Endless party for Vespa enthusiasts from all over the world
Here, where it all began. A handful of kilometers from the magical scenery of Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower. Almost eighty years ago. It is a riot of flags, installations, shows, cultural events, parades, competitions, photographic sets. With the town that gave birth to the two-wheeled legend preparing to act as a worthy and proud theater for a record-breaking, unprecedented celebration. Everything is ready for the 2024 edition of Vespa World Days, the world gathering which is being held for the first time in Pontedera (Pisa), the city of Piaggio, where the Vespa was born and where it has been produced since 1946: a four-day event – from 18 to 21 April – entirely dedicated to the most famous and sold in the world. The turnout of participants was very high (there were more than eight thousand registered for the event and the events included in the rich program; at least twenty thousand visitors are expected every day in the capital of Valdera, also because on the occasion of the 2024 edition of the Vespa World Days the 140th anniversary of the foundation of Piaggio, a brand born in 1884, and the hundredth anniversary of the historic Pisan factory will be celebrated.
The post-war transition: from airplanes to the insect-shaped scooter
The idea was brilliantEnrico Piaggioson of the founder Rinaldo, converted aeronautical engines into his own business immediately after the war, creating a revolutionary vehicle, the Vespa, designed by the engineer Corradino D'Ascanio. In his mind: a low-cost and – hopefully – widely consumed product destined to promote mobility in Italy devastated by the Second World War. The rest is history. Arcinota. Which sees the Vespa brand as one of the best-known symbols of Made in Italy in the world.
This is how the city celebrates its most famous daughter
In the places of greatest aggregation, in this center lying softly between the banks of the Arno and those of its most important tributary, the Era, where everyone knows each other, and where there is no family that from the post-war period until today has not provided at least one worker to the city's symbol factory, there is no way to travel even just a few tens of meters without coming across images of the legendary scooter, which appear everywhere. In the squares, in the shop windows of the main street, in the flags hung in Giro d'Italia style, the Piaggio branded two-wheelers are the protagonists. And from perfumes to telephone centers, from clothing to footwear, from glasses to sweets, from wines to chocolate, it is an authentic Vespa mania. The vast majority of products sold in Pontedere shops are linked to the “indigenous” scooter and symbol of the most creative Italy. Polished vintage models and more modern ones make a beautiful display among the various product categories, decorating the premises of the most important commercial or artisan businesses.
An infinite program
Many activities dedicated to the Vespa people, the awards ceremony will also take place at the Vespa Village Vespa Trophy, the most coveted prize that will be awarded to those who reach Pontedera riding the beloved two-wheeler named after an insect, collecting the passage stamps at the various checkpoints. Also expected Elegance competition. But just take a walk around the center to see how high the “fever” is. For the occasion, the municipal administration has set up a free shuttle service and the traders have unanimously decided to remain open and available to tourists and regular customers, from 10am to 1pm and from 3pm to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Restaurants and bars, on the other hand, will operate non-stop hours, while personal care businesses, such as beauty centers and hairdressers, will open their shutters from 9am to 7pm. Only on Thursday and Sunday there will be no particular changes. From the Vespa Baby Park at the music evenings on Friday 19th in the main square of Pontedera and the gala evening on Saturday 20th at the Village, with concerts and DJ sets for the more or less young, the immersion in the Vespa World Days will be total. And linked to trade there will also be the competition “Let's Vespi Pontedera”: iThe Vespa enthusiast who takes three photos of three different shop windows embellished with elements linked to the protagonist of the world event and who have joined the initiative will be able to collect at Village lots of gadgets.
Unleashed Vespa enthusiasts: they came from every corner of the world
It will be a real invasion. Enthusiasts representing thousands of are arriving Vespa Club (660 from Italy alone) from countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, USA, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Pakistan, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Morocco, as well as from almost all the nations of Europe. And from far away Australia, among the first, they arrived early in Pontedera Julie and Gregregistered with Vespa Club Melbourne, who did not miss the opportunity to take smiling selfies in front of the mega Vespa installations located in various areas of the Pisan town. And with them many other Vespa lovers wanted to burn the times, such as Oxana and Stefanarrived from Germany (Dortmund), the Sicilians Peppe, Veronica and Elio (from Augusta) or the large and noisy Austrian group that has been running around for a few days along the routes chosen by the organizers, visiting the ancient villages of this suggestive corner of Tuscany.
And at the cinema? A star, obviously
But the entire city of Pontedera, in its most attractive points, will show itself to visitors as a single place of celebration and events dedicated to the Vespa, from photographic and art exhibitions – including Vespa Art, at the Palazzo Pretorio – to the film festival which will see the continuous screening in the modern theaters of the Cineplex of three of the hundreds of films that have had Vespa among the protagonists: the Disney-Pixar production Luca, the famous Roman Holiday and the fiction Enrico Piaggio, an Italian dream.
The Vespa village, what an idea
The epicenter of the festival will be, for all four days, the Vespa Village set up in the large Piazza del Mercato, near the junction of the Florence-Pisa-Livorno highway. Here a food & beverage area and various exhibition stands, including the official Vespa one with the entire range on display and the sale of merchandising, will give members and ordinary visitors the opportunity to be together, in the full spirit of the Vespa Clubs; from the square, on Saturday and Sunday, the Vespa Rally, one of the sporting events of the rally. A technical assistance area and an official spare parts shop will also be set up inside the Vespa Village. Also at the Vespa Village, the awards ceremony for the winners of the competition will be held on Sunday 21st Vespa Trophythe coveted tourist trophy in which Club members compete, called to testify with photos and special stamps on their travel book all the stages of the journey to Pontedera.
The snake parade and the exhibition
The most spectacular event, however, will be the maxi parade on Saturday 20 April, when a river of two wheels will cross various locations in the Pisan province, including Peccioli, recently elected the most beautiful village in Italy. An incredible snake is announced, over ten kilometers long (with inevitable temporary closure to vehicular traffic) because thousands more will be added to the officially registered Vespas, already traveling for days towards Tuscany. The Piaggio Museum will host the great exhibition “Vespa all over the World” which, with original materials from the Piaggio Historical Archive, tells the story of the diffusion of the Vespa around the world, retracing the history of its first and early internationalisation, between the end of the 40s and the 60s. The auditorium hall of the museum will also be the place of Meet & Greet, meeting moments dedicated to enthusiasts who will be able to hear the history and genesis of the Vespa, directly from those who design and produce it. “The modern Piaggio factory where Vespa was born will open to the public on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st, with 128 special visits, reserved for those registered for the rally, on board comfortable electric trains,” explains the company in a note. Everything is ready, therefore, for what promises to be the most popular and complex edition of the Vespa World Dayshosted for the first time by the city that saw this jewel of Italian industrial genius born and grow to become a global icon of mobility.
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