da Milano a Roma in MONOPATTINO

This is me: tired, sweaty and afraid. Lost at night in the middle of nowhere. But let's take a step back in time! Ehm... maybe this is a little too much... You know what? I love any kind of electric vehicle. There's been much talk about that. It's absolutely a good choice if you want to go somewhere in a sustainable way. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't use them properly, in fact there have been a lot of accidents... In order to raise awareness on the use of these vehicles.... .

..I've decided to go to Rome by e-scooter! It's such an absurd and crazy idea and... it's perfect for me! In order to do that, I've tested the autonomy of my e-scooter, found another battery and some replacement parts, packed my backpack, called the craziest travel expert I know.... and I left for a feat that has never been attempted before. Milan. 10th of August 2020. Hi there! It's 8:46 a.m. We're about to go from Milan to Rome by e-scooter! I'll be accompanied by Mattia Miraglio who's going t

o use his bike during this sustainable travel. The battery is completely charged, my e-scooter is set on "eco" and "energy saving" mode. And now... let's go South! I'm so excited! We have officially started our travel! This is Porta Romana and this is a bike path. Let's go!!! We have made our first 3 km, everything is going perfectly! We are now in Milano Rogoredo. We're trying to avoid the overpass. Why don't we take a train to Rome? It would be easier! Naaah... This e-scooter is so heavy when

the battery is completely charged! We're passing under the ring road and now... we're out of Milan! We have made 14 km, let's have breakfast now! Let's use a little bit of sunscreen... My e-scooter has still 4 battery levels. And now let's go to Lodi! This road is so big. 10 km to Lodi! There's absolutely no one on the street. We are finally in Lodi! And now let's have a light lunch. As you can see we are resting on a bench, waiting for the hottest time of the day to pass. I need to replace the

battery of my e-scooter. In order to be completely autonomous during this travel, I've brought 2 batteries with me. To do that, I must disassemble my e-scooter. As you imagine, having another battery in my backpack makes it quite heavy to carry. This is the second battery! This is the actual situation during this pitstop. I'm going to reconnect each part to the other. This first pitstop is officially over so we have 40 km of range, but before we leave let's check tire pressure! I can't feel my

back at all! Our goal is to go across Po river by the end of the day. Next stop: Piacenza! Good morning! We were already psychologically exhausted after half of the very first day. I feel so bad thinking about doing other 7/8/10 days like this one. It will be such a long adventure! It's so warm today! We couldn't give up like that, especially on the first day! So we left and we did other 30 km in the sun. The roads were completely empty. We also got lost trying to avoid a crossroad.... we must

find a way to cross Po river without taking the highway. After passing under a tunnel, we arrived to an amazing bike path next to some fields which would have led us to our first destination. We're crossing Po river! We're entering victorious into Piacenza. I'm so tired. We have achieved the first goal of our travel. We did it. We've done 75 km.... we still have another 600 km to go! Let's do a little bit of stretching! Snoogle has just come to check the situation. What do you think about that?

Snoogle: Mmm... I don't know... I wrote him in the day and in the night before this travel, looking for advices on batteries and other stuff. Snoogle: But the result is pretty good! If I ever arrive in Rome, it will be thanks to Snoogle as well! I've just finished eating pizza and now let's go to sleep. The first day is over, there are still 10 days to go.... or maybe 15... 20? Who knows! We should rest... Good morning Piacenza! We're back on the road! The second day started so bad.... That is

the way for the ring road where you can't ride your bike o walk. Let's go to the countryside. I took this opportunity to test my e-scooter on dirt in case I would have arrived in Tuscany. Test passed! Nothing can stop us! We're back on the highway... but at least the road is quite spacious. We're enjoying this sandwich in the center of Fiorenzuola D'Arda. I have a problem with the screws of the scooter stand because of the vibrations. The most important thing is not to lose it on the road. It wo

