Oltrape 2020 - Before we leave

Published by Ludovica Luvi F. on 2020-06-30 in Events

JULY the 16th 202, BASECAMP DAY 3

Today it's RiMuflo's turn! If you want to leave with us you better know it! RiMuflo is an old Renault4, all fixed and super nice. Whe you look at it you think "oh that's a cute car!" As we told you, RiMuflo will be one of the cars leaving with our ApeRadio during Oltrape. In the last few days we also added a iron writing on the roof: "Oltrape". Now that is unique too.

The cool thing is that it does too transform in a bedroom for the night. You take down the backseats and you put a kind of wood bench, and voilà! A room! It also looks pretty comfortable. Obviously in these days we practiced the assembling of all the components. The result is the video you see above. It will be Ludo's room and it's funny to see her lying down, she looks like a mummy in a coffin.

Oltrapers

JULY the 14th 2020, BASECAMP DAY 2

Basecamp day 2! We officially became familiar with the Apecar. She will be the protagonist of our trip and we'll share everything with her, not only she'll take us around Emilia-Romagna but in need it will become our radio station for 40 days. Someone will sleep in it as well! It will be a convoy of 10 people more or less and it's impossible to all sleep in a tent. That's why we tried to convert our cars in extra luxury suites.

Actually it won't be the first time someone sleeps in our ApeRadio. Last year during Oltrape2019 someone used it as a comfortable bedroom. This year a lot of things changed, with the awareness of last year's problems. We brought new updates: Radioimmaginaria is proud to introduce the new air intakes!

It's too hot during the night? Are you tired of the tipical Aemilian humidity? Don't worry, here's the new covering for Oltrape 2020! Sleeping has never been easier. Stay tuned for more updates.

Oltrapers

JULY the 14th 2020, BASECAMP DAY 1

Today no one's at the wheel. Well, today we're all in the same place. We left from Castel Guelfo to Imola to try how our basecamp will look like in all the campings of our region.
A sort of simulation. We basically took part in the technical tests of the camping preparation. During Oltrape we will be scattered for 40 days in the campings of Emilia-Romagna and getting there with a convoy like that is not exactly easy...

Also, not all of us are used to mount tents or hang around campings. It'll be something to see for sure... You know the gazebos? Well, they are the most difficult thing to put up in the universe. We have two of them, one with pickets and the other one without. We'll use them as kitchen and as lunch area. What do you say, does this convince you?

Oltrapers

JULY the 13th, VALGI AT THE WHEEL

You remember the log Luvi wrote a fwe days ago about the first challenge? The one where we were asked to discover the name of the members of our teams? Okay, my team won that. Thing is today something happened and it left us a bit surprised. A new message arrived and they told us the participants were not over. Long story short: there are new Oltrapers amongst us...

Now, I don't want to brag but this time too my team managed to guess the new members first. WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE. Okay, anyway. In these very days we're starting to accurately study all the stops we'll have to do during Oltrape. We slowly started to look for nice places in the surroundings. Did you know Emilia-Romagna is filled with Italy's nicest towns? Have you ever been in Premilcuore? No, it's not a show about a cheesy lovestory grandmas watch in the afternoon. It's a town near Forlì-Cesena. What a weird name...

Valgi

JULY the 12th, CATA ATHE THE WHEEL

July the 12th 2020, in exactly 10 days, on the 22nd of July, we're leaving with the ApeRadio. The leaving day is getting closer and closer and we're getting ready. I will leave as well, but unlike the others I know the ApeCar very well because in the trip to Stockholm of last year I participated in the first part.

It's always very exciting, but it's all a bit different. We are very close to home, we're not forced to eat shit food and we can talk to people who actually understand us (even if the dialects some old people speak here is even more difficult than Swedish).

Anyway, we were given some weird instructions, a series of objects we will have to have for the trip. I was a bit shocked when I received the email. I even have to bring a map of Emilia-Romagna. A map! Not even my grandma uses a map anymore! What the hell is this? Alright, we're traveling on an ApeCar but it's unacceptable to give up to comfort in such a blatant way! I DISSOCIATE!

Cata

JULY the 11th 2020, MARCO AT THE WHEEL

You missed my face, didn't you? Well, I came back to tell you that I went shopping these days. As we told you, we have to arm ourselves with some special instruments that will be part of our equipment. I went to a camping shop and I swear it was one of the best experiences in my life. There's a lot of useful things! I felt like in a luna park, I could have stayed there for hours.

