Vespa World Days in Pontedera, everything you need to know

In Pontedera they call them the 'days of the serpentone'. The reference is to the long procession of scooters - ten thousand, if you do the maths - that takes to the streets to celebrate an Italian pride recognised the world over. And not just any scooter, but the one that rode Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn around the capital in Roman Holiday (1953) and was then reborn in 3D graphics in the famous Disney Pixar title Luca (1951): the Vespa. Indeed, the Vespa World Days are underway in the Tuscan town cradle of Piaggio until Sunday 21 April. An event with impressive numbers: 8 thousand Vespa riders representing 54 nations, more than 660 Vespa Clubs from five continents that registered for the event in just five days, 3 thousand of them even in the first hour of opening registration. These were joined by thousands more curious onlookers and sympathisers eager to discover the Terre di Pisa in the saddle of their beloved Vespa.

The beating heart of the event is the exhibition-market area set up in Piazza del Mercato in Pontedera. Here, until Sunday at 4 p.m., a food & beverage area and several exhibition stands give Vespa enthusiasts and visitors a chance to get together, in the full spirit of Vespa Clubs. At Vespa Village there will also be test rides of Piaggio vehicles and the delivery of 250 limited edition certificates of origin for the event.

The Vespa World days in Pontedera in fact celebrate a very special edition this year, also because the occasion is the 140th anniversary of the founding of Piaggio, established in 1884, and the 100th anniversary of the historic Pontedera factory. An exhibition at the Piaggio Museum is dedicated to this theme. The fascinating place that preserves the historical memory of Vespa and Piaggio is another focal point of the event, open to guests and visitors, with 18 slots already booked for weeks for the tour of the more than 5000 square metres of renovated exhibition and the Vespa all over the World exhibition. The Piaggio Museum auditorium will also host Meet & Greet events, i.e. unique moments in which participants will be able to hear how their beloved "two-wheelers" came into being from the living voice of those involved in their conception and testing.

Viale Rinaldo Piaggio will be the venue for the Tuscan Excellence Market, organised in cooperation with the Biodistrict, CIA and Coldiretti, and a network of small producers in the quality food chain. The area, on the days of the event from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (except Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), will offer Vespisti and the curious an opportunity to taste the flavours of the Terre di Pisa.

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st, the Piaggio factory, where Vespa has been uninterruptedly born since 1946, will open its doors to Vespisti thanks to no less than 128 rounds of extraordinary visits, carried out on board comfortable little trains. During the weekend the boutique in Piazza Martiri della Libertà will be open to the public, where it will be possible to purchase the new Vespa clothing capsule.