n't move but... let's find an hardware store. I want a Tesla, too! Fidenza! This super kind man has just given me two wrenches, I didn't have them at home. I would use them if I got a flat. Thank you very much! Man: You're welcome! Let's use a bit of super glue to defeat any kind of vibration. And...it's done! I've 1 level and a half of battery BUT we have already done 50 km with just one battery! I feel like we are in Switzerland! Here we have a bridge.... and Taro river... and a red light! Wil

l we ever arrive to Parma? Aaaaand it's dead. There is a McDonald's at 1,1 km from here, let's go there so I can replace the battery. C'mon sweetie! We're almost there! I can see it! It's over there! Yeah! As soon as we took some calories and I replaced the battery of the scooter, we decided to leave for Parma: there was still a looong way ahead. Where are we, Mattia? Mattia: We're in Paaarma. We have to go straight to reach Reggio Emilia. We have to go straight. We went straight on this super l

ong bike path on Via Emilia and we finally arrived in Reggio Emilia. This is the first level crossing I pass by e-scooter! We're arrived! Top quality hostel! Look how straight this road is! 92 km by e-scooter. We're enjoying a traditional dish of Pianura Padana.... sushi lol I haven't introduced you my travelling companion Mattia Miraglio yet. I met him in Barcelona while going through a garbage can... but this is definitely another story.... He has travelled for 5 years all around the world, wi

thout having a house, using the power of his body to travel: walking and using a bike. He has been in Turin, New Zealand, Iran, Nepal, Turkey, in the desert of Australia, Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala and many more. If you're interested in Mattia's story go and check his YouTube channel. I have also interviewed him for my podcast, I'll leave the link down below in the description. He has also written a book and who knows, maybe one day we'll see him in a documentary! By the way, it was time to

leave for Bologna: our first real goal. Good morning Mattia. Mattia: Good morning. Reggio Emilia was founded by Marco Emilio Lepido, this city has such a Roman style. The road we're on is the well-known Via Emilia which is called like that for Marco Emilio Lepido. Good job Emilia: here are a lot of bike paths! We're in Modena! Let's take a break. We're here to say hello to our friend Massimo. This is the best restaurant in the world. Mattia: Massimo is over there! Massimo, do you remember me? Ma

ssimo: Absolutely! Mattia: Nice to meet you, I'm Jaki's friend. You should try my e-scooter! You go like that...Yeah, you have to do a little push and you actually GO! Massimo, you're great! Amazing! Bye! Thank you so much! He's amazing... There are a lot of documentaries about Massimo Bottura, you should go and check his story! Mattia: Go and check "Chef's Table" on Netflix, first episode of the first season! Italian pride abroad! Ferrari Museum.... but we have the e-scooter! Well... maybe we c

an make a trade! There are 45°C but it feels like there were 62°C! Let's cross the fields... We're 30 km far from Bologna. We're back to civilization! I can't feel my feet at all! You know what? I don't struggle riding my e-scooter but all the vibrations and standing so many hours with my backpack make this action not so easy at all. C'mon! We're almost there! Ladies and gentlemen... We're in Bologna! Let's go to the centre of the city. The tower of Bologna! Good morning, guys! Francesco: Go awa

y! Jaki!! This is like an holy card... Francesco: Yeah, you have our protection! - Oh yeah! Bologna. E-scooter. We have found a "tour guide". How do we get to Florence from here? Luis: I'm worried about climbs. The road was pretty easy from Milan to Bologna. The first climb going to San Luca is quite difficult... to be honest I'm worried about descents as well... I've booked on Airbnb for the night. That is so nice! You can find amazing accomodation for a very good price in this period on Airbnb

