Customer Reviews

Vroom with a View: In Search of Italy's Dolce Vita on a '61 Vespa

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Peter Moore's book is a charmer. If you love Italy, the real Italy, and Vespas, the real Italian scooter, you'll love this book. Peter Moore, whom I wish I knew, has written a wonderful love story about a country that captivated him, seen the way most people will never see it. Maybe the spirit of the American Old West still lives in Australia. It's pretty much died out here. We Yanks seem pretty limited to the four or five places we've heard of -- Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, and a couple more we remember from skimpy Geography classes. Moore, an Aussie, sets out to explore Italy, mostly from Tuscany to Rome on a scooter whose vintage matches his own. He does touch on those places overrun with tourists, but the heart of his tale is what happens in little trattorias, greasy workshops, and tiny places you've never heard of. The story is more Don Quixote than Under The Tuscan Sun and Moore is more Dave Barry than Frances Mays. He's joined on his trip by his girlfriend (and wife to be)as he tunes up his 40 year old scoot and his relationship with Sally as they alternately zip and sputter from one little town to another. I have to confess being totally predisposd to this book, being the owner of two Vespas and a home in Italy where my wife and I spend as many weeks as we can during the year. Moore knows Italians as we do, people filled with enthusiasm and eccentricities that make Anglo Saxons crazy, the creators of food, music, and a passion for living to die for. He finds it all on his rusty steed and I enjoyed every km of the way. My wife is reading the book right now and raves about it. The book was a gift from an Englishman from whom I bought my latest Vespa. I'm buying more copies and giving them to friends I love. Do yourself a favor and buy this lovely book. Then get a Vespa and a whole bunch of new friends that go with it.

I have loved (and ridden) Vespas for over 21 years (longer than I have had a driver's license, and I have loved reading Peter Moore's books for almost 7 years. I never thought I would see the two come together in such a well-written, entertaining way. Peter describes Italy in a way that only a dry, somewhat "off" Aussie could, yet still allows romance to shine through his observations. Likewise, the Vespa serves as a perfect metaphor for the country, yet at the same time is more than just an incidental presence in the story; indeed, the Vespa is observed and remarked upon very frequently, and always tastefully. The only other medium in which the Vespa was so well portrayed was in the film "Night on Earth" (and, again, the same could perhaps be said of the Rome portrayed in the same film, like no other). This is a book great for any occasion and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in travel, humour, art, style, taste, and Vespas.

I'll buy any travelogue if it's written about Italy. This one did not disappoint. The author buys a Vespa off Ebay and travels through Italy, describing each city or town and its people and food. Never does the author come across as being "uppity" to Italians, but always as a down-to-earth man. Written with humor, it's never over-the-top. It's one of the most enjoyable travelogues I've read. I highly recommend!

I've enjoyed Peter Moore's books for five years now--long before I first tracked him down to pick his brain about travel and publishing--and I bought this one a year ago off amazon.co.uk. I'm pleased to see that Peter's books are finally being published in the US and hope that this is the first of many. "Vroom With A View" is an entertaining account of riding an ancient Vespa around Italy--what a great idea! When I finished it, I wanted to go buy my own scooter, off of eBay, of course.

Great fun read. As a Vespa owner and a huge fan of travel in Italy it was a close as I could come to making the trip myself. If you have ever dreamed of cruising around Italy with Audrey Hepburn on the back of your Vespa (and what mature male hasn't) this is your book. Or if you haven't had the dream yet, read the book and you will.

As an owner of a Vespa with little free time or enough daring to travel solo through Italy myself, I found this book to be a wonderful way to fulfill a fantasy. Moore's writing is accessible to all readers regardless of their Vespa status. It works as well as a travelogue for anyone considering an off-the-beaten-path tour of Italy as it does for those of us with a special love for the joy of riding a Vespa.

I also recommend his short piece on riding in Vietnam which can be purchased through Amazon too.

Here's hoping that Moore will find himself on a Vespa with pen and paper in some exotic (or not so exotic) place soon!

Never have I been more entertained by, or more envious of, of an author's escapades than in Peter Moore's 'Vroom with a View.' If you already love Vespas, it's a must-read... if, on the other hand, you'd never given the lovable scooters more than a second thought, be prepared to spend countless hours scouring the internet for your own personal Sophia.

Absolutely charming. Mr. Moore has technical tribulations with the ancient Vespa he purchases, but that only adds to the story of how he falls in love with Northern Italy. Go to his website disclosed at the back of the book for the extra photos he took. If I ever get to Chianti, I will buy a modern Vespa and travel the same route.

This book only reinforced my desire to do a leisurely tour of Italy on a scooter Vespa or not. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do it on a 40 year old scooter. Excellent writing and a killer subject.

I loved hopping on this vintage Vespa with Peter Moore and touring the back roads of Italy. His adventures were a delight to read. He has the ability to make you feel that you're right there with him; I could almost feel the wind in my hair. If I weren't 75 years old and broke, I'd be shopping for a vintage Vespa on eBay Italy right now instead of writing this review. My only disagreement with Peter is his assessment of the town of Cortona. Sorry, Peter, but it's NOT a dismal mill town, but one of the original Etruscan hilltop villages that maintains its charm to this day. Maybe it's because I wasn't on a Vespa but on foot, my explorations of this ancient space were very rewarding. But jump back on the Vespa and explore the rest of Italy with Peter, you won't regret it!