“The Vespa….is freedom”breathes Jean-Louis Curvellier. A member of Aix-Marseille University where he works for the research building as a logistics referent, Aix native Jean-Louis Curvellier never stops traveling the world on his Vespa.
His two works 260,000 km on Vespa et On the way to Croatia published at the Atelier du livre are a kind of travel journals. They bear witness to his passion for this legendary vehicle from the 1950s and 1960s that has made so many people dream and still makes them dream. Meeting with a backpacker who is passionate about meeting others.
Where did this passion for motorbikes in general and the Vespa in particular come from?
From my mother. I found her scooter in 1990 and I participated in the first scooter rallies the following year. What attracts me to the Vespa adventure are the encounters and the freedom to travel.
For example, during my last Aix-Cognac trip, I was able to stop in Albi where I admired the largest cathedral in the world made of bricks. What interests me is not the speed but it is having fun and looking at the landscape.
Are you traveling alone?
It happens to me but I generally go with the same traveling companion: Stéphane Garbit. It was with him that I traveled across Croatia and I produced a book which highlights this thought of Alfred Capus (Editor’s note, 19th century Aix writer): “Luck is the ability to adapt instantly to the unexpected..”