. I'll leave my link in the description down below to receive up to 35€ of discount on your first booking on Airbnb and have the chance to stay in a magic place like this one! I need to take a shower. Evening walk...wearing my flip-flops! Top Thanks for your advice, Mr Luis. Luis: Good luck! Good morning, Dalescooter! Let's follow Luis' advice! And here comes the climb! I'm a bit afraid of using the e-scooter for the climb, both for the battery and for overheating. I've just touched the engine a

nd it's so hot! I don't want to overload it so I've decided to set my e-scooter on "normal" mode and to push myself with my feet. It's the only way. C'mon! Neverending climb. Curse you Luis for making us take the steepest and scenic road.... but I can't see any landscape! Uh.... Yeah! Correction. The landscape is amazing. This e-scooter recovers energy during descents. We had a lot of trouble but it was worth it. The landscape was amazing, we could see the well-known Bolognese hills and finally

enjoy descents. *Jaki singing a song* Wo! That is so cool! We're making friends! My goal is to travel in Italy by e-scooter showing the beauties of this country and teaching people that this vehicle is very interesting when used responsibly. Don't forget to see the video on YouTube! Have a nice day! Man: There's a fountain next to the church A fountain next to the church? Oh, thank you so much! Bye bye! Go! Go! Go! No way, I'm speechless. Wow. Wow. While everything was ok and I was enjoyng the l

andscape.... I can't turn on my e-scooter. E-scooter? I think it's a matter of overheating, the engine is very hot. Theoretically it switches automatically on "protection" mode. We just need to wait and hope it cools down to turn it back on. I hope so. That is so bad. Ok I was able to turn it on. I'll keep it set on "eco" mode and I'll push just in case... I can't risk losing my e-scooter. I'll need to push it in this stretch of road. Hey Mattia, what's up? Mattia: It's warm and there are a lot

of climbs. I don't know who's suffering most from heat between you and my e-scooter. Mattia: Well....we probably alternate but I think your e-scooter. I can see Mattia Good morning! It's easy if you ride an e-bike, having both the advantages of a bike and a scooter. Yeah, water! We rested a bit. We got plenty of water. We were few km far from our accomodation for the night BUT we did a big mistake: after enjoying so many descents we realized we have taken the wrong direction. We're going down th

e valley where's the highway. I'm now proceeding with the engine braking on in order to recover energy and recharge the battery. According to what Luis said, we should have been in the woods surrounded by windmills. What a bad situation... That bloody descent... *no hotel available along the way* Mattia: Have you got a room for tonight for two people? Voice at the telephone: No, I'm sorry.... Those are connected to the engine Have a nice day, gentlemen! Men: Bye! We have completely changed our i

tinerary, which is making us go a detour because of a closed road, it's a disaster. Now there's a tunnel... we're never going to arrive... It had to be like that... We're such an amazing team: I make the reflective on your bags shine. Another day without dying! A highway! SP325. Oh no, the "windmills"! We shoud have been there! By the way, we have miraculously found a hotel in a small village 20 km far from here. C'mon scooter, you can do it! No problem with the battery *famous last words* Casti

glione dei Pepoli: 15 km far from here. Look at the sunset... Oh no, I have just 1 level of battery left and we still have 8 km to do. What a horrible day... Red flashing light... The sun has just gone down. The battery is completely low and there are still 5 km we need to do. Luckily the battery I replaced previously should have 20/25% of life... So, let's do an emergency pit-stop. I can't take it anymore... Let's go! I'm full of reflective stripes! C'mon Mattia, let's do the last km! The secon

d battery is dead as well. I don't even know how much it will take us to arrive... I can see the village! We're almost there! No, the scooter can't take it anymore. What a disaster... Yeah! Here we are! We finally arrived in Castiglione dei Pepoli at 9.31 p.m.! Mission accomplished! Yeah! Mattia: What do you think about this travel, Mr D'Alesio? The last 3 km.... Mattia: ...are the best ones! We deserve this pizza. Mattia: I'm hungry... We were so tired but we did it! We have climbed mountains a

nd the day after there would have been almost all descents. We're going to have fun today! Yeaaaah! No way! This is amazing! Tac, this is homemade pasta! Delicious! We're finally in Prato! *pointing at a lawn - prato means lawn* The grass is a a bit dry... This bike path runs along Bisenzio river. Wow! Have a nice day! We're next to Arno river. We should follow this bike path until we arrive in Florence. This path is absolotely ok for the e-scooter! Florence! It's so beautiful... it seems to be

in a postcard! That bridge is old! *pointing at Ponte Vecchio - ponte vecchio means old bridge* Singing: All I need is.....Cupola (cupola means dome, referring to Brunelleschi's Dome). There it is! Everything went well, I would have never expected that! It was beyond my expectations! Mattia: It all went smoothly. Milan - Florence by escooter: DONE! Good job scooter! Here we are on Ponte Vecchio and here we are at our Airbnb accomodation! Theoretically, the view from our room will be "spicy"! Let

