Italy: Vespa riders recreate Hepburn, Peck's Roman Holiday to celebrate scooter's 80th year
Italy: Vespa riders recreate Hepburn, Peck's "Roman Holiday" to celebrate scooter's 80th year
Launched in 1946 by Piaggio, the Vespa became a symbol of Italy's rebirth after World War Two: cheap enough for a battered country, stylish enough to seduce the world, and practical enough to weave through the alleys of Naples, Milan and Rome
Reuters
Published 27.06.26, 06:51 PM
The Vespa, the wasp-waisted scooter that put postwar Italians on wheels and went on to carry Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn through the streets of Rome, is returning to the capital this week to celebrate its 80th birthday.
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Vespa riders drive past the Colosseum the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four days global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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From June 25 to 28, Rome is hosting "Vespa Roma 2026 – 80 Years of an Icon", a four-day gathering centred on the city's Foro Italico and the Stadio dei Marmi, which has been turned into a Vespa Village of exhibitions, races, parades and club events.
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Vespa riders drive past the Colosseum the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four-day global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck from the 1953 film "Roman Holiday" (Wikipedia)
Launched in 1946 by Piaggio, the Vespa became a symbol of Italy's rebirth after World War Two: cheap enough for a battered country, stylish enough to seduce the world, and practical enough to weave through the alleys of Naples, Milan and Rome.
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Vespa riders drive past the Colosseum the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four-day global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
It has since become one of Italy's most recognisable design exports, appearing in films such as "Roman Holiday" with Peck and Hepburn, advertisements and holiday brochures.
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Vespa riders gesture as they drive near the Colosseum the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four-day global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Vespa has been in continuous production for 80 years, undergoing around 160 restyling updates and selling nearly 20 million units worldwide, including just over two million in the past decade.
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A man wearing a costume drives a Vespa near the Fori Imperiali on the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four-day global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Vespa riders from France drive past the Colosseum the last day of “Vespa Roma 2026 - 80 Years of an Icon”, a four days global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Today, the scooter is sold in approximately 100 countries, mainly across Europe and Southeast Asia, and is manufactured in three production plants in Italy, Vietnam, and India.
Saturday, 27 June 2026
