Vespa ~ La Dolce Vita

I have a love for Vespas. There is nothing better than riding a Vespa through the streets, no matter where you are. There is no better way to see a city.

I have riden a Vespa in Sydney, Paris, the French Riviera and Rome. I'll say it again because I mean it, there is no better way to see a city than on a Vespa.



This is La Bellezza Blu, The Blue Beauty.
Photo is taken in on the coast in Monaco.

And now I ride my girl, Sabrina around Sydney.

Sabrina was imported from Italy in 1970. A married couple imported the family Vespa from a small town south of Rome so their children in Australia could be married on it. Years later they passed Sabrina onto their grandson, who, after his divorce, sold all their possessions, including Sabrina. The gentleman who owned her before me reconditioned the engine, but that was it. All the body work is still the same as it was. And now Sabrina lives with me in Elizabeth Bay over looking the Marina. Where else should a beauty like her live?

For those who are unfamiliar with Vespas, they are the original scooter. They are so well known that they are never refereed to as a scooter... they are in a class of their own... Vespas.

A little history: Piaggio was an aeronautic company, making planes etc for the war. After the war, seeing the need for good, reliable transport they made the Vespa.

Vespa is Italian for Wasp. And when the first Vespa they exclaimed "Sembra una Vespa!" (It resembles a wasp!)

They were designed by renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini, who created a motorcycle with bodywork full enclosing the drivetrain, and forming a tail splashguard at the front.  The 2 stroke engines were the starter motors for aircraft, and the other bits were taken from the crafts and stuff they had. The body made from one pressed sheet of metal.
It was designed by a plane designer who hated motorcycles... which is why they are so different and rounded.

The first of their kind, and always a fashion icon.

Riding a Vespa ~ La Dolce Vita. The Good Life.