L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016 L'Italo-Americano V i n t a g e V e s p a s h a v e b e c o m e i n c r e a s i n g l y very popular in the last f e w y e a r s a n d , s i n c e t h e American market opened to the f a m o u s I t a l i a n s c o o t e r s , t h e interest has been growing over time. Vespa were first sold in the U.S. by Sears & Roebuck and remained very popular till 1980 when Piaggio, the main manufacturer, decided to pull off the U.S. market. Piaggio has s u c c e s s f u l l y r e t u r n e d t o America about ten years ago. I n t h e p r e v i o u s i s s u e , w e explored the world of vintage Vespas in San Francisco, by t a l k i n g t o t h e o w n e r o f BelloMotto, Gianluca Baldo, w h o h a s a l s o a p r i v a t e collection with more than 100 samples. D u r i n g m y v i s i t a t BelloMoto, I asked Gianluca if he had a preference or could pick at least the Vespa he would consider as a true jewel, in other words the "Queen of the Baldo Collection". He did not hesitate when he pointed at the so-called V e s p a " R o m a n H o l i d a y s " Model. T h i s V e s p a , t h a n k s t o i t s grey-green colour, is the same m o d e l A u d r e y H e p b u r n w a s r i d i n g d u r i n g t h e " V a c a n z e Romane" movie, directed by William Wyler in 1953. For t h i s m o d e l a l o n e , P i a g g i o p r o d u c e d a s m a n y a s 1 5 0 thousands Vespas in two years, from 1951 through 1953. The Vespa now part of the Baldo collection dates back to 1951: i t s p r e v i o u s o w n e r , M a r i o B e g g i , i s t o d a y t h e p o i n t o f contact for BelloMoto in Italy. As he started collaborating with Gianluca three years ago, I got a chance to meet him during his first visit to San Francisco. Mario, tell us more about the story of this Vespa. M y f a t h e r , G i o v a n n i , originally from Gorizia, in the Friuli Venezia-Giulia region, w a s a y o u n g g u y t h a t , o n c e completed his studies after the S e c o n d W o r l d W a r , s t a r t e d working for an Italian cheese c o m p a n y . A s h e h a d s o m e money set aside, he did what many Italian guys of that time used to do: he bought a new Vespa! Your father's story belongs to many other Italians in the early '50s… The Vespa Vacanze Romane Model: the vintage scooter from 1951, now the "Queen of the Baldo Collection" SERENA PERFETTO SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY You need to remember that, a t t h a t t i m e , 8 0 l i r a s w e r e enough for people to feel and show their dream of freedom. T h e f i r s t c o m m e r c i a l e v e r s h o w e d h o w w o m e n c o u l d easily and confidently drive that Vespa: nobody can forget the poster of a woman riding her beloved Vespa while going to work. That's also the story of my dad, who used his Vespa to go to work for more than 25 years. Then what happened? I n t h e ' 8 0 s , m y f a m i l y decided to donate it to a private museum in Gorizia, the Museo Gratton. Then, thirty years later, I discovered I had my father's p a s s i o n f o r V e s p a s a n d motorcycles. Indeed, thanks to t h e k i n d n e s s o f t h e M u s e u m d i r e c t o r , I w a s a l l o w e d t o r e p o s s e s s i t a n d s t a r t i t s r e s t o r a t i o n . T h e V e s p a w a s finally back with its original family. How long did it take to take y o u r V e s p a t o i t s " s e c o n d life"? I found the Vespa in very poor conditions and was worried I would have not been able to completely restore it. On the other hand, I spent one full year and several thousands euros to f i n d t h e b e s t m e c h a n i c a l professionals to do this job. We w a n t e d a " c o n s e r v a t i v e restoration" which allowed to k e e p t h e o r i g i n a l i t y a n d uniqueness of our jewel. A f t e r t h i s g r e a t achievement, how could you give it up a second time? In 2014, when the restoration was completed, I got to talk to G i a n l u c a w h o a s k e d m e i f I would be interested in having the Vespa become part of his collection. For the second time, m y f a m i l y h a d t o m a k e a decision for something which is very important to us. Everybody agreed that keeping it at home, after all the efforts we made to give the Vespa a second life, would have been of less use and p r o b a b l y d i m i n i s h i n g t o t h e Vespa itself. The final decision was not easy but we thought it was the best we could make, so I called Gianluca back. W h a t d o e s i m p r e s s A m e r i c a n s t h e m o s t w h e n looking at your Vespa? T h e V e s p a a r r i v e d i n S a n Francisco in 2014, during the winter. Many people who get to see it for the first time want to k n o w m o r e a b o u t i t s s t o r y because it's part of the Italian cinema iconographie. For this reason, we prepared a photo album containing pictures that can tell the Vespa's story. Not only historical photos of my father's, but also the ones I took when I found it in the Museum two years ago. So, you agree the Vespa is t h e Q u e e n o f t h e B a l d o Collection… I believe that the amazing aspect of all vintage Vespas is that they all have a story to be told. But the story of my father's Vespa is not only special but also unique. I am proud of this Vespa especially after it got the "Targa Oro", a special tag that proves the authenticity of the scooter and its highest standards of quality achieved during the restoration. It's a very important part of its story, and I am sure my father would be proud of it. The Vespa Vacanze Romane at the end of the restoration in 2014 Giovanni Beggi, Mario's father, riding his Vespa in Gorizia, Italy SELLING HOMES THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA Adele Della Santina "e Right Realtor makes all the dierence." 650.400.4747 AdeleDS@aol.com www.AdeleDS.com CalBRE# 00911740 Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation!

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