Alberto M Zanni //Transport-Environment-Energy-Cities//

Vecchi telai, parafanghi bianchi e tasse: una collezione di biciclette

[English version here] Ogni anno a Natale, quando sono di ritorno in Italia, mi ritrovo con i miei vecchi amici delle superiori per una ‘magnassa’ delle specialità della nostra città (tortelli verdi, tortelli di zucca, cappelletti alla panna, cappelletti in brodo, arrosto con patate, Zuppa Inglese e, naturalmente, Parmigiano-Reggiano) gentilmente e magnificamente preparate dalla Signora…

Vintage frames, white mudguards and taxes: a bicycle collection

[questo post ha anche una versione in italiano] Every year at Christmas, when back home in Italy, I gather with my old friends from secondary school for a ‘magnassa’ (a big meal) of our city’s specialties (tortelli verdi, tortelli di zucca, cappelletti alla panna, cappelletti in brodo, arrosto con patate, a dessert, often the local,…

Cycling Cities: The Reggio Emilia Way – Part 2a: Le Piste Ciclabili

In my previous post about Reggio Emilia I described what cycling is about in the historical city centre ‘Centro Storico’. Here I turn my attention to the network of cycleways that spread from Centro Storico to the suburbs, as well as enable people to travel by bicycle – separated from traffic – among various locations…

Cycling Cities: The Reggio Emilia Way – Part 1: Il Centro Storico

“Bici e resistenza” (Bicycle and Resistence) says the writing on the graffiti above, painted on the old kiosk of Piero, the partisan mechanic who repaired bicycles for many years there (even mine, when I was very little). That image describes well the importance of bicycles in the history (and future) of the city of Reggio…

Biciclette al mare/Bicycles by the sea

When things on the streets of the UK seem to be a bit tense, I hope to cheer everyone up with some holiday snaps of some relaxed, simple, old-fashioned cycling… Location: Marina Romea, a small family resort on the Adriatic coast of Italy, near beautiful Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region (the Romagna bit). Scene: an…

Bakfiets can have three wheels, and some tips about (cargo) cycling with children in the Netherlands

Those of you who read my first post will know that my decision to buy a two-wheel cargo bike, rather than a three-wheel one, was simply based on: theoretical research, sort of untested vague assumptions, wild guesses, and so on (well, I am an economist after all). Despite the trust I normally put in my…

A digested read of the Legambiente 2017 report on the cycling economy in Italy

[ In a recent interview (Sun 14 May 2017, the Bicycle Day in Italy) for the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, the Scottish-born American musician – and cycling enthusiast – David Byrne, author of the book ‘The Bicycles Diaries‘, mentioned cities that are well known for being bike friendly, like Copenhagen [Obviously], Berlin [Yeah, why…

Urban Arrow Family Cargo Bike Review

In my previous post I went through the thinking behind the purchase of a cargo bike, discussed the different models I had considered, and said a few words about the model I finally chose and started using in July 2016, the Urban Arrow Family. Here I am sharing with you my thoughts about the bike after…

A beginner’s guide to buying a Cargo Bike

This guide mainly applies to the UK, where I am based, but surely it can be useful for people living in other areas as well. I can’t exactly recall the way I became aware of the existence of cargo bikes as a solution to transport children. I did visit The Netherlands a couple of times,…