Riding pillion on a vintage Vespa from Sydney to Italy was never going to be easy. But doing so amid a war in the Middle East, global oil shocks and shuttered borders was something Mario Gabrieli, 54, and his 11-year-old son, Leonardo, never planned for. Their aim was to complete a coming-of-age pilgrimage from their home in Australia to Gabrieli's birthplace of Trieste almost entirely on the back of their 1976 blue Vespa, bar a few necessary water crossings.
Almost three months in, they have already dealt with fuel restrictions, petrol station closures, extremely sore bums and a complete engine failure. But they have taken it all in their stride. Sitting at a bamboo bus stop about 150km north of Songkhla in southern Thailand, Gabrieli said it had always been his dream to complete a journey across the world on a Vespa. He had driven a Vespa for a month at a time through parts of Europe and Asia, but it was not until Leonardo reached year six, and their apartment was being knocked down, that it felt like the right time to take him out of class and complete home schooling before he reaches high school.
They tested the waters on a two-week moped trip around northern Thailand, and Leonardo adapted easily. In early January, they got ready to ship their Vespa on a container to Bali – and then, a week out from their trip, there was a complete engine failure. With the help of a mechanic friend, they sourced the rare parts, fixed it up and shipped the Vespa off to Bali. Since then, they have travelled throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and into southern Thailand. From there, they will journey through Laos and China before traversing the 1,200km Pamir Highway through the Stans and over the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan.
Border restrictions mean this will be the toughest part, but if all goes well they will make it to Georgia, Turkey and Greece, winding up on the Adriatic Coast to Italy. Their backup, if they cannot make it to Azerbaijan, is detouring via Russia, almost circling Ukraine – but that also may be impacted by visa restrictions. So far, the pair have been welcomed into countless Vespa communities throughout Asia, who have opened their homes as a place to board and supported them on the road.
Gabrieli said they try to do two days of riding and one day of rest whenever possible, which gives them time to stretch their legs and complete Leonardo's home schooling. He noted that the global fuel crisis has been a curveball, with fuel restrictions in Thailand preventing anyone from purchasing more than 10 litres of petrol, and about 70% of petrol stations closed. 'The tricky part is, for us on the Vespa, we have a 150km range with the tank. But you don't know if you're going to find a petrol station that is open,' he said.
