Scooters in Sorrento [Video]

It’s a typical weekend in the sleepy coastal town of Sorrento in Southern Italy. The sun goes down over the bay of Napoli, the local police close the main streets to car traffic and the town square springs to life. How does the crowd get to the scenic Piazza Tasso for a night out on the town? Scooters!

Since the end of the second world war, Italians have relied on these light and efficient vehicles to navigate the narrow streets of cities and towns built centuries before motorized transport. From the distinctive look and sound of Vespas that continue to swarm these streets, this does not seem likely to change anytime soon.

As in other urban centres, parking space in these areas is at premium and many foreign drivers have been surprised to receive tickets for parking in restricted auto zones or “zone traffico limitato”. As far as I can tell, scooters are exempt and scooter parking is generally much easier to find – granted it is not so easy to lug your suitcases along. Along these central roads, police supervised traffic restrictions and raiseable bollards restricting non-essential vehicles makes some of these narrow streets more bearable and encourages the street activity that makes these fun places to be.

The side effect, however, is that these nimble vehicles are often driven in close proximity to large numbers of pedestrians. And as personally experienced, the iconic chopping sound quickly loses its quaintness at 4 am. But all in all, I think scooters are a fun and efficient way of getting around; not to mention a charming addition to the Italian landscape.