ITALIAN JOURNEY – PROGRAMME 1

ROME – ROME ON A VESPA

The insanity of traffic in Rome is almost as impressive as the scale of its historic monuments.  

Still, Romans have found a way of negotiating the city’s maze of minute alleyways, one-way streets and heavy traffic- they drive small cars, or even better, they travel around on mopeds.

Scooters are fast, and have become popular worldwide as Christa Solbach, President of the International Federation of Vesta clubs, explains.

James: Why did the Vespa become so popular in Italy?

Christa Solbach: Well, it’s always been popular here because it’s almost an integral part of the Italian heritage. But it’s not just here, it’s also very popular abroad.

James: When did it all start?

Christa Solbach: The Vespa started, the project was first launched on February 23rd 1946, and that’s when production started in Italy.

James: And where did the idea for the design come from?

Christa Solbach: It came from an engineer called Corradino d’Ascino. He worked for Piaggio, and one day Enrico Piaggio asked him to create a mode of transport designed for the masses, for ordinary people. That’s how this cheap and robust way of travelling was created.

James: Was the Vespa the first of its type?

Christa Solbach: Yes, it was. And when Enrico Piaggio saw this new invention, he said: ‘Oh, but it looks like a wasp!’- because of the thin waistline, you see? It’s shaped like a wasp.

James: It also makes the same noise, doesn’t it?

Christa Solbach: Yes, the Vespa makes a buzzing noise, like a wasp.

James: My mother used to have a Vespa in Scotland. As President of the ‘Vespa Club’, can you tell me when and how the Vespa became popular outside Italy?

Christa Solbach: Yes. It became very popular because it was an invention everyone had been craving for.  It was a new and cheap way of travelling. It was a cheap way of getting around after the war, when there wasn’t much money available. Cars were a bit of a dream, a bit out of reach. The Vespa was different: it was cheap and allowed people to travel around and visit Europe, to see the world.

James: Yes, my mother always said her Vespa gave her a sense of freedom.

Christa Solbach: Exactly. Vespa stand for liberty, it means freedom on two wheels. It allows people to move around, to feel like they own the world.

James: You’re German, aren’t you?

Christa Solbach: Yes, I’m German. 

James: So the Club started…

Christa Solbach: The first Vespa Clubs were created in Germany in 1950. Then the international organisation was founded in Milan, by six different nations, and that’s when the rallies began. It was really great because it allowed young people from all over the world to travel and meet up. It was really very well organised. You could get by with very little money- all you needed was a sandwich, a couple of apples and you’d be on the road all day.

James: It would be great if we could go on a tour of Rome on a Vespa.

Christa Solbach: Of course. What a wonderful idea! Let’s go!

James: I’m ready!

Christa Solbach: OK James, let’s go!