In the end, I got back with a tent, a sleeping bag, some trekking t-shirt, some carabiner and keychain you can buy at the counter, some bowls, I felt like a real explorer.
Not to mention all the super-compact gadgets, small backpacks that fit into a pocket, super-compact bathrobe, super-compact towels. Au revoir people, I'm abandoning everything and retiring in a camping shop...

Marco

JULY the 10th 2020 LUVI AT THE WHEEL

Okay, I know I already wrote in this logbook, but now it's my turn. Someone days ago said that we Oltrapers would be divided in 2 teams. We won't make the trip all together but we will be divided in turns with different people. We will face challenges everyday and it will be like a relay race and EACH ONE OF US has to work to make his team win. If you don't win, your team won't win either, and this cannot happen. Especially if you're in the same team as me.

Here is the first text of the first challenge, and the goal was to guess all the members of the team with a series of clues. Well, I am quite competitive (idk if you can tell) and this cannot go on like this. WE LOST the first challenge. I MEAN!! Can you wake up?? I DON'T WANT TO LOSE.

Love, Luvi

JULY the 9th 2020, SASSA AT THE WHEEL

Today has been a crucial day. We met up this evening, some physically (but still at a distance) some on Skype, and we talked to Antonio Maestri, director of the oncological department at the Imola hospital. He worked firsthand against the Covid and he activate a service called USCA dedicated to helping patients in to most delicate phase. Hearing how it was directly from a doctor is very powerful, I can assure you.

He will have a special role in our trip because he will give us all the advice we need to face the Coronavirus in the best way. He will be like a medical consultant who will follow us from home. When we'll be in a difficult situation (hoping it never happens) we will be able to call him and ask him what to do. We're watertight!

JULY the 8th 2020, GIU AT THE WHEEL

Hey people! Today the drive tests with the ApeCar officially ended and we're ready to leave. The ApeCar will have to face some other adjustments before being ready to go but we're slowly making progress. We're 2 weeks to go. The ApeCar is easy to drive, and it's a very intuitive vehicle but I can't say anything because I knew how to drive it already, as I learned to last year when we went from Castel Guelfo to Stockholm.

I'll tell you more. These driving tests have been very fun, mostly because we could look at the others trying to drive or dismantle some pieces hahah. I mean, I'm not the mechanic of the band, I had my fair share of embarrassing moments, but seeing people at their first time using a crick is indeed very funny. Next appointment: tomorrow we'll have a special meeting with a doctor who experienced the Coronavirus pandemic firsthand and he will support us during the trip. Stay tuned for more info...

Giu

JULY the 7th 2020, LUDO AT THE WHEEL

I too, like Tugno, am part of those people who had the luck/unluck to be able to drive the ApeRadio already. Do you think it takes a special license to drive it? No, a normal license is enough.
Anyway, for being pretty awkward at the wheel it wasn't so traumatic for me. I really thought it would have gone worse, I managed to turn it on and I even changed a tire!

Actually the most difficult thing of all was to switch the ApeCar from methane to gas. It looks super easy but I can assure you it's super difficult. That's the most risky moment of all because if the engine is not revved up enough it may stop.

Imagine if the ApeCar stops on a hill while we're traveling on the Apennines! I don't even want to think about it. Well the other issue (you just need to get used to it actually) is that the throttle pedal is too small. Well don't laugh at me, soon more updates!

Ludo

JULY the 6th 2020, TUGNO AT THE WHEEL

A new week has officially started, and we'll leave in 16 days, a bit more than 2 weeks, 2 weeks and 2 days to be precise. The Oltrapers are a mixed group of people from different ages. Some of us are old enough to have a driving license and we're kinda indispensable in a trip on the road. Call us how you prefer, drivers, pilots, you understood what we'll do.

The thing is: it's not easy to drive an ApeCar, a bit because we're not used to it, a bit because ours is an uncommon Apecar, it's an ApeRadio! Hidden machine guns? 4x4 tires? No, nothing like that. Just a biomethane engine, it's not something you see everyday. That's why we will officially start some driving lessons. Are you worried? Chill, we'll never go faster than 40 km/h anyways...

