ROMAN HOLIDAY: An undisputed icon of Italian design and the country’s lifestyle, Vespa is marking its 80th anniversary with a four-day gathering in Rome that’s expected to draw between 50,000 and 60,000 fans of the scooter brand.
Running June 25 to 28, the event was planned as a festival with a dedicated Vespa Village at the Foro Italico sports complex and a full agenda of initiatives.
“The word icon is overused nowadays for many a product, but Vespa really deserves this attribute for the history it represents, the values it stands by. It’s really synonymous with Italian style,” said Davide Zanolini, executive vice president of global marketing and communication of Piaggio Group, Vespa’s parent company, during a press conference in Milan on Thursday.
To be sure, the brand has been somewhat steeped in myth since it was catapulted to global fame by Audrey Hepburn riding on the back of Gregory Peck’s scooter in the classic 1953 movie “Roman Holiday.”
The village will showcase historical Vespa scooters, including eight rare editions, such as one designed by Surrealist Salvador Dalì, alongside modern versions. The exhibit is poised to travel to the brand’s headquarters in Pontedera, outside Pisa in the Tuscany region, as well as potentially to other venues, Zanolini said.
At the Vespa Village, the brand’s merchandise as well as lifestyle and fashion collections will be on display and available for purchase. The latter were introduced in 2024 as part of Vespa’s lifestyle push called “The Empty Space.”
A photograph from the “80 Years of Vespa” exhibition to bow in Rome.
Courtesy of Vespa
Kicking off the four-day event, Vespa will unveil a celebratory stamp and coin, issued by the Italian mail service and the state mint, respectively. The first day will also mark the inauguration of “80 Years of Vespa,” a photography exhibition curated by Italian photographer Giacomo Bretzel, known for his vintage camera shots, set to retrace the scooter’s evolution over eight decades.
Vespa clubs from 48 countries are expected to join the celebrations, culminating in the grand parade planned for June 27 riding through the streets of Rome across its landmark locations. The exact itinerary has yet to be unveiled.
A day earlier, the same clubs will take the spotlight with a special round of the European Vespa Rally Championship and Gymkhana World Championship, taking place at the gathering.
A 1959 photograph from the “80 Years of Vespa” exhibition to bow in Rome.
Jean-Louis Swiners/Courtesy of Vespa
The celebrations will wrap up on June 28 with the so-called “Elegance Contest,” a parade of some of the rarest Vespa models owned by the “vespisti,” or Vespa riders, attending the event.
