Vespa Club Insetti Scoppiettanti (Codroipo, Udine)

One of the first things to do when you have a Vespa is to take part of a Vespa Club (VC). The VC allows you to meet vespisti that have the same passion and to join them to Vespa raduni (I have still to understand the best translation of “raduno”... rally? Meeting? Mah!). Every meeting is a great experience, a good way to drive through new places, to eat typical food and to drink some liters of aperitiv/wine/beer. I think I joined the “Insetti Scoppiettanti” Club in the 2006, mainly because my friends Paolo and Gatto had already taken part. The VC was born in the 2000, under the guide of the president Franco Roiatti. In the 2002 they organized their 1st Vespa meeting in Codroipo (Udine), that became year after year an appointment at the end of July for hundreds of vespisti. Since the 2004, the Club put in contact all the members that want to go to the annual World Vespa Meeting, aka “Vespa World Days”. I had the chance to join them last year, at the VWD in Mantova. We spent such a good time... despite the rain. Meeting after meeting, the VC cultivates friendships with other VCs. It is worth mentioning that, every year, some “Insects” drive to Ferrara to join the of local Vespa meeting and hence some vespisti from that town (200 km far) join the above mentioned meeting in Codroipo. A demonstration of the spirit of friendship born in the name of a common passion called Vespa. I can finally suggest to have a look to the website www.insettiscoppiettanti.it and hence their facebook page.

In the picture, on the left, a photo of the 2005 VC meeting, while some Vespa drive through "Villa Manin" (Codroipo, Udine, Italy). On the right, a couple of pics of the 2014 meeting in Codroipo. The images are taken from the Facebook profile of the VC Insetti Scoppiettanti.

My (vespa) origins: Vespa 50 R

Pertegada (North-East of Italy), Spring 2004. Massimin asked me if I wanted his Vespa, a blue “blu marine” 50R (1980). He bought a Vespa P200E and he did not want to see the little 50R parked in the garage. In Italy, classic 50 cc scooters have a limit of 45 km/h and they can not drive passenger: quite restrictive rules if you want to drive your Vespa outside your city and, perhaps, with your girlfriend on your back. Cica, Gatto, Michele and Paolo already had a Vespa and so I had a chance to join their little “club”. Paolo and Cica said they would fix the engine, to reach a good speed to join them to Vespa rallies. So, almost 10 years ago, I started to love the Vespa and all the surroundings (trips, meetings, new friends, …) and now I am starting this blog. Massimin drove this Vespa mainly in the ‘80s and in the ‘90s, the 50R allowed him to appear driving the more expensive Vespa 125 cc primavera. The Vespa 50R drove me up to late 2011, when I decided to leave it to my little cousins of Trieste. As Massimin did in 2004, I preferred to go on driving the other Vespa I had (a VNB from the ‘60s and a FL2 125 cc, 1995). I have also to start fixing a Vespa 50 Special (1980), that is waiting for me in the attic since ages… I spent such a good time on it, from celebration of the 2006 World Cup up to the hill of the Zoncolan mountain (1750 m), passing from Vespa meetings in the North-West of Italy to many parties in Lignano Sabbiadoro during the fabulous Italian summers.

In the picture, from the left: Me on Vespa 50R, Michele, Patric, Gatto, the Patric’s Vespa TS, Cica and Paolo, close to the Michele’s Vespa ET3 primavera. We were on the hill of Zoncolan mountain, summer 2011 (probably)