's go upstairs! This is our room... this is so amazing! We have deserved this view after 5 days of fatigue! We just have water..... Mattia: Water at room temperature.... Which is the only thing we have after booking this room! By the way we didn't pay it too much! Once again: don't forget to use my Airbnb link that you'll find in the description down below. Take advantage from it because in this period you can find cool accomodation for a very good price! We decided to take one day off and walk

to see Dante's stone, church and house Mattia do you know the real name of Dante Alighieri? Mattia: No... Durante! And of course we visited Uffizi Museum with a very nice guide who accompanied us in one of the most beautiful museums in the World. In this museum you can find the Portrait of Federico da Montefeltro (that ugly man with the strange nose lol), Primavera and Venus Birth both made by Botticelli, Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Caravaggio, Tiziano and many more... How to resist to typic

al cold cuts and to a huge Florentine steak?! You simply don't! After all, why staying fit? ....Ops. I also tried my luck with this fountain but... it didn't bring me good luck. The coin didn't fall... Does this fountain take Apple Pay? We rested our bodies and minds but Rome was still too far from us. Unfortunately we need to leave this amazing town. By the way yesterday we came from there and followed that path... and now we need to go that way! No more plain Pianura Padana for us! Ouch.... my

back... I'll give you an explanation about this later on. Let's go. I haven't miss my e-scooter at all... This is Porta Romana! We need to go to Siena. ...and we have immediately found climbs. We will find climbs and descents continuously Morning! All the cafés are closed here. You have to go under a bridge and take the first on the left where there's a traffic light. Ok, perfect! Thank you, gentlemen! This supermarket is the only place open nearby where we can find something to eat. This is li

ke gold! I'm eating a banana in order to take potassium. This schiacciata (typical in Tuscany) bought at Coop Supermarket in Tavernuzze is so good! American Cemetery. This place looks great. We're going to cross all Chianti area, in fact you can already see some vineyards. I'm recharging the battery of my e-scooter during this descent. Bargino. This is QUALITY. Look at that, the asphalt is NEW! It feels so good to ride my e-scooter on it, good job Tuscans... for now. Let's make my e-scooter rest

a little bit, I don't want the engine to melt. Meanwhile, I'm stretching my legs. And there's another descent, surrounded by vineyards The first battery is almost dead... let's replace it! Enjoy your meal, Mattia! Mattia taught me that if you put a drink in a wet sock, the drink will keep cold.... it works! Cheers! I'm eating schiacciata with a typical salami of this area. We could eat there, enjoying an amazing view with hills and vineyards BUT we have decided to enjoy a view with actually NOT

HING just because in front of us there is a fountain where we can drink! I have to create an app with all the fountains! My drink is so cold, incredible, it would have been super hot without your method, Mattia! This schiacciata is so good! Kobe! Yeah! Ok, use just THIS clip for the video lol You can always find a slice of Heaven if you learn to appreciate small things of life. Let's go... Bike sprint! Wow, we were finally in the middle of nature, surrounded by Tuscan hills without any car on th

e street, the road was perfect. Nothing could stop us in fact the day went smooth as silk. We're almost in Monteriggioni, I can see it over there! And we're in Monteriggioni! Wow... our hostel is actually in the church. The hostel is full. This is Francigena Road: from Canterbury to Rome. Another well deserved typical Tuscan dinner for us! Enjoy your meal! Do I have to dip this biscuit in wine? Mattia: Yeah! I usually don't drink alcohol but how to resist to something typical?! It's good Good mo

