A corresponding bill by the right-wing ruling party Lega led by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini was introduced in the parliament in Rome.
“In view of its symbolic value and excellent manufacturing quality, as well as its historical, artistic and cultural value,” the “Vespa Piaggio” motorcycle, patented on April 23, 1946, is to be recognized as “national cultural heritage,” says the draft law, which is actively supported by Salvini.
“Including the Vespa on the list of vehicles of national interest, in order to protect it from any kind of traffic restriction, is a common sense proposal that we actively support in order to defend a heritage, a myth and an Italian symbol on two wheels that is known and admired all over the world,” Salvini stressed in a letter. He is committed to ensuring that the Vespa, as a national heritage, can “drive freely”, regardless of any restrictions related to pollutant emissions.
The Vespa is one of the most famous industrial design products in the world today, so much so that it is rightly considered an icon of Italian design and is exhibited in the most prestigious museums of modern art, science and technology around the world, explained Salvini. The Vespa is part of the permanent collection of the “Triennale” design museum in Milan and the Mo.Ma. in New York.
1.6 million models within ten years
The economic value of the Vespa brand in 2022, estimated by global brand consultancy Interbrand for the Piaggio Group, is more than one billion euros, an increase of 19 percent over the previous year. Over the past ten years, Piaggio has produced and sold more than 1.6 million Vespa models worldwide.
The success story began in 1946 with the launch of the first series production of the Vespa 98cc. The cult scooter was designed by the Italian engineer Corradino D’Ascanio, who actually wanted to build helicopters. As a former designer of warplanes, he wanted to make a simple, economical and easy-to-use vehicle and constructed something new on a war-torn factory site in Pontedera on behalf of the entrepreneur Enrico Piaggio.
The Vespa’s triumphant advance soon began halfway around the world – all the way to Hollywood. In the hit film “Roman Holiday” from 1953, the dream couple Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn roared through Rome on a Vespa – the wind in their hair, the zest for life in their eyes. The scene entered the collective memory of Italy as a declaration of love for the Italian scooter icon. Even today, it is easier to get around in Rome and Naples on a scooter than by bus or car.