Have you ever thought how good it would be to take an old '50s Vespa on a summer road trip from the northern, snow-clad Alps right down the length of Italy to the sun-soaked, Mediterranean "heel" of rural Puglia? Maybe an air conditioned, sports Ferrari, or a classic Fiat 500 (with the roof rolled back), would make for a more pleasurable drive, but the Vespa will let you feel every bump in the road and the wind in your face. It's all about the emotion of the journey, so going "economy" by scooter will engage all the right feelings. Just remember to stop whenever possible at a suitable roadside trattoria or winery whenever the need arises. Definitely a major component of the overall experience and one to be encouraged at every opportunity.
With Mont Blanc in France and the Matterhorn in Switzerland, the nearby Gran Paradiso National Park, on the Italian side of the Alps, offers some stunning mountain roads fit for an episode of Top Gear or The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson. So, if you dare, lets begin our Vespa road trip on these winding, switchback routes through Italy's smallest wine region.
At Lo Triolet, based in Introd, you can stay at the winery's apartments where you can look out over the nearby vineyards. Famous for their Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), planted at 900 m.a.s.l, Marco Martin has produced excellent wines in the region since 1993 and grows, amongst others, red varieties Pinot Noir, Gamay, Fumin, and Syrah as well as white varieties Pinot Gris, Petite Arvine, Gewurtztraminer and Muscat. The vineyards have sandy, morainic soils deposited by ancient glaciers and the climate has a wide daily temperature variation which imbues the wines with great aromatic complexity. If you're enthused by skiing madly down steep, mountain slopes at 80 mph, Lo Triolet is the place to visit. Now, if only I could get this old Vespa to start at this altitude. A tweak to the carburetor, or a bump start... I just hope the brakes work!
Time now to move on and head south over the border into the province of Piedmont towards the city of Turin. If elegant, baroque architecture with grand boulevards and squares lined with cafes and culture is to your liking, Turin is going to be a great stop-over on this road trip. If you time it right, the city hosts many festivals celebrating chocolate; they're world famous for it. Take a walk around Valentino Park to burn off some excess calories (you will be eating/drinking too much!) and plan the next part of the drive over to Milan, another "must see" cultural and shopping centre in northern Italy. I'd be tempted to take the more leisurely "country" route via Asti, so I can try out some chocolate and fizz pairing (well, that's my excuse for buying too much from Gobino's luxury chocolate shop). I'll need to keep back some chocolate to consume with a bottle of Franciacorta (the trendy champagne-style sparkling Chardonnay from near Bergamo in Lombardy) which I'm bound to buy locally on arrival in Milan. If, like me, you're a "bottle collector", the pannier on the back of the Vespa is going to get full, very quickly with essential supplies!
Have Vespa, will travel, to the "Temple of Speed" Monza F1 circuit for a track test day. I checked their website to see if scooters were allowed on the circuit along with the cars, but it wasn't clear if it was possible. The Italians are pretty mad drivers (from personal experience), so I expect it could be done. Now, if I'd been in the fiery red Ferrari, I'd be welcomed as a local hero arriving in a car adorned with the "Prancing Horse" logo. Of course, as much as I'd like to follow in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, I'm only here for the vino, so let's head north to the stunning Italian lakes, Maggiore and Como. Taking the SS36 road, which runs along the eastern shore of Lake Como, the next vineyard stop will be in Valtellina.
After a leisurely break for a much appreciated, icy, strawberry gelato by the side of Lake Como, I took the next right turn to follow the River Adda into the Valtellina valley to check out the Nebbiolo wines of the region. Located further north than the more well-known examples from Barolo (in Piedmont), the wines of Valtellina (in Lombardy) are generally lighter in style. Most of the vines here are grown on very steep, terraced slopes, making it almost impossible to use any mechanisation. Toiling in the summer heat, working everything by hand, demands a dedicated team to produce these fantastic wines and I was looking forward to tasting as many as possible on this stage of the road trip. In the past, the pricey wines of Barolo have often disappointed me with their excess tannins and I was looking for a different expression of the grape from these high altitude vineyards. Here's hoping!
