Move over, Thailand – tuk-tuks are making a comeback in Europe

Detailed summary

Vespa’s might be synonymous with Italy, but these three-wheeled “worker bees” are now proving popular for tours through maze-like streets.

Buzzing past a blaze of olive trees tumbling down to the coast, we swerve under an archway onto a cobbled lane that has us bumping and bouncing, our arms and shoulders doing a merry dance. “A massage is included in the price,” says driver Pippo, grinning at his joke, as he steers around another corner, then another, each street a blur of whitewashed buildings and seemingly narrower than the last. “It’s like a maze,” he says, although when I ask if he knows every street, his smile widens. “Si!” he replies, gripping his bike-like handlebars tight.

My previous trips in three-wheeled motorised vehicles have been in Asia, most vividly amid the eye-watering pollution of Bangkok and the intense humidity of Colombo. This “tuk-tuk” journey is taking place in Italy – in an Ape Calessino (“ah-peh”), a three-wheeler that first emerged in the 1950s and has been enjoying a comeback across il bel paese (the beautiful country), particularly for showing tourists the sights.

With Pippo at the helm and a refreshing breeze drifting up from the Adriatic Sea, we’re navigating the medieval labyrinthine lanes and newer panoramic roads of Ostuni, the citta bianca (white city) of Puglia. Having previously cycled around this region on the heel of Italy’s boot, I’m back on this escorted Collette coach tour, which began in Naples on the country’s opposite (west) coast. While our itinerary is nicely and languidly paced, it’s spiked with pulse-raising moments like this Ape ride.

Ape is Italian for bee, with the brand created by Corradino D’Ascanio, the aeronautical designer who also masterminded the Vespa for Piaggio. While the Vespa (wasp) symbolised leisure and freedom, the Ape was the worker bee, helping to rebuild Italy’s economy after World War II, enabling traders and farmers to transport goods and wares in rural areas and tightly knotted towns and cities.

Our tour group is divided into a fleet driven by the white-bearded Pippo and his proteges, mostly local lads in their 20s.

Puglia produces…

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