THREE WEEKS ON THE ROAD, MORE THAN 5 THOUSAND KM OF SLOW ADVENTURE, WITH THE FIRST STOP AT THE PIAGGIO MUSEUM IN PONTEDERA. RIDE DEDICATED TO GRANDPA MIMMO. INTERVIEW HERE
June 2024 (G. T.) – “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire”: We dare to use this famous aphorism attributed to the great composer Gustav Mahler to describe an account of a trip to North Cape. The protagonists are the same age, 42 years (both born in 1982). Domenico Faraci is the adventurer, and his steed is a Piaggio SI moped: a vehicle produced - by a company of great tradition, which celebrates 140 years of history this year (1884-2024) - in the Piaggio factory in Pontedera (1924-2024) where Piaggio and Vespa vehicles are still manufactured after 100 years.
8 May 2024: first stage of Domenico Faraci’s ride, from Palermo to the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera (Pisa, Tuscany).
But what does the preservation of fire have to do with anything? In this instance, the “fire” that is preserved by the traditions of the Italian company, a European leader known worldwide, and in continuous evolution, never stops burning, and continues to inspire generation after generation. As it did Domenico, remembering his grandpa Mimmo. This is the story.
CHAPTER 1: The policeman-motorcyclist and the homage to Grandpa Mimmo. Domenico Faraci (employed by the Ministry of the Interior), is a motorcyclist from Palermo. He has taken part in various Italian and regional off-road championships, and as a motorbike tourist, has taken a number of trips on large bikes (Tunisia, Algeria, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece), as well as participating in a host of motorbike rallies, including the famous Elefantentreffen or Elephant Rally, in the “elephant pit” (with temperatures between minus 10 and minus 18 degrees), in the Black Forest, Germany, which kick-starts the continental motorbike season every January. But Domenico's dream was to achieve another symbolic goal for motorcyclists: To travel to North Cape, Norway, the northernmost point in Europe, inside the Arctic Circle.
The Piaggio SI restored by Domenico Faraci, in the Italian Tricolore livery. Domenico is married with two very young children, who have followed the transformation of the ‘Piaggino’ (it means small Piaggio vehicle) - from a 40-plus year-old moped to a vehicle capable of tackling the Far North - with great curiosity. The project undertaken by their father is already among the family's fondest memories.
Not on a motorbike, but on a Piaggio SI moped. Why? Domenico explains: “This dream has deep roots: they go right back to when my grandfather Mimmo gave me a Piaggio Ciao (I was 12 years old), which was subsequently disassembled and restored, telling me: ‘Keep quiet and play with this’. The memories and emotions are still vivid.” The Ciao was lost in the sands of time, but the idea of going on a great journey with a Piaggio moped similar to the one given to him by his grandfather decades earlier remained with Domenico. And then he came across a Piaggio SI.
CHAPTER 2: the restoration of the bike and preparations for the journey. Domenico devoted himself to a major project, restoring and preparing the Piaggio SI for the trip: he built front and rear luggage racks, added additional petrol and oil tanks, installed and welded brackets for his mobile phone and sat nav, and carried out a whole series of structural modifications to support the weights he needed to carry and the services he needed whilst on the road. “I chose this vehicle for this demanding challenge”, explains Domenico, a self-declared expert in mechanics, “because it is easy to handle, but I was acutely aware of the difficulties associated with the long distances to be covered, which would really put both the frame and the mechanics of the bike to the test.”
