Lorenzo ‘Frank’ Franchini runs a website called Chilometri di Parole in Vespa. (Roughly translated: ‘Kilometres of Words about Vespas’.) He keeps track of books and articles written about Vespas, including his own fantastic book, Hasta la Fin del Mundo … in Vespa. This morning he sent me a link to an article in Il Messaggero  Read more »

I got an email from Bob Farace the other day. Bob lives in New York and can trace his family back to Minori, a small village just east of Amalfi. He wrote to tell me he enjoyed Vroom with a View and how it reminded him of a poem by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The poem  Read more »

One of the things I loved about both of my Vespas was the little hook under the seat. It was perfect for hanging things off – usually plastic bags full of Parma ham, tomatoes and fresh crusty rolls for the impromptu picnics I’d have beside some picturesque field in Tuscany. The hooks can still be  Read more »

It’s funny where a Google search will take you. Almost eight years ago to the day I typed in ‘Buying a Vespa in Italy’ and came across a guy who called himself ‘The Waspmaster.’ His real name was Filippo. He bought and sold Vespas. And his friend Marco restored them. Although they didn’t have a  Read more »

I got an email from Peter Macken the other day asking where he could find that video of me talking about Vroom with a View at Mosman Library. He’d stumbled on it a couple of years ago and couldn’t remember where. I couldn’t help him. As far as I could remember I’d never been videoed  Read more »

Those of you who have read my books Vroom with a View and Vroom by the Sea will know I’m a great fan of Livorno. It’s the scruffy Italian port town where I had some of my best adventures and made some life-long friends. One of those friends is Marco Quaretta. And this week he  Read more »

I had a chat with Dave Mangano from SCTRCST the other day. SCTRCST is an internet radio station dedicated to scooters and I had the privilege of being the subject of Episode 50. So congratulations to Dave for reaching that landmark. It was a fun interview. I was expecting it to be a meeting of  Read more »

Readers of Vroom with a View may remember that I spent a good deal of that trip trying to find a Kinder Surprise with a toy Vespa inside. ( I know my friend Marie does. She blogged about it the other day!) After purchasing a hell of a lot of chocolate eggs, and getting more  Read more »

There’s a nice review of Vroom with a View on the Between Two Rivers scooter club website. Thanks Brad. BTR SC is in Iowa. Apparently Iowa is known as ‘The Land Between Two Rivers.’ Coincidentally, that’s also what Mesopotamia means. I wonder if BTR SC have considered opening a chapter in Baghdad?

Frank Tanner from Western Australia emailed me the other day to tell me that he had spotted a mosaic version of the Aussie cover of Vroom with a View. It was in Margaret River at an ‘exotic gallery and display centre’ run by LaRoche Lifestyle. Prices ranged from $AU980 for a single panel piece to  Read more »