Tugno

JULY the 5th 2020, ROMEO AT THE WHEEL

Hey everyone! It's less and less days until we leave for Oltrape. One of the biggest worries of all of us Oltrapers is that we have no clue how to pass the time in the car. Okay there will be some great things to see, Emilia-Romagna is wonderful and we surely don't miss the company, but the issue remains. It's not common to spend 24/7 on an ApeRadio, or at least I've never done it. That's why I'm here to suggest some things to pass the time.

Okay, you get tired of singing and listening to music after a while. Nothing is better than a good book, think about the stories you particularly appreciate in this period and bring them with you! Be careful though, not many people can enjoy reading in the car because they get car-sick and I didn't find a solution yet (apart from not reading at all). But don't worry! There's always audiobooks and exactly in these days we're preparing something great for you. Do you want a spoiler? Ok, Oltrape Videogame! Okay I said enough...

Romeo

JULY the 4th 2020, MATTIA AT THE WHEEL

4th of July. It's time for the graphics. Charlie, our graphic designer, has been so busy with the silk-screen printings, for the rollups with drawings and writings that will have to cover the trunk of the ApeCar and the other cars. Including the tilting of the Renault 4. But what the hell is a tilting?

Anyway, during the preparation I understood that the graphics world is insane. You ask for something and the thing you asked for will never be delivered to you at the first attempt. So your order travels around unknown roads for ages. It's the hard law of the graphics department. There's always something that isn't right: first the color, then a writing, then a font, then a letter, then Oltrapr instead of Oltrape (this hasn't actually happened yet). But in the end what comes out is a masterpiece! If you want to see the final result stay with us!

Mattia

JULY the 3rd 2020, SOFI AT THE WHEEL

AAA news by ApeRadio. Where were we? Ah, yes, the Viking. Do you remember him? Of course you do, how can we forget. Well, the Apecar has officially returned with the renewed rollup. Today was a day full of steps forward, not only because it came back to us, but also because we officially started assembling all the pieces we'll need during the trip.

Everything is slowly falling in place, Carrello Bello too, where all our luggages will stay. We also started to install the metal shelves where all the boxes will be and it's looking so cool. It's the special thing about these days, when you still have to leave and everyday you notice some improvements. The 22nd of July is getting close and we're so excited! Updates soon.

Sofi

JULY the 2nd 2020, FINN AT THE WHEEL

Hey guys! Here everything is fine, I read of people talking about food, tents, sleeping bags... It's not that those things are not important, but I think there something a bit bigger to worry about, considering we'll spend 40 days in Emilia-Romagna with an Aperadio. What I'm saying is, among everything we should also seriously care for the fact that we're making this trip while a pandemic is going on. Maybe nobody realized this but can you imagine spending hours on a car, in August, with nose and mouth covered by a mask??

So you could think "You don't even respect safety measures!" with a boomer voice. Here's where you're wrong! For the period before the departure and also during the trip we will be accompanied by a doctor who will make sure we're all healthy and that all the rules are respected. We'll have a meeting with him in just a few days, to understand what to do before leaving. It's ok to have fun, but we're staying all together in the same place for a long time, let's not forget about Covid...

Finn

JULY the 1st 2020, BENEDETTA AT THE WHEEL

I ready some days ago that someone already talked about food, imagining to eat wonderful meals just because we're in Emilia-Romagna. Now I don't want to be a buzzkill but I'm almost sure we're eat very bad, like in every camping. Seriously, have you ever been on a camping? At least this time we're in Italy where the food is good no matter what, I'm curious to know how they managed last year... Can you imagine? Not only camping food, but foreign camping food: Sweden, England, in comparison overcooked pasta is a restaurant plate.

And if I tell you this it's not to bother, but because they explicitly advised to bring our own food set, with our own culterly, which is also very ecologic, and it's more hygenic especially in this Covid time. Eating from the same plate is not great... Well where were we?

Yes, travel culterly. The moment I saw those my expectation lowered drastically. You know army rations you see in school books? They look exactly like that. I mean, okay, Oltrape is a challenge but this is too much! We'll see...

JUNE the 30th, 2020, VALGI AT THE WHEEL

You know what's better than participate in Oltrape? Do that while you're used to driving an Apecar. Yes, I've got my very own Apecar, it's bright red, beautiful, it takes me everywhere. When they asked me to participate in Oltrape I couldn't refuse. I hope my Apecar doesn't take it personally, I've never driven anything beside that but I can make an exception this time. But you have to understan Apecars, it's not as easy as it seems, because I don't know if you've noticed but they are very delicate.

