In Italy, there are quite a few classic designs as you know: a red Ferrari, Ferragamo shoes, a Venetian gondola, a Gucci bag, an Armani suit, Bulgari watches and more. Yet in the midst of these high priced items, there are other classics. More “ordinary” and utilitarian, but no less desirable or iconic—like the ever-popular Vespa motor-scooter that can spin around any corner no matter where you happen to be in the world.

That’s right, the Vespa. Everyone knows its classic lines: the cursive underlined name, starting low on the left and ending a bit higher on the right-hand side; the prominent flared leg fenders; the flat foot board; Italy-inspired colors, like Espresso and Portofino Green. But in addition to the very recognizable look of the Vespa, another obvious feature is the sound. Supposedly, when the original design was unveiled in 1946 to owner Enrico Piaggio, he exclaimed, “Sembra una vespa! It seems like a wasp!” In that moment, the shape, combined with its familiar buzz gave the Vespa its famous name.

A few weeks ago we were passing through the town of Fiesole. We often go that way since it sits right smack dab on the main road to everywhere for us. Once through the first Piazza Garibaldi, we dropped into Piazza Mino, where the narrow town widens just a bit. That’s where activities usually take place, and that Sunday morning was no exception as people were gathered outside the church—not for the service inside, but for the display outside.

As we rolled into Mino, we were greeted with a burst of color. There, lining 2 sides of the piazza were dozens of classic Vespas. They were every color imaginable, parked in row after row. Beautiful! I had read that there were Vespa Clubs, even by 1952 the clubs boasted over 50,000 members. Today there are over 50 clubs in as many countries. Wow! Who would have ever thought that little scooter could inspire such loyalty and enthusiasm.

I got out of the car to snap a few quick pictures, because for us the bikes are sculpture. The riders were decked out in their best road-worthy duds, all looking quite spiffy and more than willing to be photographed. There were bikes with side cars. There were bikes with custom paint jobs. There were vintage models. Apparently, we were face-to-face with nothing less than a Vespa Festa! It seemed that all 20 regions of Italy were represented. Each club had its own sticker to indicate where that particular bike called home. We were fascinated. So we explored further.

In a fit of spontaneity, we drove to the nearby town of Pontedera, which is about 10 km outside of Pisaand just off the FI-PI-LI (another Italian classic, the Firenze-Pisa-Livorno superstrada). There on a blustery Friday afternoon we visited the Museo Piaggio—home of the Vespa. We saw bikes and trucks of all kinds that the Piaggio Company had designed and put on the road over the decades. One of my favorites was a fire truck from Lucca. It looks like something that you’d see in a Marx Brothers movie. The “cab” of the truck is the classic Ape (pronounced ah-pay), which is really just a boxy cab built around a scooter. Rather than a steering wheel, they actually have handle bars.

Because the Ape is really a Vespa dressed in truck clothing, it only has 3 wheels. They’ve actually kept the scooter design on the front and then added a little, and I do mean little truck bed. However, it was the perfect design solution that put Italy back to work and on the road to recovery after the war. They needed minimalist ways to easily get back into the tiny streets of town to rebuild, and these feisty little trucks were just the ticket. Ape translates to bee, and they were definitely post-war busy bees as miniature trucks—and still are!

Do you notice that there seems to be a buzzing insect theme here? But it really all comes down to just one thing. Italians love a classic vehicle—whether it’s a Ferrari, an Ape, or a Vespa. And that’s what all the buzz is about.

Posted on October 22, 2011

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