The Sexy Vespa

Conceived in 1946, 78 years ago, it is known and loved all over the world. It is a rare example of a vehicle that has survived and stayed true to its original concept. Every generation has its cultural references, its music, its literature, its movies . . . and its vespa.

The story of Rinaldo Piaggio is a good story. It is a story about a man endowed with brilliance and character, not a poet, a saint nor a navigator, but a man with an uncanny business sense.

He was born in 1864, the son of a shipbuilder and trader. In 1884, at the age of 20, he founded a ship furniture manufacturing company. He was soon working for every big shipyard in Genoa. Every ship launched out of Liguria had his furnishings on board.

His business interests expanded from the sea to the land. Trains became his new business and his carpenters were specialised in the repair and construction of train cars for the largest train companies in Italy. The war came and factories were taken over. Rinaldo saw an opportunity and started repairing seaplanes and then went on to build military seaplanes.

The man was a dynamic entrepreneur. He was unquestionably one of Italy’s important industrialists. He founded the first Italian airline in 1926.

Rinaldo’s son, Enrico, was the head of the Tuscan branch of the company in the 1940s. He was as business savvy as his father and understood what the demands of the era were. It was time to give Italians a means of transport that was simple and affordable. Projects and productions in the aeronautics sector were discontinued in favour of the scooter. This is a sector that Piaggio has never abandoned, not even after having produced almost 19 million scooters.

There are eight Piaggio factories in Italy. Vespas are made at the factory in Pontedera near Pisa. In the first year of production in 1946, 2,484 Vespas were distributed. That number was destined to grow rapidly, reaching 10,535 in 1947, 19,822 the year after and 60,000 in 1950. In 1956, exactly ten years after the Vespa was born, one million vespas were manufactured.

The Vespa 125 is the version that made the vespa famous all over the world. It was presented in Milan on 30 December, 1950 and could be found in dealerships soon afterwards. Sales increased sharply with the release of the movie Roman Holiday in 1953 with the 125 starring in legendary scenes with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn scootering around the historic centre of Rome.

One of our favourite quintessential Italian experiences is to explore the Eternal City on the back of a vespa like a true Roman! The Vespa Squad of Scooteroma has been scootering my happy travellers around the ancient neighbourhoods of Rome for many years now. It is always one of the most talked about and unforgettable memories of their trip.

Did you know that Vespa translates to wasp?

And who can resist the Fiat500 that puts a smile on everyone’s face

Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino - Italian Automobile Factory Turin

Giovanni Agnelli, born in 1866, founded FIAT in 1899 in the region of Piemonte at the age of 33. He was a leading Italian industrialist of the first half of the twentieth century.

The first Fiat500 was made in 1957 - the Cinquecento

In 1983, the town of Garlenda in the region of Liguria wanted to create a special event that would give notoriety to the town, so they planned a gathering of Fiat500. The event took place in 1984 with about thirty participants. Little did they know that it was the beginning of a club that would spread throughout the world with international meetings held annually.

Over the years the number of members grew rapidly, resulting in a more structured and official organisation and the start of the Fiat500 Club Italia in 1990. One year later there were 1,000 members. By 2011 members of the club exceeded 21,000. With around 25,000 members today, it is the largest single-model car club in the world.

In 2014 the concept of “Slow Drive” was launched, the slow movement that says “no” to the highways in favour of rediscovery of responsible tourism with scenic drives between villages. Love that.

Italy is one of the major car manufacturers, both in Europe and across the world. Today the automotive industry is almost totally dominated by the FIAT Group. As well as its own model range, FIAT owns the upmarket Alfa Romeo, Lancia brands and the exotic Maserati brand.

Luxury sports cars manufactured in Italy:

• Alfa Romeo, founded in 1910 in Milan.

• Maserati, founded in 1914 in Bologna (the factory is now in Modena).

• Ferrari produced its first car in 1947 in Maranello, province of Modena.

• Lamborghini, founded in 1963 in Bologna and still made there today.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb