What’s it All About Ape?

Red Ape Piaggio
Oh Look! A matching red ape!

What is an Ape?

Ape means “bee” in Italian and an Ape (pronounced Ah-pay) is one of those little trucks that come in various colors and that you see chugging slowly up the winding hill roads and motorways all over Italy.

Red Ape Piaggio
Oh Look! A matching red ape!

They seem to be especially prevalent in the South where the high pitched whining of a two stroke motor is almost as ubiquitous as the incessant chirping of the cicadas.

You see them as you drive past, loaded with fruits, vegetables or farm tools on their way somewhere important.

Don’t confuse the Ape with the Vespa as “Vespa” means “Wasp” and the scooter that it is named for.

Powder blue ape
Powder blue? Of course!

The reason I bring this up is that I ran into what a paranoid person might have thought was an alarming trend.

Seemingly every time I went out wearing a different outfit, I ran into an ape that matched.

Teal ape
Seriously, did someone watch me getting dressed?

Secretly I am highly flattered that someone somewhere placed these  iconic little trucks all over Santa Domenica Talao Just to match my outfits.

I love Apes! They scream Italy even as they are screaming up the hills.

There is so much to love about Italy. Apes are only one small part.

Contact me to plan your next trip in Super Savvy Style.

Also check out these tips on what to pack when traveling overseas.