Vespa World Days 2024 in Pontedera

Created by Dietrich Limper at 08:10 on October 24, 2023

Actually, it seemed set in stone that "The Vespa Club of Canada" would host the Vespa World Days 2024. In the public discussions, the best location was already being discussed. Sometimes it was Kingston, then Montreal again - it remained exciting. Until the bombshell burst on 17 June 2023, at the meeting of the Vespa World Club (VWC) during the Vespa World Days 2023 in Interlaken, Switzerland.

VWC president Calestrini resigned (or was resigned) but remains on the board, which is dominated by Piaggio. Canadian President Jeff Schneider withdrew Canada as a venue. It was said that he no longer had confidence in the promises made by Piaggio or the VWC. By all accounts, all this did not go harmoniously and dampened the mood during the celebrations at the Swiss.

Back to the roots

Weeks went by, there was no news, the Vespa community worldwide held its breath. But now, a few days ago, the Vespa Club Austria announced that various decisions had been made at a general meeting attended by around 30 club presidents from all over the world. First of all, Ricciardo Costagliola will lead the VWC as Vice President until the new elections in spring 2024.

But far more interesting is the announcement that the Vespa World Days, under the slogan "Special Anniversary Edition", will take place in Pontedera, Italy, from 18 to 21 April 2024. The celebrations will be 140 years of Piaggio, 100 years of the Pontedera factory and 70 years of Eurovespa Paris. It is therefore extremely practical that the Vespa Museum is located directly on site and that the parent company Piaggio also has its cradle here. Eurovespa 2024 will be celebrated in Montegrotto Terme, Padua, in the first week of July. in 2025, it will finally be the turn of Novi Sad in Serbia. Further information about the Vespa World Days 2024 will be published after the EICMA trade fair in November.

The Vespa World Club was founded in 2006 by Piaggio and the Piaggio Foundation. Its direct predecessor organisation was the "Federation Internationale des Vespa Clubs" (FIV), which had to dissolve in 2005 due to lack of financial support. Today, 63 nations with a total of over 70,000 members organised in local clubs belong to the Vespa World Club.

Video: SIP Road Trip to the Vespa World Days 2023 in Interlaken

Dietrich Limper

Dietrich Limper works as an editor for SIP Scootershop and also writes for local and national publications. When he's not geocaching, he enjoys the amazing antics of Bayer Leverkusen.