Birthplace of the Scooter

I just returned from a few weeks in Italy, the birthplace of the scooter, and I have much to share about what Toronto and other cities can learn about scooter parking from cities like Rome, about the passion of one man who spent his life crossing continents on Vespas, about the latest Piaggio scooters. I'll be posting these stories and others over the next few weeks.

While I was in Italy I arranged to visit the Piaggio factory in Pontadera and was also given a guided tour of the museum. Great stories there as well, particularly how the introduction of the Vespa in the late '40s came at a time of new freedom for Italian women.

For now, here's a picture that shows that the love of the Vespa extends across the country.  I took this through a window of a bar in Arezzo. The owner had filled the window with models of each new Vespa that had come out. And I love the sign!  Perhaps we could install signs like that - for all two-wheeled vehicles  - around the streets of Toronto.

                                                                                       Copyright: Debi Goodwin