The United States may be celebrating the 250th anniversary of its independence, but in Rome the other day the celebration for for the iconic ‘personal mobility’ that meant independence to thousands, from teens on up: the Vespa motor scooter.
The Vespa—the name means ‘wasp’—gave motorized mobility to thousands at a relatively low cost and became a readily recognized symbol on streets, in the movies, everywhere. One writer recently said it “is to two-wheeled transport what the Volkswagen Beetle is to cars.” Except the Vespa, in various models is still in production.
Over 10,000 of them swarmed through central Rome Saturday with riders who had come not only from Europe but Africa, Asia and the Americas, some covering long distances to arrive. Many were not nearly as young as the popular image and many had been riding them since they were that age.