CHAPTER 3: from the plan to the road map. Domenico continues: “To give you an idea of the journey, I’ll quote a few numbers: from Sicily to North Cape, leaving on 10 May, crossing seven countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland): over 11,700 km in total, of which 5,230 km was the outward journey by moped, 6,500 km the return journey by van; two ferries; around 140 litres of petrol for the moped and 11 litres of oil; weight of the moped 41 kg which, fully loaded, became 180 kg, including the rider. Total journey duration: 25 days”. Road map in 20 stages: Palermo-Livorno (by ship); Livorno-Pontedera Piaggio Museum (45km); Pontedera-Trento (360 km); Trento- Gesserthausen (Germany, 360 km, the longest stage, 10 hours); Gesserthausen-Bad Bruckenau (304 km); Bad Bruckenau-Braunschweig (273 km); Braunschweig-Kiel (275 km); Kiel-Viborg (Denmark, 275 km); Viborg-Hirtshals (port, 168 km and ferry to Norway); Larvik-Romendal (298 km); Romendal-Kvikne (261 km); Kvikne (Tovic Atlantic road)-Kristiansund (223 km); Kristiandund-Stjordal (244 km); Stjordal-Hàxàs (Sweden, 274 km); Hàxàs-Lycksele (246 km); Lycksele-Lulea (270 km); Lulea-Rovaniemi (Finland, Lapland, 253 km); Rovaniemi-Saariselkà (257 km), Saariselkà-Lakselv (261 km); Lakselv-Nordkapp (Norway, 189 km).
“Monumental” reindeer and real reindeer on the way to the far north.
INTERVIEW WITH DOMENICO FARACI ON HIS RETURN FROM HIS JOURNEY FROM SICILY TO NORTH CAPE.
Domenico, what were the most exciting moments of the trip?
“The welcome I received at the Piaggio Museum is one of the best memories of the whole trip, because Pontedera is part of the journey: my loyal moped companion was manufactured here, and to bring it home after more than 40 years of honourable service, before embarking on the long journey to the far north of Europe, was really exciting.”
At the entrance to the Piaggio Museum, a chance meeting with the honorary president of the historic Pontedera Moto Club (founded in 1927), Umberto Sodani, who presented Domenico with a gadget from the club.
What kind of attention did you and your Piaggio SI moped attract from other road users (motorists, motorcyclists) and from your friends and acquaintances?
“I was amazed by the enormous degree of interest I aroused, and I have to say that the moped - from the moment it emerged from the bodyshop, with its slender engine with a ‘roar’ that took me back 30 years (to that Ciao from Grandpa Mimmo), and which I nicknamed Iachino (giacchino in Sicilian, as little jacket) - was met with amazement and admiration mixed with incredulity, as I rode back and forth through the streets of the town (Villagrazia di Carini, Palermo), making my way between motorbike accessory dealers and sponsors. My friends and acquaintances couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw me riding the Piaggino, knowing that I've been racing motorbikes for years, including in regional and Italian enduro championships... They know that I love to tinker about and seeing me every day on my moped doing test after test... the more they saw me, the more unbelievable they thought it was (!). It was only when the day of departure finally arrived that they realised I was serious: seeing me loading Iachino up like a mule in the garage, side by side with the BMW GS with well over 300,000 km on the clock, they said: “Domenico, you're crazy - you’ve still got time, load everything onto the GS motorcycle instead!”
Meanwhile, I was more determined than ever: so, I loaded up the Piaggino and set off from my home, and I certainly didn't go unnoticed: both because of how heavily laden the bike was and because I’d made so many modifications that you could no longer determine the model and engine capacity. On arriving at the port, everyone looked at me with curiosity: the ship's staff, who are used to loading large motorbikes, stared at me as if I were an alien. There were so many motorcyclists, and we got so caught up in taking photos and discussing technical and logistical aspects that we all nearly missed the boat, not realising how time had flown in front of that courageous little moped, ready to take on a great challenge. But one thing I definitely noticed, throughout the whole trip, was the few seconds of silence that followed the fateful question, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” And I, with my ‘Arab-Norman savoir-faire’, would reply: to NORTH CAPE! By this time, I had started to enjoy seeing the faces of the people I was speaking to, and enjoying that silence which combined respect, admiration, disbelief but also a suspicion of madness! I, meanwhile, felt encouraged and supported at all times: when I stopped for a quick sandwich, to get petrol; even during the various breakdowns that happened when I was on the road. Everyone, from the police to camper vans and motorcyclists, would stop to give me a hand, or even just to keep me company while I completed the repairs.
Which interesting characters and situations have stuck with you the most?
