Alessandro Reversi Celebrates 91st Birthday, Skilled Driver and Local Legend
Alessandro Reversi recently celebrated his 91st birthday with enviable physical fitness: an athletic build, iron health, no glasses or cane.
Almost twenty years after retiring, the legendary taxi driver remains a proverbial motorist, ready to scold the mechanic if he adjusts the clutch or the valve timing poorly. He drives along the roads by the lake or in the mountains of Trentino and, far from considering himself an elderly driver, has thoughtfully installed a car radio and GSM cellphone in his vehicle.
His driving career
Throughout his life, Reversi has covered an incredible number of kilometers. In the 1930s, shortly after getting his license, he drove a Citroën 6-cylinder truck: the iconic version with external headlights and a tailgate mounted on the side; he transported people with it.
He later moved on to freight transport behind the wheel of Mercedes trucks from the 1940s. The war years saw him always on heavy vehicles: from military Fiat 626 to Bianchi Milles, and Isotta Fraschini. After the conflict, he once again found himself working mainly with trucks, predominantly with the «Super Taurus» model.
During that period, he also bought a Moto Guzzi, simply to diversify with a different type of vehicle. His trucking era ended in the early 1960s, a period during which Alessandro Reversi embarked on a new adventure, always behind the wheel: he became a «public service» driver, i.e., a taxi driver.
He was one of the first taxis operating on Garda, covering millions of kilometers until retirement. An interesting fact: his profession was always carried out with Italian-made Fiat vehicles. From the Fiat 1300 to the Fiat 2300, from the robust Fiat 124 to the popular Fiat 128.
The contribution to tourism and recognition
He demonstrated a true loyalty to the Turin-based manufacturer. But what matters most is that his work as a taxi driver contributed to the development of the tourist economy around the lake: the boom of those years was supported precisely by these pioneering professional figures who, through their commitment, laid the groundwork for services later called support for tourism.
Alessandro Reversi was celebrated at the town hall and received a plaque from the municipal commerce councilor.