And with delicate I mean that they're easily broken. First of all because they're old, but most of all because we have to push them at their maximum. I can assure you it's not a everyday thing to take us around for so many kilometres each day 45 km/h. Poor Apecar! Resist! We're already getting informed on how to repair eventual damages. Last year everything happened, and something tells me this year will be no different. Accelerated mechanic course? Maybe, we're ready for everything.

Valgi

JUNE the 29th 2020, CHARLIE AT THE WHEEL

You're probably wondering: how do you manage to leave being so many on the Aperadio?
You're right. Not many people can fit onf the Apecar, only 2 people in fact. And they're close to each other, so close, sticked basically. Actually, with this coronavirus thing and social distancing only one can go up there.
But we didn't quit and to make as many people as possible leave with us we formed a true army of means of transportation, all turned sustainable, more or less.

There's the Mucca, green and white, 9 unconfortable places (5 with covid), and it took us everywhere. There's Ri-muflo, an old blue Renault 4 glued together with tape that keeps going on just because someone's pushing it. But at least it has a low polluting engine. Then there's Carrello bello. What's that? You don't know? Well, it's a carriage, of the car sort. But's it's realy beautiful. We will place there all of our stuff and we started to optimize the space the way we could today. The Apecar is still at the Viking's...

JUNE the 28th 2020, FILIPPO AT THE WHEEL

Saturday. The Apecar is still in a makeover, the rollup is stil being silk-screened, but we're also getting there with our Oltrapers' uniforms. I love uniforms, so this is great.
We're officially a team and not just because we'll have to live all together for a looong time, but we also have our uniform! It's been designed especially for us, like it was a guarantee for our participation, like football players who take a photo with their t-shirt at the new team's presentation.

Talking about teams, they told me that we all are going to be divided into teams and we'll challenge the others for 40 days. It'll be like a relay race with a lot of missions. I am usually a pretty competitive person. If you find a crazy man running around Emilia-Romagna trying to win the daily challenge you know who that will be. Soon new updates.

Filippo

JUNE the 27th 2020, LORENZO AT THE WHEEL

27th of June. The leaving day is getting closer and closer. Here everything's fine, we're preparing and the Apecar is doing so too. We're getting no info from the mechanics today, it's saturday for them too.
This said, I really hope I'll get to eat as a pig. You have any idea what spending 40 days in Emilia-Romagna means?? We're in the food valley. And I want to eat. I expect someone from every stop (like mayors?) to wait for us with some flags and some cheese and pork products, AT LEAST. Maybe something more, piadina, parmesan, mortadella. Can you imagine the mayor of Parma instead of putting on the tricoloured ribbon puts a slice of ham?

Anyway, everyone's complaining about these 10kg of suitcase. What's your problem? I decided to challenge you all and I'll do everything in my power to win the 5kg challenge. The others are complaining about 10kg? No problem, I'll bring half of it.
5 boxers at the maximum, a pair of shoes, same trousers and t-shrit. Believe me, I will not disappoint.

Lorenzo

JUNE the 26th 2020, CATE AT THE WHEEL

How cute is the Apecar? I mean, look at it! With the truck full of beautiful things, michrophones, headphones, not to mention the front! How cute is it?? You see it right there and you immediately want to hug it, it's so nice, slow, warming, relatively spacious.
As you know, it's still with the Viking, in a city in Romagna called Faenza and they told me that they are currently silk-screen printing the rollup that will cover the trunk. I can't wait to see it finished, it'll be even cuter!

Anyway, I'm desperate. What do you mean I can't bring my hair straightener with me?? How will I survive withut straightening my hair?
We'll also go to the seaside, God I'll look like one of those dogs with long ears. Let's do something. When I know where I'll pass with the Apecar I'll let you know and you'll bring me an hair straightener.
Is that a yes? Great.

Cate

JUNE the 25th 2020, FRANCE AT THE WHEEL

Do you remember the Viking? C'mon, the Viking! The cool dude who's trying to restyle our Aperadio? Well, the beast's still there. I can't wait to see how it'll look like when he finishes customizing it. Rumor has it the Ape is turning out real fancy, better than a Lamborghini or Ferrari.
I probably shouldn't say anything but I eavesdropped a phone call that really intrigued me: apparently we, us Oltrapers, we'll get our own uniforms! That's so cool! Our own uniform, that we can customize the way we want. Every explorer has his own uniform, that distinguishes him: his hat, boots, water bottle... We are just as good!