“I've got so many memories, from the police in all the countries I crossed who stopped me just out of curiosity to see where I was going, to the couple in a camper who suddenly stopped about a hundred metres ahead of me, as I pushed Iachino after one of the many punctures I sustained, looking for a suitable space to replace the inner tube. While I was disassembling the rear wheel and chatting with her husband, the lady announced ‘the pasta is ready’, having freshly prepared it in the camper, and we enjoyed lunch by the roadside with the disassembled moped. Another one of my most memorable experiences was at the Swedish border: an American pick-up truck carrying luggage and guiding a group of Harley riders stopped; the driver told me that a few kilometres from there, I would come across gradients of well over 13% and that, laden down as I was, I would not be able to tackle them. As such, they invited me to climb aboard: I loaded the moped onto the pick-up, where I covered the 30 km that would have marred the success of the trip, most likely breaking the engine due to the strain it would have been under during the steep gradients. Another unforgettable memory: during the 200 km before my arrival at Nordkapp, it started snowing: I stopped at a sort of tavern to protect myself from the cold, and someone saw the moped and brought their friends outside to find out how I had got there and, on realising that I had set off from Palermo, they offered me food and drink (!), and with every mouthful, there were toasts and laughter; not knowing Finnish, I only understood THE ITALIAN CRAZY!”
And what were the main difficulties that you faced?
“The main challenges were linked to the weight I was carrying while travelling: the thin wheels, the wind and the mass... every lorry or even car that passed by quickly caused the air to shift and made it impossible for me to lose my focus even for a moment: I had to concentrate on holding onto the handlebars firmly and ensuring I was balanced at the low travel speeds. Then, the climbs were another major issue, once again due to the weight: remember that the moped was a 50cc bike, and the weight in running order was around 170kg, driver included (I covered a total of 5,230 km on the road).”
Returning home after this adventure, what remains in your “inner baggage”?
“A great sense of satisfaction, like nothing experienced on the many trips I had previously been on, because the immensely likeable Piaggio provided a connection with different cultures, languages and customs: riding the moped, I felt proud to be Italian, and being called “the crazy Italian person” became a compliment, because in the gaze of the various people I met, I only saw admiration: they simply had no other words of praise. I am very pleased that I succeeded, because the challenge was arduous (and also tiring, riding many hours a day), in the saddle of a moped that has made history, sold over 4 million units, but which was primarily designed for taking your lover for a spin, or travelling to school, to work on little trips. After 40 years, it was wonderful to restore it for the most ambitious trip that all motorcyclists dream of, on the most high-performance and high-tech motorbikes. Yes, I am satisfied!!! It's no coincidence that I called the trip SI può fare, or It can be done!”.
What do you imagine your Grandpa Mimmo would have said to you at the end of this challenging trip?
“Grandpa Mimmo would be proud of me; I always had a special relationship with him; it was not a coincidence that he gave me his moped as a gift for learning to ride when I was 13, understanding my passion for two-wheelers which I’d had since I was a child; however, he would never have imagined where I would have taken it and the care I would have taken of it since his death but, knowing him, even he would have told me that I was very ...CRAZY... and in my heart I am sure that he was and will always be a great supporter of mine.”
In Rovaniemi (the village of ‘Father Christmas’), Finland: turn right for North Cape, ‘only’ 680 km to go.
How did you organise your return trip to Sicily?
“That was another adventure! Five days before arriving in Nordkapp, the forwarding agent who was supposed to organise the return of the moped and my return by plane to Palermo let me down, saying that unexpected weather conditions meant that the amount for transportation would change from 700 to 2,200 euros! So, my brother Emanuele hired a van in Palermo, and in five days, he got to Nordkapp: we loaded up Iachino and drove down to Sicily, covering another 6,500 km, taking turns driving as we had to return to work urgently and had stayed beyond our planned holidays.”
“I must admit: the moped is ‘addictive’ and gives me crazy ideas... One of which could become my new project for 2025: to sail across the strait from Messina to Reggio Calabria, riding my Piaggino Iachino, hooking it up to two tubes and using the traction of the rear wheel... I'm looking into it...'.
(Photo courtesy of Domenico Faraci).
