{"id":2615,"date":"2025-03-17T00:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T23:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/la-bella-vita.club\/?p=2615"},"modified":"2025-06-21T18:49:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T16:49:21","slug":"75-year-vespa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/la-bella-vita.club\/en\/die-vespa-in-italien-die-geschichte-des-beruehmtesten-rollers-der-welt\/","title":{"rendered":"You can't ride more Italian than this: The history of the Vespa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo session with Vespa in front of the Colosseum in Rome<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From our editorial team<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate feeling of freedom! The warm wind on your skin, the rattling in your ear - and never any problems with parking. Since its birth, the Vespa has not only stood for mobility, but also for an attitude to life - and independence. The whole story. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Second World War, Italy lay in ruins. Industry and transport were in ruins and cars were unaffordable for most people. Piaggio, originally an aeroplane manufacturer, was looking for a solution to make people mobile again. Inspired by the US Army's small cargo scooters that whizzed across airfields, Enrico Piaggio commissioned engineer Corradino D'Ascanio to develop a similar vehicle. At the time, nobody could have imagined the extent of the invention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made the Vespa so special<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Engineer D'Ascanio had no experience with two-wheelers, and that was a stroke of luck in this case. The engineer, known for building the first Italian helicopter, brought a breath of fresh air to the world of scooters. He placed a 3 hp two-stroke engine, which is normally used to start aircraft engines, directly on the rear wheel of a scooter. The handlebars were mounted on the front wheel, which was only suspended from a fork, similar to an aeroplane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The design was revolutionary: the Vespa was not simply assembled, it was moulded - from robust sheet metal that embodied Italian lightness and elegance. The Vespa was not just a technical masterpiece. It was practical: the wide step-through made it possible to ride comfortably even in dresses or skirts, and the built-in weather protection ensured that you weren't soaked through with every drop of rain. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The Vespa Fathers: Corradino D'Ascanio (2 from left) and Enrico Piaggio (2 from right)<\/strong>
Photo: Piaggio<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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