Vespa Museum Pollenza

I have stood next to the 2711th Vespa ever built, one of the original series of 98cc Vespas built right after World War Two. Cool, huh?


How Giovanni's wife Rossana ever heard about thisplace, fa off the beaten track I have no idea, but she got us here in the middle of the region known as Le Marche, not far from the provincial capital of Le Marche. Te museum was open to then public and free, overseen by a young girl who had never even ridden a Vespa...


The were more Vespas and more Vespa "stuff" than I can possibly comment on. If you love Vespas as I do the pictures speak for themselves.


















My first motorcycle in 1970 was a Vespa 50R like this one below which my mother bought me (she loved motorcycles!) when I was twelve. Mine was orange and had a double seat and no spare wheel. I rode it everywhere across the mountains even though I was two years younger than was legal. Hence my love of Vespas.


Sprint 90 SS:

















This fascinating collection was pulled together by one Marco Romiti a native of Pollenza, who it turns out still lives there. I know because we met him on the street after our stupendous visit.


There on the street we spoke of nostalgia and Piaggio's astonishing inability to take advantage of the tremendous well of good will, world wide, for Vespas old and new.


He told us Piaggio showed no interest at all in his fabulous collection and he is forced to keep it off the beaten path because no Piaggio affiliated organization will give it the audience it deserves. Italy snatching defeat as usual from the jaws of victory.

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Riding Le Marche

You've heard of Tuscany which is much larger and more varied than my native Umbria which in turn is better known than the region to the northeast of Umbria along the Adriatic coast. That would be the mountainous and relatively isolated region known in English as The Marches, translated from the Italian Le Marche (pro: mar-Kay).


Mountainous yes, but also lots of rolling hills, agriculture and beautiful views. There is also some excellent riding on rolling hill roads. I loved the 1200 ST on these sweeping roads and Giovanni remarked on my perfect lines through the turns. It was really excellent riding.


We had to get the paper GPS out from time to time to find our way to the tiny town of Pollenza where Rossana had discovered a fascinating and privately owned Vespa scooter museum.


It was a hot day and we set aside our jackets in our huge, fuss-free BMW bags.


The countryside rolled by and my wife had a ball playing with the camera as we rode.


Until we finally reached a coffee stop in the curiously named town of Cingoli (caterpillar tracks, as found on a tank). One more lovely Italian hill town.


Te coffee was welcome and Rossana our self appointed tour guide hustled us into the medieval church where I accidentally stepped on the white carpet and got a dressing down from an old hag in the back pew. She turned put to be the grandmother of the bride and took umbrage at me clumping on the pristine carpet. The encounter rather inclined me against Cingoli (pro: cheen-go-lee), but Rossana got it into her head we should stay to see the bride.


The wedding party showed up persuading the bulk of our party it was time to go, but Rossana is stubborn at times and it took the local cop telling us we were in a no parking zone to get her to shift.


We bugged out in short order not least because it was getting to be afternoon and we had a long way to go home, even after we found the wretched museum.


Curve followed curve and I had fun shifting up and down, taking the corners as they came with the ST which felt like a bicycle it was light through the turns.


Finally we pulled up at Pollenza a small town near the provincial capital of Macerata.


The unknown Vespa museum was just a few steps away.

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