PONTEDERA. The bouquet tied with white ribbon to the rear-view mirror. On the frame, in plain sight, a sign: “Weddings at 2%”. Because the mixture that once made the Vespa engine “crack” has now become the “petrol” that makes Giulia and Gianluca’s hearts beat faster. The two Vespa enthusiasts, less than 24 hours before getting married, chose to leave from Lucca – the city where they live – to reach Pontedera and the long-awaited maxi global gathering in which tens of thousands of enthusiasts like them are taking part. Which then to define Giulia Cardella And Gianluca Castellone Vespa enthusiasts is an understatement.
Souls of the Lucca club for several years, there is no shortage of a gathering: thanks to the Piaggio two-wheeler they met, they went out on a Vespa for their first date and tomorrow they will go to get married – needless to say – riding their shiny, flaming Vespas for the occasion.
«Even though we still have many things to do for the wedding, we couldn’t miss the Vespa World Days in Pontedera – says the couple – this morning we left Lucca on our Vespas even if we then had to return home in the afternoon to finish the final preparations . There were really a lot of people and we wanted to share this special moment with other Vespa enthusiasts like us.” It was impossible for Giulia and Gianluca to go unnoticed: many stopped in the market square transformed into an open-air museum to photograph their Vespas – a 1978 ET3 and a 1982 Primavera – in wedding “dresses” and to wish their future spouses.
«I have three Vespas – says Gianluca – I chose to come to Pontedera with that “tamarra” 80s car complete with a working stereo system that I bought a few years ago in Reggio Emilia. But love with Giulia blossomed on the back of a a gray 2015 Px 150, the first I bought since I started working in Lucca, also making some sacrifices.”
For the fateful yes, however, Gianluca will get on his 1964 “Sportellino piccolo monosella”: green, like the dress chosen (not by chance) by the bride. «You shouldn’t have revealed it – says Giulia – it was supposed to be a surprise…». But now it’s late so let’s start with the revelations about the wedding programme. «We organized a ceremony for a few close friends – says the future bride – there will be around twenty people. I too will go to the Municipality riding my Vespa, the ET3 that I bought with my father when I was 30 and of which I am very fond because it is also thanks to this Vespa that I managed to overcome a difficult moment. After the ritual – he continues – the guests will go for an aperitif at “Giulio in Pelleria” while Gianluca and I will take photos, obviously on a Vespa, in the splendid scenery of the Walls. We would have liked to return to Pontedera for the last two days of the rally but on Monday we leave for our honeymoon in the United States and so we just can’t make it.”
Giulia and Gianluca leaf through their photo album and many memories related to the Vespa emerge: «Galeotto was the first “tour of the chicken coop” – says Giulia – or one of the small Vespa trips organized by the Lucca club during the Covid period. It is in one of these trips I met Gianluca three years ago and from that moment on we never left each other again.”
But the album also features the selfie taken for the first coffee together, the anniversary celebrated at a Vespa rally in Abetone, the 100 kilometers in Chianti, Giulia and Gianluca as Santa Claus for the usual tour of Lucca with the Vespa club, which has 400 members. «I have participated in many gatherings in recent years – concludes Giulia – but the most beautiful, allow me to say, is the one on the Walls of Lucca and will be held on May 26th. In terms of a suggestive location, no one beats us.” But now it’s time to think about the wedding and Giulia and Gianluca give a final polish to their Vespas, which have become special witnesses (and perhaps even more so) of their love story.
Tags: Wedding Vespa Giulia Gianluca maxi gathering Pontedera fateful wedding Tirreno
