Sex sells. But so does adventure. As does aspiration. When that winning trifecta oozes from a brand, a product can become an enduring symbol that spans decades.
So, it’s no wonder that Vespa, Italy’s most cherished luxury scooter, has sat comfortably at the top of the two-wheel lifestyle world for 80 years. In 2026, Vespa celebrates “80 Years of an Icon”. And an icon it is. Launched in 1946, in the uncertain quiet after the Second World War, it wasn’t just an innovative, practical scooter; it was a small, stylish machine that helped put Italy back in motion and gave ordinary people access to something that felt like freedom.
From the beginning, Vespa has been woven into films and fashion shoots, turning up again and again as a symbol of Italian ease and effortless cool.
I-M Inquisitive Minds contributor Susan Foster embarked on her own “Roman Holiday” in a Vespa sidecar, celebrating 80 years of one of the most iconic scooters in history. © Susan Foster.
Most recently, on my own “Roman holiday”, I was reminded of how current that myth still feels. I checked into the tranquil Michelin Key Palazzo Ripetta, which started life as a 17th-century convent and is now a discreet, luxurious boutique hotel in Rome. The building keeps its history visible, with stone corridors, high ceilings and a sense of quiet, even as the design leans modern and its artwork towards the abstract and contemporary. In the inner courtyard, guests linger over Negronis and small plates before heading back out into the city. Rome outside is loud and layered; inside, the energy settles.
My trip only got better when my friends and I decided to tour Rome in a Vespa sidecar. There were eight of us, paired off, each duo in its own colourful Vespa sidecar, red, cream, pale blue and white, forming a little procession through the Eternal City along with our guides. As we rolled through the centre, people turned, waved and took photos of our open-air parade.
Palazzo Ripetta is located in the historic Roman Tridente district. Stepping outside puts you immediately onto the iconic cobblestone streets meant for zipping past landmarks on a Vespa.
From that vantage point, taking in the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Vatican, the city feels immediate: you hear conversations from café tables, catch the smell of espresso and Italian cooking, and see the architecture from angles you miss in a black car. Better still, the usual traffic havoc seemed to disappear. What would normally slow you down simply didn’t apply. A long day of logistics became a continuous ride, with no real separation between “getting there” and “being there”. That’s the quiet superpower of the Vespa: it collapses distance.
From Rome, we headed south to Positano, where Vespa’s story continued against a different backdrop. We stayed at the glamorous Casa Grande, one of the Amalfi Coast’s most impressive villas, perched cliffside in a private complex called Torre Sponda. Casa Grande is a multi-level, five-bedroom property carved into the rock, with each room opening onto its own terrace. There is no such thing as a bad view there; every balcony offers an expansive, unobstructed panorama of the Tyrrhenian Sea, with a sprinkling of designer yachts in the distance.
Mornings begin with that particular soft light on the water; evenings end with the coast glittering below. To say it was serene is an understatement. It was a magnificent Italian residence wrapped in bliss and fuchsia bougainvillea, where each day you felt hugged.
Perched dramatically on the cliffs of Positano, Casa Grande is a luxury 5-bedroom villa within the private Torre Sponda estate offering breathtaking, uninterrupted views of the Amalfi Coast.
Casa Grande has its own private beach tucked off to the side, a short stroll down a staircase from the estate. Adjacent to our residence sat another structure which, to my friends’ delight, was also available to reserve: a 13th-century cylindrical stone tower built over three levels, each linked by a dreamy winding staircase. Inside, the romantic interiors are thoughtfully done, with light fabrics, rustic accents and large windows framing the sea.
Being there had the unreality of a film set, but in a way that felt more grounding than escapist. After a short walk through Torre Sponda brought us to the main via, we found an assortment of the newest Vespa models lined up one by one. No surprise there. After all, it is Vespa’s anniversary year.
I felt this comedic urge come over me where I sincerely wanted to hop on one and just take off, as though I were fiery Gina Lollobrigida in Come September, screaming, “Wind in hair, don’t care!” But alas, I refrained, as I didn’t want to upstage my fellow travel mates.
Left: Poster for Roman Holiday (1953), the single most influential film to transform the Vespa into a global cultural icon. © Alamy.
Middle: Jean-Louis Swiners, Couple on a Vespa Scooter (1959), part of the exhibition, 80 Years of Vespa. © Vespa Archives / Piaggio.
Right: Actress and 1960s style icon Ursula Andress graced the January 1965 page of the Italian Vespa calendar. © Vespa Archives / Piaggio.
Vespa’s most famous appearance, however, is in Roman Holiday, the 1953 classic in which Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck criss-cross the city on a Vespa. The scooter is central to the story: it’s how a princess slips out of her prescribed life and into something unscripted, and how a journalist finds himself drawn into an unexpected romance. The scenes of them riding together through Rome still feel fresh because the basic dynamic hasn’t changed. A Vespa ride is still the fastest way to make an ancient city feel new.
Eighty years in, that’s the real legacy of Vespa. It’s not just design, clever branding or a well-timed engine note. It’s the way the scooter continues to blend sex appeal, adventure and aspiration into something you can actually step onto and ride. It’s a fantasy that meets reality.
In post-war Italy, that meant shaking off a darker period and reclaiming the streets. In Rome and Positano today, it means tourists moving like locals, locals retaining control of their own terrain, and all of them sharing the same small machine.
Sexiness sells, but so does movement. Vespa has built its icon status by giving people both.
Organise your own Roman Holiday with Vespa Sidecar Tour, Palazzo Ripetta and Torre Sponda.
Author: Susan Foster
Lead image © Piaggio
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