Vespa – The History Of Rebuilding Italy

I am back in Arezzo, in Tuscany, where the vintage and antique market comes round every month. Today I want to talk about the Vespa: its history, the film that made it famous, and what it did for Italy.

After the Second World War, Italy was in ruins. The economy needed a lift and so did the people. Then came the Vespa, made by Piaggio. It was affordable, it was stylish, and it gave people their freedom back.

Roman Holiday

For many of us, the Vespa means one film: Roman Holiday. I grew up watching it. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck ride through the cobbled streets of Rome on one, and the scooter is as much a star as they are.

She is at the front, with her short hair and her laugh. He sits behind her. After that film, the Vespa was something people wanted.

Piaggio

The story didn’t start with Hollywood. Piaggio was a company that built aircraft, and after the war it had to find something else to make. Enrico Piaggio saw that people needed transport that was affordable and good to look at. So the Vespa was born in 1946. The name means “wasp” in Italian, after its shape.

It was compact, affordable and stylish, and people from all walks of life could get around town on one. From Italy it spread across Europe, and then the world. It became a symbol of the 1950s and 1960s, of recovery and of being young, and it turned up in film after film.

If you want the whole story, there is a Vespa museum near Pisa, and a film on Netflix about the founder.

The Vespa today

The design has changed over the years, but you still know a Vespa when you see one. The models made now have newer technology and better performance, and they come in heaps of colours and styles.

There are electric models too, with the same look. That suits cities that are congested and want cleaner transport. I have seen amazing ones in Vietnam too.

I don’t own a Vespa, but I do ride one. Next time a Vespa goes past, have a proper look. And if you have never ridden one, give it a try.