Drive Italia: The Vespa – Piaggio’s Wasp

Vespa in Italy

Defining every retro Italian holiday snap in ultimate style – let us present the Vespa: trendy, practical and iconic… Photo by Amanda Robinson Before the FIAT 500 appeared on the scene, Italy got about almost exclusively by motor scooter. At one point there were more than 100 different motorbike manufacturers in Italy. After the birth […]

Italian Word for the Week: Vespa

A Vespa is, of course, a motorcycle – but it’s also a wasp.  Vespa – Wasp It’s obvious, when you think about it, why they called the scooter the ‘wasp’. It sounds like one – and the yellow ones even look like one. The Italian word is clearly very closely related to the English word, and is […]

The Piaggio & Co. Vespa Scooter

vespa scooter

Hear one coming and you know why it’s called a Vespa – or ‘wasp’ as it translates into English. Italia! looks into the birth of a true Italian icon, the Vespa scooter… The years after World War II were harsh in Italy. Suffering from economic ruin, mass unemployment and the decimation of its military, the […]

Vespa In Sorrento

Simon Vine, Cumbria “This photo was taken when my wife and I did some enjoyable Limoncello tasting in Sorrento in October 2014, I thought the Vespa scooter added that unique Italian touch.”

Vespa – Radda, Chianti

  Laurie Traficante, by email “This photo was taken while driving around the Chianti region, in the city of Radda. I fell in love with the Vespa on this trip. I love all the colours! What’s more Italian than a Vespa?”