Vespa turns 80: Thousands of Vespisti parade through Rome past Colosseum to mark scooter's anniversary

Four days of celebration

Rome's Foro Italico and Stadio dei Marmi have been transformed into a Vespa Village for "Vespa Roma 2026 – 80 Years of an Icon", a gathering that began on June 25 and runs through June 28. The event includes exhibitions, races, parades and club meet-ups. More than 60 Vespa clubs from all over the world registered for the parade, with around 600 to 800 officially registered fans travelling from Germany alone, according to organisers.

On Saturday, thousands of riders on brightly coloured Vespas took to the streets, their route passing in front of the Colosseum and the ancient Imperial Forums. Estimates of participants ranged from more than 10,000 to tens of thousands. Riders braved the summer heat, some in biker jackets, others in T-shirts, many having travelled hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to attend.

“The history of the Vespa, which literally accompanies the birth and rise of Italy after the Second World War, is in a way an iconic symbol of our history, of our culture.”

From post-war necessity to global icon

The Vespa was born out of post-war necessity. In 1946, Enrico Piaggio, looking to diversify his family's armaments business in Tuscany, tasked aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio with designing a cheap, easy-to-ride motorised two-wheeler. D'Ascanio, who disliked conventional motorcycles, created a scooter with a 125 cc two-stroke engine, self-supporting body and a step-through frame. The first patent was filed on 23 April 1946, and production began in Pontedera.

The name "Vespa" – Italian for wasp – was reportedly inspired by the sound of the prototype's engine. The design, with its rounded metal bodywork, prominent front mudguard and handlebar-mounted headlight, has undergone roughly 160 restyling updates over eight decades but remains unmistakable. Nearly 20 million units have been sold since launch, with just over two million in the last decade. Today the scooter is sold in approximately 100 countries and manufactured in three plants in Italy, Vietnam and India.

Cinema, dolce vita and cultural cachet

Much of the Vespa's international fame rests on its film appearances. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck rode one through Rome in the 1953 romantic comedy "Roman Holiday", and it later featured in Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita". These films cemented the scooter as shorthand for Italian style, freedom and the good life.

"It's a high-quality scooter. And it comes with a certain status. It's classy," said Julie Stover, 63, from the United States, who rented a Vespa in Rome to join the parade with her brother. Her brother Andrew Ward, 57, added: "We had scooters and motorcycles our whole lives. But I always wanted a Vespa."

For many participants the Vespa is more than a vehicle. "Vespa is simply passion," said Sascha Sabia, 43, who rode about 1,200 kilometres from Ludwigshafen, Germany, to attend. "You feel free on the Vespa; when you ride, you forget all the problems, the stress of the day."

A rolling community

The anniversary gathering highlighted the scooter's ability to create social bonds. Sandra Carozzi, 62, rode over 700 kilometres from Trieste. "When I take off on the Vespa, I always come into contact with countless people," she said. "Everyone loves the Vespa. They stop you, ask where you're from, what you're doing – the Vespa is a lifestyle."

Piaggio's executive chairman, Matteo Colaninno, described the Vespa's story as intertwined with "the story of a country emerging from the post-war period, that wants to move, that wants to get back on its feet." The scooter, he noted, represented not just physical mobility but a broader desire to rebuild and look forward.