Rome celebrates 80 years of Italy's iconic Vespa scooter

Thousands of riders from all over the world paraded through Rome on Saturday to celebrate Vespa's 80th birthday.

"The history of the Vespa, which accompanies the birth and rise of Italy after the Second World War, is in a way an iconic symbol of our history, of our culture," said Roberto Gualtieri, the Italian capital's mayor.

Designed to be an affordable means of transport, the Vespa, which means "wasp" in Italian, was launched in 1946 by ‌Piaggio, a major aircraft manufacturer.

It was "the symbol of an Italy emerging from the war and getting back on its feet," Gualtieri said. The Eternal City became the meeting place for Vespa lovers from around the globeImage: Riccardo De Luca/AGF/ZUMA/picture alliance

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