On last Sunday the Vespa Club Como organized the Cagna la Castagna (Eat the Chestnut), a public party right at the bottom of the ancient roman walls of Como where people could eat roast chestnuts, drink wine, listen to music, meet friends and stare at the nice line of old Vespas and Citroën 2CV.
It was my first time at one of their public meetings since I joined the club only a couple of weeks earlier.
I went to their weekly evening meeting invited by the president Gianluca Cesana with a bit of hesitation because someone warned me that new Vespa models like my GTS are not appreciated as much as the old ones. So when I had to answer to the first question about what Vespa I owned, the president told the members to wait for any judgment and let me tell them what I actually did with my Vespa this summer, right while some of them began moaning (although with a clear joking tone ) about the fact I owned a GTS since they spotted it at my arrival. I told them about my trip around Italy and they soon started telling me about their longest journeys riding a Vespa. The ice was broken thanks to Gianluca and we immediately found something to share.
Gianluca gave me a sticker of the club which is pretty original as you can see on the left. The Vespa-riding smoking puppy was made by an artist working at Bonelli, the well known italian comics editor. Now I bring it proudly on the windscreen!
I liked the introduction I got from the club members, they’re a good bunch of Vespa-lovers indeed.
Vespa is a myth for italians and most of all a great passion to share.
“L’Italia s’è Vespa” was one of the slogans I spotted on a old advertisement at the Museo Piaggio, recalling the beginning of our national anthem, “L’Italia s’è desta“.
Marketing guys are really crazy you know…