Mini Vert Ramp – Civitavecchia, Italy

On the west coast of Italy, an hour from Rome, in the countryside above the “port city” of Civitavecchia, a bunch of friends tired of the long political trials and false hopes, decided to move on and turn their dreams into reality.

So once the place was found they put their money and their energies together and started building an 80s style wooden ramp in the backyard of a friend’s mom.

Gabriele Pignatone. Oldschool never gets too old – Frontside layback grind

You know, building a diy ramp it’s never easy and the difficulties in your path to do it are a lot, but it’s exactly these things that make it special: it’s not just a normal ramp, it’s your ramp that you and your friends have built with the efforts and sweat of a lifetime, it’s the ramp to say “fuck you” at all the times you failed because of other people, it’s the dream that you made it happen and for all this reason every trick on this ramp worth more and everyone of us knows it in his heart.

Alesandro Mazzara – Fakie nosepick

We started to build the ramp in July and two months later it was ready to be shredded. I remember the first time I saw it completed I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was standing in front of me and it was heavy! I felt like I was in a 1984 Vision’s video and my friends immediately turn into Jeff Phillips and Gator. The ramp turned out to be not very easy to skate due to the curve’s radius related to the high of the structure, but it’s super fun and challenging.

Following the construction inspired me a lot, and first of all to not giving up, because everything is possible even if the problems will be a lot. So stop talking because actions speak louder than words. You will not be 16 forever, do it if you want it, the moment is now. There is nothing better than a group of friends that skate together in the sound of punk rock music, on a ramp that they built in the fields overlooking the Mediterranean sea.

This is what it’s all about.

Photos by Piero Capannini
Words by Gabriele Pignatone

Gabriele Pignatone – Lien Air

Alessandro Mazzara – FS smithgrind

Gabriele Pignatone – texas

Alessandro Mazzara – FS Air

Gabriele Pignatone – Tuck knee

Alessandro Mazzara – Fakie Ollie

Alessandro Mazzara – Crailslide

Gabriele Pignatone – Slob Fastplant

Alessandro Mazzara – Backside Ollie

Gabriele Pignatone – frontside air