Travel Italy by Vespa. May 2008

Italy by Vespa (IbV) provide the bike - a red Vespa ET4 (the Euro-spec version of the LX 125) 4 stroke 125cc, as well as a helmet. Catering for beginners as well as experienced riders, IbV have their own support van, and all tours are designed to be conducted at a leisurely pace (with no more than 14 riders), allowing all riders to soak in the atmosphere, see the sights and enjoy the experience.

As you'd expect, the tours incorporate some very fine dining, wine-making and winery tours, museums, cultural and historical points of interest and, of course, shopping.
Florence Guided Tours

Half-day tour (3 hours)
During this tour you will have an outline of art and history of the city through the visit of the Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the famous Academia Gallery, with the original David by Michelangelo. In addition to these classic highlights you will see other sites, less known but very important and impressive.

Full-day tour (6 or 8 hours)
This tour includes the half-day tour plus a visit to the Uffizi Gallery or the Pitti Palace. An 8 hour tour will include a visit the S.Croce church (tombs of Galileo & Michelangelo).

Five & Seven Day Scooter Tours
A more leisurely option, the five and seven day scooter tours each start with an orientation day with some light riding, to allow you to get accustomed to the surroundings - and your Vespa! - followed by five (or seven) days of touring through the Chianti region. The events and itinerary are broken up into certain days - like 'Culinary Day', 'Luxury Day', 'Wine Day' and more, culminating in a cross-country ride through the Tuscan hills on the final day. All sights and activities are close by - under an hour's ride in most cases - so you won't be in the saddle all day!

Note: this package is sold on a space-available basis and will be subject to confirmation.
IbV includes transportation to and from Florence for the 7-day packages and pick up is included in the 5-day package, outbound transfer isn't included.
Prices start from AUD$3,600 app. (depending on exchange rates). Discounts are available for deletes and private group tours are also available.
www.italybyvespa.com.au has details on all the terms and conditions, as well as a gallery of past tours, and an FAQ section which should answer most questions, or phone: (02) 9327 1001, or fax: (02) 9327 6175.

Vespa in your pocket
It may only be small, but Vespa - Icon of Italian Style by Valerio Boni manages to pack a lot into its 185 pages!
Primarily a photo history of the Vespa brand and the lifestyle associated with it, Icon has lots of little interesting nuggets of info and "I didn't know that" type stories that are sure to appeal to scooter enthusiasts.

Icon also uses examples from comics, advertising, movies and more to show the wide-reaching cultural influence of the Italian scooter.
Record-setting Vespas, army Vespas, even bull-fighting Vespas (really!) also get a mention.
We have featured this book previously, but it was just so good, we thought it was worth revisiting!
Vespa - Icon of Italian Style by is available now from most good bookstores for $36.95 RRP.
ISBN-10: 0-8478-2936-7