta was the highlight of my trip. It's a small town carved into a small cape. The buildings were from the 1400's, the town was mentioned in the Illiad, the olives are world famous. The streets were all cobbled and yachts lined the shoreline. I could have lived there. Really.

Some tips if you do this type of road trip: Riding on the back for long periods tends to lead to charlie horses and muscle cramps because of the position, so stop and walk around when you can. Bring sunscreen, scarves, hats; Italy in July was a scorcher. Remember, with the sea on one side of you, it's pretty hard to get lost, so venture out....if the road looks nice, take it. Learn the language (or at least a few phrases) because you'll need to find a bathroom, ask for directions, or check into a hotel. English is not commonly spoken outside of the major cities. And lastly, just enjoy it. It sounds simple, but when you work long weeks and are comfortable in your life it's hard to let go. But just do it.

Tailgating with a Vespa

Tailgating with a Vespa. Yes, it's possible.

On Sunday, our 1st wedding anniversary, we loaded up the Vespa and took it to Miller Park to tailgate before the Brewers game. Because the Vespa played a leading role in our wedding, we thought it was only appropriate. We made a stop at the grocery store; bought a disposable grill (which worked very well), 2 burgers, some brats, carrot sticks and dip, bread, a six pack of beer and a lighter. We grabbed ketchup and mustard on our way out of the house. We strapped the grill on the back rack, the beer under the seat, and a grocery bag with the rest on the seat hook in the front. We got there and thought, 'we could probably bring two camp chairs and a small radio next time'. Parking for motocycles and scooters is located in front of Helfaer field. So if anyone else has a Vespa and has thought about tailgating....it's totally do-able.





And we even saw the mini racing sausages........

Stylish Helmet Heads

On Monday, there was a fatal scooter accident just a few blocks from our house. A SUV pulled in front of a 29 year man riding his scooter home from work and they collided. Unfortunately, he was not wearing his helmet. So let me just say that I, too, have ridden short distances on our Vespa without my helmet. It's a horrible mistake. My husband was involved in a very similar accident sans helmet last summer but luckily the only damage was a busted up hand. So now, my husband rides home every day on his Vespa wearing his helmet faithfully. After his accident and especially after the accident on Monday, I strongly believe in wearing your helmet whether you're on a bike, motorcycle, or scooter.

Look, helmet head is pretty cool.......

The Vespa Ride

My husband has been taking the Vespa to work almost everyday since early March (Spring comes pretty late to Wisco). I patiently wait for him to get home and pray for nice weather so that I can hop on, but it always ends up being too cold, too rainy, too windy, or too late for a ride. But last weekend, when it was a glorious 84 degrees (remember that?) I looked by the garage to see the Vespa staring back at me. I grabbed the keys and ran. We (the scooter and I) took to the streets, zooming down KK. If you A) don't have a scooter B) live in a city or C) hate gas prices or bad parking, then you need a scooter. I parked on the sidewalk next to Groppi's next to 2 other Vespas. Now, if I only looked as cool as these European women riding a Vespa below. Well, I did strap a 6-pack of O'so Brewery The Big O beer onto the rack for the ride home (more on that tomorrow). That's how we roll in Wisconsin.

Do you have a Vespa/Scooter/motorcycle? Have you been out riding this spring?




images: the sartorialist

Wedding update: Vespa road trip through Italy

Photo: Adriano, bananastrudel

For our honeymoon, we talked about a lot of options: New Zealand, France, the Caribbean. Those just didn't seem like "us". But this, I'm really excited about. I think we'll spend a couple weeks in Europe traveling, but the main event will be a road trip from Rome to Naples along the Amalfi coast riding on a Vespa. It's about 120 miles one way and the terrain looks to be easily done on a scooter. We've done similar trips on Matt's scooter so we'll totally be ready for this!

Let me know if anyone has Europe travel suggestions (I love the heck out of comments!)

UPDATE: We went on our road trip! It was amazing. Read all about our trip, our route, our Vespa, and my tips for Vespa travel in Italy HERE.