LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Vespa: Vespas
built 264 days ago
The name for the restaurant, Vespa, in Italian, means a wasp, and was thought in Greek and Roman mythology to be the goddess of love. Vespa is a Tuscan restaurant featuring Tuscan and Ligurian dishes like Ligurian Pesto, and Seafood Risotto with clams and arborio rice. Vespa is known for its Italian specialties; the chef, Salvadore, trained in Italy at the Culinary Institute. All of the food at Vespa is prepared on premises from fresh ingredients; the meats and seafoods are always prepared from fresh, not frozen cuts.
Source:
Since 1946 Vespa has lived on from one generation to the next, subtly modifying its image each time. The first Vespa offered mobility to everyone. Then, it became the two-wheeler of the post war economic boom. During the sixties and seventies, the vehicle became a symbol for the revolutionary ideas of the time. Advertising campaigns like "He Who Vespas, eats the apple", and films such as Quadrophenia have symbolized eras intheir history.
Source:
Inside, Vespa is adorned with a clever mix of old-fashioned Italian décor and unique modern-day touches, such as mini-Vespas placed around the bar. Warm red candles and vibrant music create an atmosphere that is at once quaint and trendy, inviting yet not overwhelming.
Source:
The Vespa was designed around a unibody chassis made from stamped sheet-metal, with cowlings that covered the engine, and a contoured lower fairing that acted as a mud guard. The engine was a single-cylinder two-stroke 'wide frame' motor. Optional accessories included front and rear racks and spare-tire 'continental' kits.
Source:
Manufacturers and market experts were divided: on one side the people who saw the Vespa as the realisation of a brilliant idea, and on the other the sceptics, who were soon to change their minds. In the last months of 1947 production exploded and the following year the Vespa 125 appeared, a larger model that was soon firmly established as the successor to the first Vespa 98.
Source:
The dominance of the Vespa declined through the 1970s, as small car ownership increased and cheap and reliable commuter bikes like the Honda Super Cub hit sales. Despite the introduction of the more modern 'P' range in the 70's ... the lack of development cost Vespa, and like other markets the sales fell off drastically in the economic boom 1980s. Then Vespa introduced the trendy automatic ET2, London introduced the congestion charge - and partly with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's indirect help from his BBC2 series - sales suddenly leapt.[10]
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Vespas