THE LEGEND
The Explorer and Legend Dr. Cesare Battaglini made an impressive long distance scooter trip in 1956 to 1959. He traverses every continent and sets a new record as he covers a total of 160,000 kilometres on a Lambretta 150D scooter that has been specially prepared at Innocenti’s experimental laboratory in Milan.
I dream with open eyes of strange people, unexplored forests, wild mountains, never ending deserts and a thousand other things that don´t exist only in my fantasy but are reality of this earth; what “torments” me is that although I know they exist, maybe I´ll never get the opportunity to see them with my own eyes.
– Cesare Battaglini, from his own diary 1947.
After this he started planning his great adventures. With a great passion for Lambretta, travelling and to discover the world, his Lambretta scooter became the perfect transportation for his journeys to satisfy this need for knowledge and adventure.
Cesare set out on his world tour in 1956. A three year journey of 160,000km or more! From the beginning the journey was planned to take two years but once the exciting trip began he felt less need to keep track of time. The journey became more important to him than the achievement of completing a world tour.
Local dealers were informed when Cesare was nearby to organized assistance with parts sent by Innocenti, the founder of the Lambretta factory. Cesare and Innocenti had a close connection throughout his journey. Innocenti helped with funding when needed and in return got to see what needed to be improved on the scooter as the journey went on. From time to time Cesare would stop in different places working as a mechanic teaching the art of fixing Lambretta scooters.
Throughout the journey Cesare visited many interesting places, learnt many new things and helped others. His thirst for adventure guided him. He enjoyed the beautiful nature and adapted very easily to the cultures and conditions around him. The spirit of adventure was always the fuel for Cesare to carry on!
Cesare was admired by the people around him for his freedom and independence. Today we thank Cesare for the spirit he has passed to a lot of young riders. Cesare never lost his love for Lambretta he continued to ride around in Europe well into his 60's.
It must have taken tremendous courage to leave on a little scooter for this great journey. Cesare is considered a hero by many among the Lambretta fans clubs all over the world! He came to be 84 years old. Even in his 80`s he raced his Lambretta scooter with a smile on his face. The Lesson we can learned from Cesare´s inspiring story so that anything that seems impossible can be achieved.