La Dolce Vita

I'm what you call an old soul, I'm just a few months away from my 19th birthday yet I love to listen to music from the 50s especially Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. I'll jump at any chance to wear a suit, I also believe that chivalry still exists and gentlemen are still around, please do call me old fashioned. About a month ago me and my mum were strolling through the DVD store and she chanced upon this movie, Roman Holiday and she told me her father had taken the whole family to see it in the cinemas way back in the 60s. So she decided to buy it and ever since then shes's been telling the rest of the family to watch it but we never got down to it until yesterday evening that is. After watching it, I really did enjoy it and then I did some research and found that it was very well loved worldwide, it was nominated for 10 oscars winning 7 when it was released in 1953 and it was also responsible for launching the career of two superstars. (this movie is a romantic comedy incase you were wondering)

The lead actor Gregory Peck was already a big star at the time and for the co star, the director wanted a familiar face but unable to land the actress he was looking for, he then heard about the young unproven Audrey Hepburn who was doing small roles in theaters. This film launched Audrey's name into stardom and she became a leading name in Hollywood through the latter half of last century. This was one star that the movie helped and the other was the Piaggio Vespa scooter!

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on their Vespa tour of Rome

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on their Vespa tour of Rome

Piaggio was originally a manufacturer of warplanes but after the war, it was banned from doing so. Then in 1946 they turned to making the famous Vespa scooter, they made three prototypes initially and the only the third one remained which was used in the movie. This particular scooter was nicknamed the Farobasso, it was a beautiful green and it had a unique quirk which was having its headlight on the front wheel cover rather than on the handlebars as we know today. Rumor goes that this scooter sold at auction for over 300,000 Euros recently.

This movie was so famous at the time, it became the perfect advertisement for the Vespa and therefore launched it into superstardom. From then on the scooter became incredibly popular because of its good looks, practicality and its affordability. The influence of the movie was so great that even to this day you can do Vespa tours around Rome just like the one Peck took Hepburn on in the film. In a city filled with small Fiat 500s and Topolinos, the Vespa was a breath of fresh air. It was nimble in city traffic, you could park it anywhere, you could take it grocery shopping or to the movies. It was the scooter for the people but it did all this while still managing to make you look stylish! The Vespa reflected Italy of that generation, a nation just recovering from the war needed something to kick start the automotive industry and the Vespa was the answer, it was as laid back as the people who rode it. It was widely loved then and is still widely loved today!

Thanks for reading, what are your thoughts on the Vespa?

All the pictures belong to their rightful owners and I mean no malice using them here.