Anyway, the thing that surprises me the most is that nobody talked about the Ape as a means of transport. I mean, who cares about clothes, I care about the engine!!! C'mon guys, we are talking about the legendary Ape Piaggio, do you know that it made history? Can you imagine Formula 1 made with apes? I'm serious, it's such a fine vehicle, and I know a thing or two about cars: it can ride everywhere, even mountains. It has a trunk where you can put anything and it really became a symbol of our country, known all over the world. And we even made it ecological. I can't wait to go on board and find out all the secrets hidden behind that blue sheet metal!

France

JUNE the 24th 2020, FRANCESCA AT THE WHEEL

I mean, it's been TWO DAYS since we started keeping a journal and nobody mentioned the clothes situation? I'm not joking: 40 days around Emilia-Romagna? Four suitcases will be necessary. Four at least: we're going to the seaside, so I'll need a good pair of swimsuits, then four pairs of shoes (you never know), underwear, sweaters, coats, jackets... we'll even hit the mountains, you know? Even if it's august, the Appennini are reeeeally windy. My grandma says I should also bring my scarf and ski!

Unfortunately we've been told that we can bring 10 kg of stuff at most. That includes EVERYTHING: not just clothes and toothbrush, but also tent, sleeping bag, pillow... everything. Everything has to weigh up to 10 kg. I thought that maybe they forgot one or two zeros, BUT NO! Not only did they imposed such drastic measures (I mean, even the worst airlines ever give bigger luggage...) but they aldready bought some sad boxes with our names written on them... I swear, I feel like I'm prison.

Francesca

JUNE the 23rd 2020, LUVI AT THE WHEEL

June the 23rd, less than a month before departure. Aperadio is still with the Viking, but it seems like he's treating it well. Meanwhile, something's going on. A ship without its crew is incomplete, and so it's our Aperadio. We need some smart people for such a risky expedition. 40 days, no, really, I mean, 40 days aboard a 70's Apecar, whose maximum speed is 45 km/h going downhill.

Do you understand what it means? You don't, huh? I suspected it... Well, today I'm here to tell you that we are working on the crew. 40 days are a really long amount of time and in order to get safe and sound to the end of the trip, we decided to split into groups. Each group will leave for a week, max 10 days, hoping that everyone will come back in one piece. Fingers crossed!

So we gathered aaaaall the brave warriors who applied to get a chance to go and we came together: it could seem like we formed a cult, but I swear we mean no harm. We are already getting old, having our three-hour-long-meeting at the cafe, drinking bitter orange with 30 degrees and our face masks on.

But we came up with the name: OLTRAPERS! That's us! Fundamental requirements? Humility, children! Don't expect to find showers, five stars hotels, four stars hotels... three stars hotels: I mean, you have to be ready to sleep almost everywhere and grind miles and miles everyday in the middle of Emilia-Romagna. For what's left, we rely on adventure!

Luvi

JUNE the 22nd 2020, MARCO AT THE WHEEL

Today is officially June the 22nd, yesterday was June the 21st and tomorrow is June the 23th. Alright, we haven't gone nuts yet. June the 22nd: an exact month from now and we'll set off with Oltrape. Oltralpe cannot he explained: is it a trip? Is it a mirage? It's our adventure! Forty days around Emilia-Romagna, aboard an apecar, renewed and ecological. One month left and the Apecar is in preparation. Today it was taken care by the Viking. Who is the Viking? You seriously don't know? He absolutely doesn't have to know this, otherwise he'd be capable of breaking your backs with his Nordic hatchets and muscles.

We call him that because all the girls in radio say that he's really cool, one Nordic beauty as you will have understood, a tall, blond guy with pumped-up muscles. Yeeeeah, I know, unfortunately not everyone is born Viking. After being passed through his hand, our ape is clearly so much prettier (and it couldn't be any other way, you'd say).

That's right, Ape got a makeover!
Tiny bit of spoiler: following the summer 2020 Piaggio ape's collections, we found out that the most fashion colors for the summer are dark blue and fuschia. Are you exited to see it??? I guess you'll have to wait a little bit longer, we're still working on it....

Marco

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