Chad D. Thomas: Off the Beaten Path in Italy

The following branded content post is brought to you by The Vespa Trip, an easy and fun way to tour Italy while riding a Vespa. As soon as I heard about this trip, it sounded awesome and I had the feeling you guys would love hearing about it!

One of my favorite travel movie scenes of all time is in The Talented Mr. Ripley when Matt Damon and Jude Law tear around a corner on a Vespa, surrounded by the gorgeous countryside, laughing and enjoying a moment of pure happiness.

I wonder how many trips to Italy were booked because of that film. (Also, Jude Law is more handsome in The Talented Mr. Ripley than any other human has been, ever.)

A lot of people have watched that Vespa scene — or, more recently, Dev and Arnold riding through Tuscany in the latest season of Master of None — and dreamed of doing the same thing themselves. “Someday I’ll go to Italy and explore on a Vespa of my own.”

The good news? You can totally travel Italy by Vespa, and it’s a lot easier than you think.

Introducing The Vespa Trip

The Vespa Trip is a chance to live out your Vespa dream without worrying about the logistics. These group tours of Italy allow you to enjoy zipping around on the hills on a Vespa with the security and camaraderie of a group, your hotels already booked, your luggage transferred for you each day.

This is truly off the beaten path in Italy. Rather than struggling through sweaty crowds in the most popular cities, you’ll be out on the open road, riding past olive groves and ancient hill towns.

When I first heard of this tour company, I thought it was an awesome idea. Italy is one of the countries that I know best, but I’ve never even ridden a Vespa in the country! I would love to do a trip like this.

How The Vespa Trip Works

On this group tour, your guide leads you along an established route from town to town. There is a maximum of 20 Vespas on the tour, up to 40 people if nobody rides solo. You spend the day riding with your tour mates — or alone if you wish — and you stay in a hotel in a different town each night. You have free time in the evenings to explore as you please, and your guide will recommend the best restaurants and things to see and do.

You don’t have to worry about luggage — it’s transferred in a minivan.

People are assigned two people to a Vespa. You can pay a supplement of 120 EUR ($144) to have your own Vespa for the week. You must have a driver’s license for this trip; a motorcycle license is not necessary. Each person is given a Roadbook, a guide to the region with things to do along the route.

So far, people from 20 different nationalities have taken part in The Vespa Trip, and the tours are conducted in English.

Best of all — you can peel off and ride independently if you’d like.

Would you rather get some alone time, leaving the group and go for a ride on your own, catching up later? Go ahead! One nice thing is that the Vespas come with GPS devices, so you can always find your way to where you’re going.

I can tell you now that I would take this option — not only as an introvert but as a photographer, too. On past group trips (I’m looking at you, Kakadu National Park) I was frustrated at being rushed along and not having time to take proper photos — so it’s nice to know that you don’t have to stay with the group every minute on the Vespa trip. You can even do the whole Vespa trip on your own if you’d like, just spending time with the group in the evenings.

Where The Vespa Trip Tours Go

The Vespa Trip takes place in three destinations: Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily.

In Tuscany, you will ride through landscapes that look so mysteriously familiar. Those rolling green hills, those stone farmhouses, those tall cypress trees — where have you seen them before? And then it hits you. You’ve seen them in Renaissance paintings.

The Tuscany trip begins and ends in Pisa and has stops in San Gimigniano, Siena, Chianti, Florence, Lucca (one of my favorite Tuscan towns!), Vinci, where there is wine tasting, and Montefegatesi, where you can enjoy a secret swimming spot.

On the Amalfi Coast, you will be riding through the epic cliffside villages seen in The Talented Mr. Ripley. These are some of the most spellbinding landscapes in all of Italy, and you’ll see the coast from many different viewpoints.

The Vespa Trip’s itinerary begins and ends in Naples with stops at Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi, Salerno, Monte Picentini, Avellino, and Mount Vesuvius.

In Sicily, you’ll be in the wildest part of Italy — the region that breaks all the rules with aplomb. The landscapes are dramatic, the people are full of passion, and the food tastes like sunshine. If you’ve already been to Italy and you’re looking for something different, Sicily is a great choice.

The Vespa Trip’s Sicily trip concentrates on the west coast. The trip begins and ends in Trapani and stops in Sciacca, Corleone (with wine tasting), Cefalu (with pizza making), Castellamare del Golfo, Scopello, and Zingaro National Park.

How much does it cost?

Tuscany: 490-590 EUR ($586-706) per person depending on the week.

Amalfi Coast: 590 EUR ($706) per person.

Sicily: 590 EUR ($706) per person.

Extras: 120 EUR ($144) to ride your Vespa solo; 50 EUR ($60) for a Vespa riding lesson on your first day; 150 EUR ($180) for a private hotel room.

The trips include six nights’ accommodation in three-or four-star hotels; breakfast daily; a seven-day Vespa rental (shared with one other person) and helmet rental, your guide, and your Roadbook.

Speaking personally, I think this is a great price for what you get. And because the trips are one week long, you could just come to Italy for the Vespa Trip or spend a little extra time on your own.

What are you waiting for?

This could be the off the beaten path Italian adventure you’ve been waiting for. And one other thing…if you do this, your Instagram is going to make a lot of people jealous.

Check out The Vespa Trip for more information.