Amore on two wheels: Vespa World Days 2014: Great screams of joy for the Vespa

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Amore on two wheels

Vespa World Days 2014: great screams of joy for the Vespa

Amore on two wheels: Vespa World Days 2014: Great screams of joy for the Vespa-amore12

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Vespa World Days 2014: Swarm of wasps with mute passenger

When Vespa fans meet, it’s not about speed, it’s about attitude towards life and fun. You can see that from the participants of the 5th. Vespa World Day, even if at least one is silent about it.

Thousands of them came to Mantua in northern Italy: Vespa drivers from practically all European countries and also from overseas met for the 5th. Vespa World Day. Of course nobody knows the exact number of participants, after all the Vespa World Days are taking place in Italy for the first time after Portugal (2010), Norway (2011), London (2012) and Belgium (2013).

That means chaos, of course a lovable, happy and therefore bearable one, also for the Swiss, who are known for their accuracy, for the often orderly Germans and the many other participants. According to the organizers, members of 130 Vespa clubs have gathered, and they are said to come from 31 countries.

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Deeply relaxed on the saddle

All of the men, women, girls, boys and children seem pretty deeply relaxed. Why hectic? Why push? Does anyone have a hurry?? Everyone chats – or so it seems – with everyone, two-stroke drivers with four-stroke drivers, team Vespisti with friends of the trailer solution. We’re not talking about trailers on which the cult scooters are transported, but about those that roll behind the Vespa – one or two wheels. Of course, not all participants drove to Mantua; an unknown percentage of the five, if not six or seven thousand wasps were placed in transporters or otherwise shipped.

Amore on two wheels: Vespa World Days 2014: Great screams of joy for the Vespa-amore20


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66 years of Vespa: Amore on wheels

But many, very many even came on their own initiative. Like Yorgos from Greece, Yves from Normandy or the two pretty dirndl wearers, mother and daughter, from Styria. Her companions represented the entire history of the Italian scooter brand, which is based in Pontedera/Tuscany and has now been in existence for 58 years. The first Vespa was produced in 1946, it was called the Vespa 98 because its single-cylinder, two-stroke engine had a displacement of 98 cubic centimetres. Its engine produced 3.2 hp, 60 km/h were possible. Even from this first series, which was current until 1948, vehicles came to Mantua, often in very good condition, but then restored.

Police blocking

The police have completely closed the route of the Vespa parade to normal traffic, so that the Vespisti can use the entire two-lane country road to move forward. Three, five or even seven people drive side by side and chat happily with each other, as long as a dozen two-stroke wasps don’t poison the air in front of you. Particularly impressive is the Corso in the Via Legnano area when leaving Mantua, as thousands of Vespas pass the dam that separates Lake Mezzo from Lake Inferiore; the background of Mantua’s old town with the Castle of San Giorgio and the dome of the Sant’Andrea Basilica provide a magnificent setting for the rattling and purring Vespa tapeworm.

Sharp screams of pleasure

An enormous atmosphere arises when the Vespisti pass a group of flag-waving brand friends from Madeira and Malta: For a short time, sharp screams of pleasure drown out the noise of the engine, loud "Bravo" and "Salve" can be heard. Some Vespa drivers high-five the waving passers-by, one distinguishes himself – in the middle of the parade – several times with a wheelie several hundred meters long, i.e. driving only on the rear wheel. A team driver expresses his joy at the Corso by chauffeuring his "boat" with the wheel raised.

Perhaps the mood in and around Mantua is so relaxed because the Vespa Clubs seem less tightly organized than other brand clubs in the two-wheeler scene. After all, the first Vespa clubs in Italy were founded in the 1940s, shortly after the appearance of the legendary wasp on two wheels. Incidentally, more than 18 million of their various models have now been produced and sold.

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