Roman Holiday: The Vespa Museum in Rome
Yours truly recently took some rare time off from the MO news desk, and took my family on vacation in Rome, Italy. With temperatures reaching around 68° F, it was a welcome respite from the below-freezing temperatures back home in Toronto. Of course, I couldn't completely block out everything moto-related on my time off, especially not in Rome, with scooters buzzing by everywhere you turn.
So, in between stops at the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps, I convinced my wife and, more importantly, five-year-old, to indulge me with a visit to the Spazio Museo Vespa, a museum dedicated to the iconic Italian scooter brand located near the Roman Forum. The Vespa Museum isn't very big, housed in the basement under scooter rental shop Bici & Baci. The Piaggio Museum in Pontedera is much larger, but we weren't able to fit that into our schedule. Still, the Spazio Museo Vespa's single room managed to fit about a dozen vintage scooters and various Vespa memorabilia. And admission is free, which came in handy with my wallet stolen earlier in the week.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Because it was in Rome, the museum has to have an exhibit dedicated to the 1953 film, Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, who won an Academy Award for her work in the movie.
Peck and Hepburn rode around Rome on a Vespa 98cc 0 Series in the film, the display used a 1950 Vespa 125, which was the oldest intact scooter in the museum's collection.
1946 Vespa 98
Though it wasn't intact, the museum did have a Vespa 98 chassis from 1946, the year the scooter brand first debuted.
The Vespa 98 set the template for all Vespas that followed, even 80 years later. The single seat and the shape of the body supporting it is still present today on the Vespa 946.
1959 Vespa 150GS, 1963 Vespa 150 GL and 1965 Vespa 125 Super
Vespas evolved over the years while still maintaining the same iconic look.
A Well-Travelled Vespa
Perhaps the most interesting display was a Vespa owned by a man name Andy Leaano, who rode the scooter from Indonesia to Rome. The various stickers he collected along the way are evidence of Vespa's international appeal.
Though the museum was limited in size, it did have a cabinet of miniatures showing various Vespas variants from over the years, including some of the more oddball models.
1950 Vespa 125 Circuito and Vespa Montlhery
The 125 Circuito and Montlhery were two racing scooters that featured aerodynamic fairings. Three riders took turns riding the Montlhery for 10 consecutive hours on a track in France, setting 17 world records.
1956 Vespa 150 TAP
The Vespa 150 TAP was a military scooter used by the French paratroopers as an anti-tank vehicle. In the display, it is surrounded by a pair of Vespas produced under license in Germany.
1957 ACMA Vespa 400
This little four-wheeler stood out from the display of scooters. Produced in France by ACMA, the Vespa 400 was a microcar powered by a 393cc air-cooled two-stroke engine.
Scooters Everywhere!
Scooters are present all over Rome, with parking lots full of two-wheelers spread across the city.
