Vespa riders take to roads in Rome to mark 80th birthday

The Vespa, the wasp-waisted scooter that put postwar Italians on wheels and went on to carry Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn through the streets of Rome, is returning to the capital this week to celebrate its 80th birthday.

From June 25 to 28, Rome is hosting “Vespa Roma 2026 – 80 Years of an Icon”, a four-day gathering centred on the city’s Foro Italico and the Stadio dei Marmi, which has been turned into a Vespa Village of exhibitions, races, parades and club events....