FROM 13 MARCH TO 11 MAY 2025, ORGANISED BY THE ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF BRATISLAVA, AS PART OF THE 18TH EDITION OF THE ITALIAN “DOLCE VITAJ” FESTIVAL. FEATURING SOME OF THE BEST PIECES FROM THE “MARCO FUMAGALLI COLLECTION”
https://www.facebook.com/IICBratislava/?ref=bookmarks
March 2025 (G.T.) - With its unmistakable lines and iconic style, the Vespa is immediately recognisable, and this, combined with the emotions it evokes - the desire to be free and to ride with the wind in your hair - gives the classic scooter all the qualities necessary to be considered a work of art. Since it first appeared at the Fiera della Meccanica trade fair in Turin, back in March 1946, the best-loved Italian scooter in the world has received a host of awards, and the most classic Vespa models are highly sought after by design collectors, galleries and museums. These include, first and foremost, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), the temple of modern art in New York, where the Vespa GS 150, designed by engineer Corradino D'Ascanio in 1955, takes pride of place in the collection.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/90009
But the Vespa is also a constant presence at the Italian Design Museum at the Milan Triennale, where special pieces from private collections have been exhibited, and the iconic scooter has made appearances in other design museums around the world, as well as in art galleries and in auction houses which sell historical pieces for significant sums. A resounding success for one of the icons of Made in Italy for almost 80 years.
In the first exhibition in Slovakia dedicated to this Italian icon – “Vespa, A Made in Italy Legend”, which runs from 13 March to 11 May 2025, at Bratislava Castle, Vespa models from various decades are on display, beginning with one of the first models from 1946, accompanied by the original patent drawings and advertising posters from the Marco Fumagalli collection.
https://asimusei.it/museo/collezione-marco-fumagalli/
https://www.facebook.com/p/Marco-Fumagalli-100063655392555/?locale=it_IT&_rdr
The collection, which has appeared over the years in numerous magazines and national and international television programmes, is exhibited in a private museum in Seregno, with more than 200 Vespa models from different periods as well as a host of other valuable pieces such as the drawings for the first model by D'Ascanio and a large collection of plaques commemorating rallies held both in Italy and around the world. In addition, the exhibition also features a range of rare advertising posters and vintage toys.
In addition to this, the exhibition in Bratislava also features pieces loaned by the Vespa Klub Slovakia (https://vespaklub.sk/) and Vespa Košice (https://www.vespakosice.sk/), with models created this century, including a Vespa Primavera Touring, the star of a number of long trips in Europe, including one that took its owner as far as Morocco (https://www.signorvespa.eu/).
https://www.facebook.com/VespaSignor
From the Wide Magazine archive:
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/travels/the-fascinating-winter-trip-2025-of-jk-riding-his-vespa/index.html
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/travels/jk-camel-mission-from-slovakia-to-morocco/index.html
The exhibition curator, Rino Drogo, was director of the Bologna Motor Show, and is also a communications expert in the automotive field.
https://www.facebook.com/IICBratislava
The exhibition, which is being supported by the Mayor of Bratislava, Matúš Vallo, is one of key initiatives of the 18th edition of the Italian festival “Taliansky Festival Na Slovensky 2025” - in Slovakia, “Dolce Vitaj”.
Event organised by: Italian Cultural Institute of Bratislava (Italian Embassy/Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In collaboration with: Bratislava Castle - Slovak National Museum, Marco Fumagalli Collection in Seregno (Italy), Vespa Seregno Moto Club (Italy), Italian Embassy, CCIS, Vespa Club Slovakia, Vespa Košice.
The Bratislava Castle: https://www.turismoslovacchia.it/?page_id=7130
Source: Italian Cultural Institute of Bratislava, Slovakia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: https://iicbratislava.esteri.it/it/
WIDE REWIND (2017) – READ ALSO:
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/people/marco-fumagalli-and-the-american-challenge/index.html
