Are you curious about the little blue car in our window? Let us take you back to its origins…

By the end of World War II, most Italians, devastated by war, could not afford to buy and maintain full size four wheel vehicles.

In 1947, aircraft designer Corradino D’Ascanio, (the inventor of the Vespa), came up with the idea of building a light three-wheeled vehicle to power Italy’s economical reconstruction, and make car-like transport available to the lower class.

This invention was introduced to Enrico Piaggio, the son of the Piaggio car firm’s founder. The very first model was essentially a three wheeled Vespa, down to the mechanics. They named it the “Ape” (pronounced aah-paih), meaning bee in Italian, because they buzz when driven, like a mechanical bee!

Though they look odd to us,  Apes are a common sight in Italy.

Our Ape hails from the town of Bevagna, Italy. The engine was removed, so we could more easily transport it from Bevagna to our shipping container. Then it set sail across the ocean, snug in the container surrounded by olive oils, ceramics, and linen. When it was already halfway across the ocean we realized it was far too large to fit into any door leading into the store. Oops.

We started hatching a plan, so off the boat we loaded it onto another truck (a truck on a truck!), and drove it down to our Wisconsin Ave location. Upon arrival, the painters were removing the entire store front window.

With lots of muscle and determination, we unloaded our Ape and attempted to maneuver down the street…which we found difficult until someone jumped in the Ape and actually steered the wheel!  We “drove” it down the sidewalk and up to our front window.

And then came lifting it into the window…which miraculously went off without a hitch.

Today you can find the Ape front and center in our store window, still in service.

— Via Umbria