It's 1953. The film comes out. Vacanze romane with the unforgettable images of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck riding through the streets of Rome astride the “Wasp“The film is a myth, that scooter is a myth. Well, the Senate – in the Culture Commission – is thinking of recognizing the “Vespa” as “expression of history, of Italian culture and art recognized throughout the world."
Vespa: the history of the Italian legend from the 40s to today
The Vespa comes produced first in 1946 by PiaggioDesigned by Enrico Piaggio and engineer Corradino D'Ascanio, it arose from the need to create an affordable and accessible means of transport, capable of meeting the mobility needs of the time in an Italy recovering from the devastation of the Second World War.
And then it became a brand and a presence that marked the growth of our country and of many generations. Already in the 50s, the Vespa was a successful product, in the following 60s it is very widespread and in the 70s who does not remember the very famous advertising campaign ""He who Vespa eats apples. He who doesn't Vespa, doesn't."? (Advertising also malicious, linked to the implication of the apple). And with the world Cup in 82, here is the two-wheeled motorbike again to underline those days in the advertising campaign "Italy is Vespa” and then to mark our football victory. And in the following years, the Vespa continues to mark our days. So much so that it ends up in the song of Lunapop, with Cesare Cremonini who in 1999 was exalted: “How nice it is to ride around the hills of Bologna if you have a Vespa Special that takes away your problems”, the last hit song of the summer of the last century.
The Vespa becomes a national cultural asset
One figure speaks volumes: in 2021, upon completing its 75th anniversary, Vespa had reached the milestone of 19 million units produced since the spring of 1946 and was present in 83 countries around the world.
Here is the The proposal under consideration by the senators. It consists of only four articles, which establish that "the four-stroke Vespa Piaggio moped is recognized as an expression of the history, culture and art of the country, as well as a symbol of Italian ingenuity, creativity and beauty, recognized throughout the world." The amendment concerns cultural heritage and landscape code, by inserting the Four-stroke Piaggio Vespa in the list of cultural heritage assets and therefore subject to specific protection provisions. And, much like vintage cars, it is established that "the four-stroke Piaggio Vespa is considered a vehicle of national interest and, as such, exempt from restrictions on air pollutant emissions for circulation on urban roads."