rning! At last we booked this nice hotel, it's not so cheap but it was the only one available from here to Siena. What a view... We're having breakfast. Everything here is so nice... We have almost lost our ID, it would have been a disaster... Fabulous! Today is a bit cloudy. For most of the time we will follow Via Cassia until we're in Rome. For any technical information or advice on road and bikes go and check Mattia's YouTube channel and his videos where he explains anything in a very good wa

y! There he is, setting his camera like a real YouTuber! It's the first time we have told to proceed walking and not using our vehicles: there are too many people here. Here we are! Siena is always so beautiful! And now we're eating a sandwich with salami. Here we have another Porta Romana. There are so many clouds.... which is good because it's not so hot anymore but I'm a little afraid it might rain. What a place! This is amazing! 215 km to Rome! It's starting to rain... Rain, wind, ah! This i

s not good! There was a passing shower. Here's comes the time to replace the battery once again. I also have to fix the brake because it's not working properly... just a little problem with brake pads. Fixed! We dodged the storm, good! What an amazing place... Montalcino! Direction: Rome! You can see our goal of the day from here. Wow... And here we are in San Quirico D'Orcia. This is such a nice village! We have been locked out of our hotel... and we have our things in our room..... We did it!

Cheers to our arrival in Rome! *as a sommelier* Fruity wine.... you can feel that.... I'm not going to describe its details because I would make you feel bored... We finally found our keys and we're back in our hotel. We had our dinner... Great things lie ahead for us... I've been wearing this t-shirt for 8 days... We're ready to go. What a gloomy day... Breakfast of champions! This square is full of bikers but there's no one with a scooter. What a characteristic place! 183 km to Rome! Our goal

was closer and closer but nature wanted to surprise us in different ways.... with SHEEP. There are so many sheep! They're so nice... And there you can see the sheperd. ... then with a CHASM in the asphalt and with RAIN. Not good. It's actually pouring! We need to find a shelter! Those clouds are full of rain... I'm set on "rain" mode. My e-scooter won't give up. It's pouring, we're in the middle of the storm. We'll stop as soon as we reach a village. We can't proceed this way. The situation was

too perfect, damn! Hi cows! We have still one and a half level of battery. Luckily it's not warm and my e-scooter doesn't overheat. Well maybe there could be a short-circuit but no overheating! Ladies and gentlemen.... we're in Lazio! It started pouring again... The e-scooter is strong but it's better to wait for the storm to end. We're under this amazing canopy with other pilgrims. My e-scooter is safe and sound charging its battery. Homemade pizza. Is it a different day? We have eaten and I ha

ve also recharged half of the battery of the scooter which will let me not to replace it! And now let's go South! They're repainting the road line just for us! As soon as we entered in Lazio, we found a very good asphalt... I don't know how long this will last... I can see a big climb... *looking at the asphalt condition* ... never mind... This is Acquapendente My e-scooter died during the last climb. Sometimes we are following Francigena Road. While I was replacing the battery, I noticed that a

plastic part of the engine connectors are burnt. I'm sure it didn't happen today, it must have been hot in here! I love lying down under the trees, enjoying the wind and resting a little bit... if it hadn't been for this travel, I would have never been in this parking in my life... the idea of slow travel is crazy... It feels so nice to have my e-scooter completely charged... Lake Bolsena, so fascinating... it's known as the city of the Eucharistic miracle. *singing about the castle he's just s

een* I wanted to stop here in Bolsena but all the hotels of the city are fully booked so we have decided to proceed for 5 km and try with another small village. That is the village where we're going to stay! Look at that! 100 km and we'll be in Rome! And now we're under a three-digit number of km! We're in our hotel room. We have done 84 km today! On Mattia Miraglio's Strava profile you can find all the itineraries we have done. 100km to Saint Peter's grave, 100km to our goal. In the meanwhile,

Mattia Miraglio has lost his wallet... this is so ironic: usually I'm the real disaster, I haven't done anything wrong against all odds... yet. Better than Tiziano's Venus of Urbin! Good morning Lazio! Let's have breakfast, c'mon! My beard says we have been travelling for days. Ready, set.... GO! Today we're going from Bolsena Lake to Bracciano Lake! In the last day we'll arrive in Rome and arriving could be a disaster... We were proceeding nicely on a dirt road which didn't scare us at all when

