When is a bee not a bee?

When it is an Ape, of course.

Another little Italian lesson: ape is pronounced ah-pay, and means bee in Italian.

They are tiny 3 wheeled vehicles, nowadays seen less frequently in cities of Italy, but still found in small towns and the country. And now, I’ve discovered someone owns 2 of them in Myrtleford. He uses them out on his farm, they’re not registered for road use.

This little fellow was at one of the local garages, having some maintenance work done. 

The motor is a whopping 50cc! The driving controls are smack in the middle of the interior, which doesn’t leave much room for a passenger. This model boasts a motor-bike type of control, with the throttle and gear shift on the handles. 

Vroom-vroom

Oh, okay, I’ll get out if you insist.

 

The weather has been so kind!

After I found the monument to the bombing of the vaporetto Giudecca in Pellestrina yesterday, I spent some time exploring in this part of the lagoon.

Pellestrina looks so little on the map, but it is obviously a vibrant community.

I started my visit near the bottom end, walked for a while, then caught a bus to S.M. del Mare to join the ferry to Lido.

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This was a fruit and vegetable market

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I got off the bus in Malamocco, to walk a bit more. I was able to see Poveglia, if only from a distance.

This island was recently put up for sale, but the attempt was thwarted by some concerned Venetians who didn’t want to see yet another (probably failed) attempt to build a luxury hotel. It has a rather interesting history, do yourself a favour and read a little of this article.  asylum-ghosts-plague-history

In a quiet yard, I was treated to the sight of some sculptures that some of you may have seen in Venice itself.

And, a favourite little vehicle of many visitors to Italy, the 3 wheeled Ape.

I caught a bus back to Lido, then took the vaporetto to the Giardini stop. A very satisfying lunch of spaghetti con vongole (clams) at this trattoria on the Via Garibaldi, left me replete.

The remains of the feast.

I walked home to Campo Santo Stefano, trailing a cloud of garlic fumes, with a happy smile on my face, and a trace of olive oil on my chin.

The death of a bee

I read recently about the death of  37 million bees in Ontario,  Canada. (I wonder who counted each little bee body?)

Their deaths were attributed to the proximity of genetically modified maize, and the use of a particular pesticide which damages the immune system of bees, and affects their sense of direction. This is disturbing news, if it is accurate. We depend, more than we know, on these busy little pollinators.

I have to report on the death of one little bee here on the streets of Florence. It wasn’t nasty pesticides that caused its death. No, it seems to have been fire. Poor little bee.

I forgot to mention that the Italian word for these 3 wheeled vehicles is “ape”, which is pronounced ah-pay. It means “bee”. If you’ve seen and heard one of these, you might remember the tiny engine sounded like a buzzing bee

Here is what a living one looks like.