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An Italian-born Australian father and his 11-year-old son are making their way from Sydney to Trieste, Italy, on a 50-year-old Vespa during a nearly 40,000-kilometer journey expected to last 10 months.
Mario Gabrieli, 54, and his son Leonardo kicked off their journey from Sydney on Jan. 5 under the name “I Due Caschi,” an Italian phrase meaning “The Two Helmets.”
Gabrieli said he wanted to expose Leonardo to different countries, cultures, religions, landscapes and histories while traveling from their home in Australia to Trieste, the city where he was born.
After completing several sea crossings by ferry and ship, the pair carried on overland from Indonesia and passed through countries across Southeast and Central Asia.
Although long hours on the road and repeated technical problems tested their vintage scooter, help from people they met along the way allowed the father and son to press ahead.
After passing through Azerbaijan and Georgia, they entered Türkiye, stopped in Trabzon and reached Samsun. Gabrieli called Samsun "a wonderful city.”
Leonardo picked out the Pamir Highway as his favorite part of the trip and later joined young athletes for a short sailing trip at the Atakum Sailing Sports Club before the pair continued toward Amasya, Cappadocia and Antalya.
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