... I fell while walking! Exactly, not riding my e-scooter....walking... I was setting my iPhone for filming! What a disaster! 700 km with an e-scooter and I fell while I was walking! Just a little scrape on my knee. Just like a child! But I am ready for any situation in fact I have this First Aid Kit. Obviously it would have been better not to fall at all but it was useful to remember that danger is always behind the corner. We put a bandage on my knee and we left! Back on the provincial road!

Viterbo. We have to find a place where we can eat. Panzerotto! The wound is doing pretty good. My goal of the day is not to hurt myself again. I feel like my scooter is suffering. My knee is ok. I'm so worried about arriving in Rome. Roads are becoming a real disaster because regional roads become provincial ones and privincial roads become these strange road... Is this Beverly Hills? This is the real Francigena Road. Oh no the battery of the scooter is low. We found a refuge from the sun under

these hazelnut trees. This is so nice... Nothing will ever stop us! We did this to avoid traffic. I love asphalt, bye dirt road! We stopped at the railroad crossing. Where's the train? And now we can go! We just realized we have to go this way... not that one! From now on I think we'll find almost descents without climbs. Bracciano Lake! This is so nice...How can I possibly resist to swim in this lake?! We like this last evening so much Mattia: Yes, we do! Last dinner! Mattia: Cheers to you, Jak

i! Look at this! Cheers! I think they made a mistake with these Christmas lights! I look like one of those workers on the highway with these clothes on! We have also a TV directly from 2000. I know it hurts, hold on! Tomorrow is the BIG FINAL DAY, yeah! Good morning! We're ready and close to our goal... but we haven't finished yet! Last km are always the most difficult ones! Especially when you go to the most chaotic and biggest city in Italy! What's that?! 20 km and we will be officially in Rom

e! We need energy! Let's do it! I'm ready for Grande Raccordo Anulare! "All roads lead to Rome". There it is! We're going to pass over it. We did it! Under this road there is Grande Raccordo Anulare! Grande Raccordo Anulare: DONE! It was easier than I expected! We thought the biggest problem was solved BUT we decided to follow Francigena Road and go to Insugherata Park, a 740 hectares park North of Rome. Amazon Forest has less uncut grass than it! Everything was perfect until we arrived in Rome!

NO NO NO! Mattia: Wait a second... We have to suffer for these final 10 km! We were in Tuscany in the middle of nowhere with a perfect road condition! It was not time to complain. It was time to carry my scooter and cross the stream and all the mud. Yeah! And it was also time to leave thorns behind and take a dirt road that would have led us to wild boars: there was a mum and she was obviously very dangerous because willing to attack to protect her babies. I turned off my e-scooter and we slowl

y proceed. Good job, Rome! But It will take more than that to stop us! Sand? For real? It was impossible for a scooter. And then we did a huge climb under the sun. After a 3-hour-fight vs Insugherata Park we were the real winners, finally out of that place. I don't know where we are in this moment but we're finally in Rome! After taking away so many things from us, Rome decided to give us a bike path (right after a dangerous crossroad). The rest is history. Let's take over Rome! This is real hos

pitality! Good morning! Yeah! The dome! We're in Rome! We're going under the colonnade! I'm getting goose bumps. Ladies and gentlemen, we're arrived to Saint Peter's grave. Yes yes yes! We did it! 11 days, 646 km. It was just a joke at the beginning but it ended up being one of the best experiences of my whole life. From Milan to Rome by e-scooter! Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away fro

m the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain) It has been such an amazing adventure! I do not recommend it, maybe it's better to do it walking o by bike... WOW. What?! The Colosseum with work in progress all around it?! Mr Mattia, thanks for standing me Thanks for your support from Jaki, from the amazing Dalescooter, from the Colosseum, from Rome, from Milan, from this amazing journey! See you soon with other amazing adventures! Bye bye!