The “Dolce Vita” in Ischia: Calessino ride

Ischia Island guided tour by calessino (Ape Piaggio three wheeler) During the Dolce Vita years, Ischia was the favorite spot for Vips and celebrities. Still today we see old pictures, taken on the island, which immortalized famous people on the typical transportation: la motocarrozzella, better known as Calessino!The Calessino was invented by the ischitano “Ciccio” Francesco Di Meglio: one day he took off the calessino from his pony and replaced it with one of the first models of Vespa Piaggio. It  became part of Ischia tradition and its folklore, thanks also to the carelessness of the locals. The managers of Piaggio, on holiday in Ischia in those years, decided to patent it and promote it on the market; that’s the way the Ape Cross was born. In the Dolce Vita time,  Ischia was the capital of Italian music and also a place of freedom, open to new things and to the changes. It was the time when Ischia was discovered by the “mainland” and when the original motocarrozzella became a real “must”, used by locals. Going around by calessino was inevitable, with stops in the basements of the upper side of the town,  where the tourists were fascinated by the locals’ spontaneity whom, after a first suspicious approach, became tour guides of the tourists. Simplicity and spontaneity are still one of our symbols, like the calessino which is today the most popular public transport  appreciated by tourists in Italy and abroad. Today, in an exclusive way, TravelAmalfi offers you a guided tour by calessino through the most typical attractions of the Island. From the Castello Aragonese, a huge treasure of history, not only you will explore lots of churches, the roads of the city center, but also the narrow streets and alleys to admire the houses of fishermen, and few moments of local daily life, discovering the ancient culture, from pagan rituals to religious celebrations, popular dances that today are intact after hundreds years. Wandering around you will often find yourself with your head up: handcrafts and ceramic decorations… you will be enchanted at every corner. Enjoy the callessino ride to relive the emotions of the past: the beauty of our time which is the daughter of a beautiful past! Walking tour escorted by personal tour guide. Calessino riding included!