TRAVERSE 7
EDITORIAL
TRAVERSE :
Life Is Beautiful
It seems something special happens when a two-wheeled machine is involved . They bring people together , regardless of age , gender , socioeconomic standing . It ' s a device that embraces all .
A recent trip to Italy played witness to what it means to have two wheels . Very few of the exotics were seen , no Ducati , no Aprilia , no MV Agusta , and yet there seemed to be an over abundance of scooters , Piaggio , Vespa , even the occassional Kymco .
Wandering the back lanes of tiny villages it became obvious that the two wheeled machine here is more about transport than it is about lifestyle . Although don ' t get me wrong , the classic Italian scooter can be a thing of beauty in its own bizarre way . Who doesn ' t love an off-white Vespa with just a hint of two-stroke smoke puffing from the exhaust ?
I often found myself waiting , watching to see who would climb aboard such a machine and chug away into the depths of an Umbrian alley . The results often surprised , none more so that when two ladies , approaching the top end of middle age , strolled from a cafe in full conversation so important they failed to notice a camera pointing their way .
The rider , resplendant in summer attire fitting for the heat of an Italian midday , gracefully slipped a leather covered helmet over her hair . Her style was head to toe , heels that would have the demon of a 1970s glam band swooning .
Transfixed I watched as she slipped across the machines seat as gracefully as a dancer from the Royal Ballet .
The little white machine danced its way around the piazza and as the rider approached she blew me a kiss like a scene from a Luchino Visconti film . My bung eye twitched nervously , I was in love , not with the older woman , not the Vespa , nor the location , somehow a concoction of all , for here in Italy can only such a utilitarian device be made so seductive ... la vita e ' bella ...
Leigh
TRAVERSE 7