News
Vespa’s spectacular 80th Anniversary
Vespa celebrated its 80th-Anniversary milestone with a massive, four-day global gathering in Rome from 25th June to 28th June, 2026. The event highlighted Vespa’s legacy as a universal symbol of freedom, culture and Italian design, since its first patent in 1946.
Over the four June days, the Vespa Village at the Foro Italico welcomed more than 50,000 visitors, entertaining them with music, events, exhibitions, shopping outlets, as well as street food and all-day entertainment on the Radio Deejay stage.
The original 1946 Vespa 98
Popular attractions included the current Vespa range, the rarest vintage Vespas from the Piaggio Museum collection in Pontedera and a fascinating photo exhibition tracing the unparalleled Vespa story.
The Little scooter was made internationally famous by the release of the romantic comedy movie, Roman Holiday, in 1953.
Vespa enthusiasts flocked to Rome from all over the world, led by traditional contingents from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, but also from other continents. There were Vespisti from Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Argentina, Philippines, USA, Canada and Colombia, with official delegations representing a total of 67 National Vespa Clubs.
Saturday’s spectacular grand parade broke previous anniversary attendance records, with some 25,000 Vespas riding in a cavalcade through the streets of Rome. Guest stars included six-time world champion Max Biaggi and Aprilia Racing MotoGP test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
Scootering Magazine photo
The event concluded with an awards ceremony, featuring Vespa enthusiasts who took part in the Elegance Contest and the Vespa Trophy: the latter award being contested by Clubs who documented the stages of their journey to Rome with photos and special stamps in their Travel Books.
Naturally, Vespa celebrated its historic 80th anniversary with several product releases and activities.
The 2026 Edizione Ottantesimo is an exclusive, limited-edition anniversary scooter. Produced in a limited run of only 1946 units, the model pays homage to the brand’s founding year and is built in classic, mainly-steel construction.
Throughout 2026, all Vespas wear a special 80th-anniversary badge and tech-leading models, including the GTS, have special colour schemes and trims.
Vespa also partnered with the luxury publisher Assouline to release an exclusive, high-end coffee table book and a matching limited-edition collection of helmets.
The celebration also incorporated philately and numismatics, by way of a special €5 commemorative silver coin, issued by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as limited-run stamps.
ADVERTISEMENT
