When it is in Italian, of course!  Italy has its Vespas (translation, hornet) and its Apes (bee)!

Here’s a fun post from AnAmericanainRome.com.  She includes great pix so check out the original.

PIAGGIO APE OBSESSION

“Ape” means bee in Italian.

Ape means “adorable” to me.

Born out of necessity and ingenuity post-WWII, the Piaggio Ape is ubiquitous in Italy’s small towns, and even Rome’s smaller side streets.

When it was created in the late 1940s, it was essentially a Vespa with an extra back wheel and a board in the back to create a small flatbed.

Now with a tiny cab that sits exactly 1.5 people, it still is essentially a Vespa with an extra wheel and a flat bed.

It gets it’s name from the buzzing the tiny engine makes and it hustles around, from the vineyard to the bar and back again.

Some lovely lads from London turned their ape into a mobile Italian pizza oven. You can find the Pizza Pilgrims here.

Now repeat after me: Ape. Ah-pay. This is a bee, not a monkey!