THE RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR THE OPENING OF THE VESPA VILLAGE AT THE FORO ITALICO MARKS THE OFFICIAL START OF “VESPA ROMA 2026 - 80 YEARS OF AN ICON”, THE EXTRAORDINARY EVENT CELEBRATING THE GLOBAL VESPA LEGEND
THOUSANDS OF VESPISTI HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED AND ARE INVADING THE STREETS OF THE CAPITAL
HUGE CROWDS AT THE VESPA VILLAGE, WHERE THE PHOTO EXHIBITION “80 YEARS OF AN ICON - THE EXHIBITION” HAS OPENED
UNVEILING OF THE VESPA EDIZIONE OTTANTESIMO, THE EXCLUSIVE CELEBRATION EDITION ISSUED IN A LIMITED NUMBER OF 1946 UNITS
Rome, 25 June 2026 – With the ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, the four days of festivities for VESPA ROMA 2026 – 80 YEARS OF AN ICON have begun.
Vespa enthusiasts from around the world have already been flocking into Rome over the last few days, meeting up mainly in the Foro Italico, the location of the Vespa Village.
After the official opening, the Village hosted two institutional events marking Vespa’s 80th anniversary: the presentation by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato of the Commemorative Coin and the Poste Italiane first-day cancellation ceremony.
In the spectacular setting of the Stadio dei Marmi, Day One also saw the opening of the photo exhibition “80 Years of an Icon - The Exhibition”. Curated by Giacomo Bretzel, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey illustrating the many roles played by the Vespa: a means of transport and instrument of freedom, a travelling companion and style icon, a protagonist of unforgettable adventures and a symbol of a way of life that continues to attract people of all ages and cultures. From the streets of Europe’s great cities to major intercontinental rallies, from movie sets to magazine covers, the Vespa has established itself as one of the most recognisable and influential objects of contemporary visual culture.
A key highlight of the first day of the festivities was the unveiling of the exclusive Vespa Edizione Ottantesimo: a model that already starts life as a rare piece because, as a tribute to the year when the Vespa was created, the new two-wheeler will be produced in a limited numbered edition of just 1946 units.
Available to order online from today on the website edizioneottantesimo.vespa.com, the Vespa Edizione Ottantesimo revives, reinterprets and pays homage to the physical soul of the Vespa, the distinctive feature that represents its purest, unmistakable essence: the load-bearing body with its timeless design, constructed entirely in steel.
As the party gets underway at the Village, the parking areas reserved for the Vespas are filling up with thousands of models from every era and country, and Rome gets ready for the next three exciting days.
