Vespa Traveller: Bettinlli

Legendary Vespa traveller Giorgio Bettinlli died in China from a sudden illness on 16 September 2008 at the age of 53. He had lived there for 4 years, on the banks of the Mekong, with his wife Yapei.

Giorgio got his first Vespa in 1992 aged 37. Living in a village in Indonesia, a friend gave him an old Vespa which he promptly rode through the country. Upon returning to Italy he continued his Vespa adventures on a grander scale and it’s probadly easier to list the countries where Bettinelli didn’t travel, rather than where he did.

Travelling upon a simple Vespa PX, with his guitar and backpack, Bettinelli did things that many of us never achieve in our lives. Surprisingly, he had little mechanicals knowledge. When asked what he did if the Vespa ever broke down, he replied “ You wait. Someone comes, someone helps. Acar, a truck, a camel. An hour, a day. Someone comes, someone helps.”

The Scooterist: Giorgio Bettinelli – RIP