“Ma quanto e bello andare in giro con le alle soto i piedi, se una Vespa speciale che toglie i problemi,” as sung in Luna Pop’s hit song, 50 Special. (Isn’t great to ride the winding road with wings under your wheels, with a Vespa you will find how freedom feels) A Vespa is not just a scooter for Italians, it is a culture.
It all started around the end of WWII, where Enrico Piaggio decided to leave the aeronautical field due to the fact that the Pontedera fighter plane plant where he worked was destroyed by bombs. He felt it was his duty to help Italy’s need for an affordable mode of transportation that was inexpensive due to the decline of the Italian economy because of the war.
He and engineer Renzo Spolti designed the first scooter called, “Paperino” or known as: “Donald Duck.” Piaggio was not quite satisfied with “il Paperino ” and hired Corradino D’Ascanio to build something more stylish. This is where the Vespa or “wasp” stung the hearts of millions worldwide. The first Vespa to be produced was in Pontedera, Italy in April of 1946. Over three million Vespa’s have been produced in Italy alone, and have become an iconic symbol in Italy as well as in the states.
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