The valley runs west/east and the vineyards are similar in appearance to either the Douro (Portugal) or even the Mosel (Germany). I've walked around both of these on various visits and it doesn't do your knees any favour! Named villages seen on Valtellina labels include Grumello, Sassella, Inferno, Valgella, and Maroggia with Nino Negri and Ar. Pe. Pe. being some of the most well-known producers. The best sites, on the northern side of the river, are situated about 10 miles either side of the town of Sondrio. The Chiavennasca, the regional name for Nebbiolo, is also made, using air-dried grapes, into an "Amarone" style called Sforzato (or Sfursat). Here you'll find aromas of spiced cherries soaked in liquor, macerated red plums, dried flowers and sweet spices. Perfect for a winter stew or autumn game with local mushrooms.
At the eastern end of the valley, in the village of Trevisio, is the Ascesa winery. Established only in 2018, the company was started by Fabrizio Testa with the help of a small group of friends. Fruit for their wine is sourced from established vineyards with vines aged between 25 and 80 years. Their Valtellina are ethereal wines which offer floral perfume and a charming juiciness. A versatile red with meat, truffle risotto or a buttery ravioli. That's another bottle to put in the pannier on the Vespa. Let's head south via Verona, onwards to Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy's greatest "foodie" destinations and the home of Lambrusco.
So, overdoing it, food-wise, in the ristorante of the medieval city of Bologna, the Vespa is now groaning under the weight of tortellini, tagliatelle, lasagne and balanzoni pasta, Prosciutto di Parma ham, and a large piece of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The Lambrusco, being fizzy, I didn't think would survive the next, long-distance ride down to Marche, so I was forced to finish the bottle (well, that's my excuse). A trip to the seaside on the Adriatic coast... now that should be fun!
Ah, the fresh smell of the seaside and the salty ozone air. Ancona is a town on the Adriatic coast surrounded by many beaches and holiday resorts packed with tourists. A great area to stay if you're into the "bucket & spade" holiday, Italian style. The region of Le Marche is almost a mirror image of Umbria/Tuscany on the opposite side of the Apennine Mountains, with its endless rolling hills and fields of wheat swaying in the gentle summer breeze. Poetic? Yes, it is, and much cheaper than Tuscany if you want to live there. It's difficult to tear yourself away from the seaside sights, but the vineyards are inland, in the foothills, and wine is why I'm here, so, pin the throttle on the Vespa and head up into the hills. Some fantastic wine awaits; I know, I've been to this area years' ago and I'm looking forward to finding some of the wineries I've seen before, and visiting some new ones.
In an area better known for its white Verdicchio wines, my first stop is at the Tenute Pieralisi winery where I was particularly taken by their organic Caccialepre Rosso Piceno. Made from a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes, it's a velvety textured wine with bramble fruit and a savoury edge to it making an enjoyable match with tomato based pasta dishes... and there are many, many Italian dishes using tomatoes and pasta (ask Jamie Oliver), so its a wine you'll want to get by the case. Of course, I was limited to adding just one bottle to the pannier. On leaving the winery I decided to head south to the spectacular hillside town of Macerata for lunch. Another place I'd been to before, but I do recall having some excellent Rosso Piceno Superiore in a local café, so I was hoping for more!
My next stop was going to be in Offida. The sort of place that appears all shuttered-up and devoid of life, but is actually now an up-and-coming DOCG red wine region of some note utilising a blend of Montepulciano and the Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. Both Velenosi and Aurora's examples have a good reputation, but the prices! Now, the "Aurora" bottles looked familiar to me. Could they be the ones I tried on a holiday in the area (when I could afford such things)... I think I need to check this out. I remember the place being a construction site, with the winery and visitor centre being built into the side of a hill, overlooking a sweeping panorama down to the distant Adriatic. I also remember being told that most of the properties nearby had all been bought as second homes by the Germans. A one-up on their "towel-on-the-sunbed" trick. A very rare, sweet white wine was my favourite there; Offida Passerina Passito. Aromas of dried figs, raisins, apricot, baked apple and a sweet touch of vanilla with a rich flavour of walnuts. It was unavailable in the UK, like so many top wines from obscure vineyards, worldwide. I do enjoy a dessert wine. A pity more people don't try them as they don't know what they're missing.
After a long and winding journey through empty country roads, I eventually reached Ascoli Piceno on the Marche/Abruzzo border where I was due to head back to the coast road to Pescara, my next stopover in the wild lands of the Abruzzo and Chieti.
But that's a story for next week...