Story by Nicole Scariano
		Friday, 4 pm, squalls of exhaust kick up runaway napkins from gelato cones of Caffè D'Italia. Vroom, vroom, vroom, middle school must be out for the Cagliese children. More napkins and plastic spoons swirl around the piazza, like miniature hurricanes--unable to find rest until the last moped leaves this circle of champions. Vibrations of lawn mower engines with holes in their tailpipes echo between the alleys. Vroom, another reverberates past Caffè del Commericio, dashing back for another lap around the piazza's central fountain. Cappuccinos assume a newer kind of foamy topping. Clinging canvas backpacks of helmetless riders sideswipe the gate of lawn chairs. Three topple to their plastic sides, helpless. Vroom, vroo-vroo, vroom, the following rider rebalances after nearly killing these undeserving obstacles. Patron-less tables wobble in fear for the rest of this middle-school entourage. Other than the foot, mopeds (known as i motorini by the Italians) are the more widely used method of transportation. It is also here, in Cagli, where 14-year old riders, more than any other age group, dominate this usage.
In America, one can drive at 16 years of age, but in Italy the age is only 14. And while it has become usual to find many American 16 year-olds with brand new cars, it is much more common to find Cagliese 14 year-olds with i nuovi motorini . In the time American youngsters spend in line at the DMV (for a learners permit and road test appointment), the Cagliese kids battle between choosing a Vespa in electric blue versus a Honda in forest-green chrome. Beyond a shoulder of plastic chairs and umbrellas; along the first bend of the Cagli racetrack, riders fuel up at Caffè D'Italia. Thick, aluminum kickstands support the weight of three moped beasts while several Italian students enjoy their pit-stop gelato cones. When asking three Italian teenage girls-- Debore (16), Elise (15), Silvie (16)-- about the moped pop culture they have grown up with, each replied the same, "I wanted one because everybody else has one."
			Each of these girls had received a moped for their fourteenth birthdays per un regalo (as a gift) from their parents. Nevermind these gifts being surprises, most of the Cagliese youth have come to expect this kind of toy for their fourteenth birthdays the girls say. (Sounds of boys taking another lap around the piazza , zooming through a stop-line). "What about a road test?" The girls giggle. No license is needed. "Any driving course?" No. "Any written exam?" No. Three of four helmets remain in the Caffè D'Italia pit stop shoulder, rolling around where the boys once had their mopeds parked. Angling the corners, hugging the corners, their hair stays in placed-- gelled hair undisturbed by a helmet. "What about safety?" "Have any of you girls ever been in an accident? What about your friends?" "Yes," Elise replies, "Twice. Both times I fell off because the car in front of me stopped short. I scraped my legs up-- nothing too bad...many of my friends have accidents because we dont know the traffic rules, the mopeds go fast, and not everyone wears their helmet."
Among Cagliese streets, dangers stem from mopeders' lack of traffic knowledge. How can parents let their children drive in the streets without any knowledge of the proper codes of traffic? It is next to impossible to step into Piazza Matteotti and avoid a near-death sideswipe of a buzzing moped. Especially when that driver lacks any schooling or experience with traffic laws-- mainly those applying to pedestrians. "Our parents worry, but they trust us," Debore explains. Between 9 am and noon, the piazza remains empty of racers as many students are still sitting in class. Luckily for them it is also during this time that La Polizia Municipale have office hours. As a father, policeman, and Cagliese citizen, Siligeni Giancarlo explains that when his daughter was 14 (now 18 and studying for her car-road-test), she was given un motorino for her birthday. Giancarlo explains he was very worried but because of his job he tutored her on the rules of the road. And although this is not a typical practice, he believes it should be. A forthcoming law to mandate i motorini licensing and road tests (to be put into effect June 30, 2003) will help alleviate the worries and concerns of all. "As citizens and parents, this law has been long in waiting," Giancarlo smiles while staring from his window into the tranquil and motor-less piazza. But soon it will be 4 pm, soon Cagliese teenagers will begin to loiter, and soon the vroom, vroom, vrooming will return.					CLI CK HERE TO TAKE A RIDE