A new stop for the GP Tour, a journey through Italy to discover Giorgio Parodi, the Genoese founder of the most iconic and loved motorcycle in Italy and abroad, this time the beautiful Trapani area hosted the event, thanks to the collaboration of the Giorgio Parodi Association with the 37th Stormo and the Sartarelli Vintage Car and Motorcycle Club of Trapani.
The Parodi’s eagle is back in Trapani with three days rich of events that brought the numerous lovers of the well-known motorcycle brand in the footsteps of the family, traces of the ties with the Sicilian territory date back as far as 1913, when the “Società Anonima Angelo Parodi fu Bartolomeo” was officially founded.
The event, with the patronage of the Municipality of Trapani and Misiliscemi, linked two wheels and flying lovers, the two great passions of Giorgio Parodi, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Italian Air Force. We started with a visit to the base of the 37th Stormo, where the story of the great entrepreneur and his family was told, they ruled the fate of the Tonnare of Favignana for a long time. Followed by a static display of historic aircraft and vehicles with some flights of vintage airplanes.
The tour continued on Saturday with a visit to the island of Favignana and its tuna traps, which in 1937 passed definitively from the Florio family to the Parodi, to end on Sunday 23rd with a motorcycle meeting in Erice.
A long fly of the Eagle, so Giorgio Parodi would imagine himself, through years of great international successes both in the motorbike competitions and in air races that bond permanently the Italian pilot and entrepreneur to the fascinating history of the Italian Air Force in the year of her 100 Jubilee.
“The eagle with spread wings is the universal symbol of all civil and military pilots, as well as being that of Italian Air Force,” explains Elena Bagnasco, president of the Giorgio Parodi Association and granddaughter of Giorgio as well. “Giorgio wanted it on the tanks of his motorcycles in memory of two friends, Stefano Baglietto and Giovanni Ravelli, pilots like he was, who both died in flights accidents and with whom he began to develop a new and innovative motorcycle project.”
“We must also remember,” concludes Elena, “that the eagle was already in the family feelings with ‘Angelo Parodi fu Bartolomeo,’ which officially chose it as its brand in 1911, and with the capital of which Moto Guzzi was founded in 1921.”
Colonel Daniele Donati, Commander of the 37th Stormo, expressed full satisfaction with the organization of the visit, which is part of the events scheduled to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Armed Force and provided a further opportunity to “open the doors” of the Department to the splendid community that hosts him, underlining that “Giorgio Parodi, famous and multi-medal aviator, fully represents the ethical values, passion, dedication and ingenuity that have belonged to all men and women of the Italian Air Force since its inception.”
Salvatore Ingardia, motorcycle enthusiast, founder of Sicily motorcycle Tour, Francesco Sartarelli, member of the Technical National Board of the 150th Club linked to ASI (Historical Italian Car/Moto Association), and the President Alberto Santoro was proud to support a great initiative which paired the passion in the air with the one on the road by bikers; an iconic tour of the locations which the Parodi’s family made to flourish and become Landmark for Western Sicily, to be visited every year by thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world.
