MARIO AND SANDRA Mario and Sandra have taken their Givi bags to many countries around the world. We fondly remember their Vespa tours of South America, Armenia and Anatolia, the Caucasus, Morocco, Indonesia and also France, Spain and Portugal... In this issue, we would like to tell you about another of their incredible adventures, which saw Mario and Sandra travel for four months, circumnavigating Europe on their legendary Vespa. WithTheir journey all the way around the coasts of the European continent had two true starting points. The first was Trieste to Biograd na Moru, to participate in the Vespa World Days event, and the second, after the event, leaving from Biograd and following the Croatian coastline, with Mario crossing Albania alone and then Greece, reaching the capital, Athens. From here, he continued north across Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Baltic Republics. A Malaga, Sandra prende nuovamente un volo per l’Italia, ma questa volta solo per breve tempo! Dopo aver attraversato Spagna e Francia ed aver raggiunto l’Italia in solitaria, a Ventimiglia la coppia si riunisce finalmente per percorrere insieme le coste italiane, dalla tirrenica, ionica e adriatica, fino a ritornare a Trieste. Having reached Lithuania, Mario was finally met by his partner, Sandra, to continue the journey together across Lithuania and Estonia. Reaching Tallinn, the two Vespa adventurers took a ferry to Helsinki, Finland. Here, distances are long, and when evening arrives you don’t even notice, because at 9.00 p.m. the sun is still high. A burst tyre led them to encounter a friendly mechanic and great Vespa fan. Sometimes, it is the hitches that make a trip even more memorable! After crossing the Finnish Lakeland, the couple entered Norway, reaching Cape North and then Bodø, where Sandra took a flight back to Italy. On his own again, Mario continued the journey towards Bergen, Oslo and Sweden, until he reached Gothenburg, before taking a ferry to Frederikshavn, in Denmark. Following the coast of Jutland, he reached Germany and continued along the North-Sea coasts, crossing the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain until he reached Cabo Ortegal, one of the westernmost points A VESPA ADVENTURE 25 COUNTRIES AND 30,000 KILOMETRES, CIRCUMNAVIGATING EUROPE in Europe, where the road passes through misty woodland and coastal areas. The Cabo Ortegal lighthouse stands cliff-top above the ocean and is truly a sight to behold. Having reached La Coruña, Mario is again met by Sandra to continue south together, along the edge of Portugal, to Cádiz, Spain, from where the journey turns eastwards. In Malaga, Sandra flies back to Italy again, but this time just for a short stop! After crossing Spain and France and reaching Italy alone, the couple finally reunite in Ventimiglia to travel the Italian coasts together, from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian and Adriatic, all the way back to Trieste 23 Givi Magazine June 2024
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