More than 10,000 Wasps They roared around the Colosseum and past the Roman Forum on Saturday, marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic scooter.
Enthusiasts came from all over: continental Europe, northern England, San Francisco, Australia’s Gold Coast, the Philippines and more. Visitors aboard Vespas converged on the cobblestone streets of the Eternal City to celebrate a brand they also consider timeless. Even if it was only for a day, Ferrari and Ducati were forgotten as the little Vespa left them behind.
“The passion for Vespa is for the Italian style, the freedom, the ’60s. I love it,” said Natalie Dunand, a retiree from France who was also celebrating her own 61st birthday.
The two-wheeled vehicle that makes you smile World-famous for the 1953 film “Roman Holiday,” in which Gregory Peck gave Audrey Hepburn a romantic ride through the center of Rome, Vespas have since appeared in other productions, including “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and, more recently, the animated film “Luca.”
With curved lines that evoke a bygone era, as well as the ability to bring smiles to those who look at them, the Vespa (which means “wasp” in Italian) is to two-wheeled transportation what the Volkswagen Beetle is to cars.
How was it invented?
Its invention was somewhat coincidental while Italy was rebuilding from the rubble after World War II. Piaggio, a major aircraft manufacturer whose Pontedera factory was destroyed by bombinghad to change course. Slowing down considerably, the brand began mass-producing scooters.
Initially, women were the target customers, according to Davide Zanolini, executive vice president of marketing at Piaggio, since they could drive those vehicles with long skirts without showing legs. This is reflected in the design of the Vespa.
«The shape, the elegance. This charming attitude of Vespa is much more of a lady than a man,» declared Zanolini.
That little two-wheeled vehicle helped boost Italy’s economy, and soon enough, they were everywhere.
In a 1950 article, it is noted that Vespas had become so ubiquitous that their “breathy exhaust noise” made them downtown Rome will sound like the Indianapolis 500.
“There is probably no louder scooter in the entire world,” the text reads. «The scooters roaring through Rome are said to impress motor-loving Americans as intensely as St. Peter’s or the Colosseum. The scooter quickly teaches visitors to look in four directions at once at street intersections.»
A vision of the past Scenes like this have become common again since Vespa fans began arriving on Thursday, flooding streets throughout the city, and while tour groups made their presence known in matching t-shirts.
On Thursday, the parking lot in front of Rome’s Marble Stadium had long lines of Vespas of all models from the past eight decades. It was like a motorcycle rally, only adorable. Some Vespas were decorated with flowers and stuffed animals.
Dunand’s Westie terrier rode behind her, his fur trimmed to cope with the heat. A man from Tokyo, with his 8-year-old daughter sitting behind him, exchanged the banner of his city club with that of an Italian. Others changed stickers. And the Vespa logo tattooed on a German’s sturdy left calf appeared alongside three words in flowery cursive: “La Dolce Vita” (The Sweet Life).
Thousands of fans
Fans talked about how the brand connects with the nostalgia of a certain era, even among those who were not alive then. Many also noted that they swapped larger motorcycles for more agile and manageable Vespas because they are lighter and more automatic, with the accelerator on the handlebar grip.
«You get in, you turn and you go. No fuss. Easy,» explained Andrew Walton, a 59-year-old truck driver who bought his first Vespa almost 20 years ago and hasn’t looked back. He had just spent eight days driving from Newcastle: first taking a ferry to Rotterdam and then following the River Rhine through Germany to Austria’s “Romantic Road”, and finally down the coast of Italy.
Once the mayor of Rome cut the ribbon at the Marble Stadium, visitors poured in singing, chanting and waving flags. Many went straight to the gift shop, where they could find anything: from Vespa jackets and caps to Vespa blankets, Vespa water bottles and Vespa umbrellas. But most of the first to arrive had their eyes set on the limited edition helmetwith the phrase “80 Years of an Icon” printed on the side.
A photographic retrospective showed Vespas in classic scenes (couples picnicking in a flowery field, beach getaways with bikinis and a ball, road trips under the Mediterranean sun) as well as others one might not imagine, such as the explorer Soren Nielsen reaching the Arctic Circle on a Vespa in 1963.
There were also pristine Vespas from Piaggio’s collection, displayed like models posing to be admired, commanding attention that would normally be directed to the nearby marbles of idealized physiques.
The company has sold around 20 million Vespas around the world since 1946 and today markets in 110 countries, Zanolini indicated. In the United States, they are popular in Florida and California and are gaining ground in some other places like Austin. But even so, it is a niche product in the United States, he added.
Burke Sandman, whose family owns a 108-year-old car dealership in Indiana, said in Rome that he bought his first Vespa about two decades ago, captivated by its sidecar. He soon realized that there were no resellers nearby and contacted the company to get into the business. Since then it has placed around 1,000 in the United States, leaving with 15 for him.
«No one ever says anything bad about a Vespa. It’s crazy,» said Sandman at Vespa Village. «Everyone who changes other brands for a Vespa never goes back. It’s something they have. And everyone likes Italian things. I get a lot of people who come back from Europe and already have the bug.»
AP Agency.
GML
