Riding on the "wasp"

For me, the most exciting mode of transport so far is Michele's vespa. I climb onto the back for a race into the hills around his village. To have the wind roaring in your ears and to see the road pass so closely below your feet fills you with energy.

We stop in a place called Santa María de la Versa, and eat lunch at La Colombina, a road-side restaurant where the last guests, it feels, were a wedding party some time in the seventies.

We ride further into the hills and then descend to the River Po, where we meet a group of Michele's friends. Among the bulrush is an old boat that has been converted into a bar, so we buy some beers and sit on the bank.