Impressive is a good way to describe the journey undertaken by four friends from the Rosario Vespa Club, who left Argentina to head for the “Vespa World Days 2016” big event in Saint Tropez, France, stopping off on the way in Rome at the end of May and in Pontedera, Tuscany: the photos (above) show them – the president of the Rosario Vespa Club Salvador Mateo Ruiz with Julio Bejarano, Gabriel Moscatello and Mauricio Lopez Salvatierra – in front of the Piaggio Group gates and in the nearby Piaggio Museum, where they admired our historic collection of Vespa scooters. Later, they set off again for the French coast to take part in the world Vespa rally (photos below).
The four friends had been making preparations and dreaming about seeing the “Vespa factory” and meeting Vespa fans from around the world at VWD for months, says president Salvador Mateo Ruiz (above right). And this year, the 70th anniversary of everyone’s favourite scooter, the dream came true. “We reached Saint Tropez on 1 June, setting up in the well-equipped campsite of the Vespa Village by the sea. We followed all the VWD events, and met other people from Argentina: Mauricio Lopez Salvatierra, Julio Bejarano, Gabriel Moscatello, Marcelo Seisas, Lucas Martin and Salvador Mateo Ruiz from the Rosario Vespa Club; Guillermo Lavat from the Quilmes Berazategui Vespa Club; Jorge Bayon from the Buenos Aires Vespa Club and Alejandro Balsamo, vice president of the Argentina Vespa Club. We also caught up with Sandra Carozzi and Mario Pecoraro, two Vespa enthusiasts from Trieste whom we met in 2014 when they visited Argentina. And we saw many other friends, from Italy and elsewhere. On the last evening, with the awards presentation, honourable mentions went to the countries that came from farthest away, Indochina and… Argentina! Finally, on 5 June, after an unforgettable rally, it was time to say goodbye to the thousands of Vesparados.”
The club is very active, organizing important events as well as rallies and convivial meetings. In May, for example, it collaborated with the Italian Consulate General in Rosario for the event “Tanti auguri Vespa!”, in cooperation with the Municipalidad de Rosario and the Museo de la Ciudad, to celebrate the scooter’s 70th anniversary.
With Vespa riders also coming in from Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Cordoba, a colourful procession of two-wheelers rode through the city streets to the gardens of the Consulate, where certificates of attendance were presented to all the participants (Courtesy Italian Consulate General in Rosario/Photo Silvio Moriconi).
On 4 August, the Rosario Vespa Club with Italian Consul General in Rosario, Giuseppe D’Agosto, visited the C.A.E.B.A. school, which runs literacy and basic education courses for young people and adults, and donated a number of tablets, purchased thanks to the generosity of the participants at the Vespa 70th anniversary event. A marvellous gesture.
The Rosario Vespa Club will also have a stand at the third edition of the “Exposición de motos”, organised by the Rosario Moto Club, at the Parque Nacional a la Bandera, from 20 to 30 October 2016.