| November 5, 2022

What better place to ride a Vespa than Italy? Rome, of course. That’s where we rode the king of scooters, Vespa, and its new GTS 300.

By Keith Dowdle

The Vespa GTS lineup has been around for nearly two decades now, 19 years to be exact, and while there have been various model revisions along the way, the Piaggio Group, makers of Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, haven’t updated its largest and most iconic scooter in almost four years—so it was time to show some love to the “Vespiti.” Vespiti is the Italian word for the legions of Vespa fans around the world who are passionate about the large-bodied classic Vespa. Oozing chic style and Italian flair, it’s been ridden by Hollywood celebs and fashion icons the world over.

Piaggio must be careful, though, about using words like “redesigned” when referring to this model. The classic lines of the lower splash guard must never change, at least not too drastically, or the Vespiti will certainly revolt. Those timeless, unmistakable lines are what separate the big-body Vespa, known as the Vespone, from every other scooter roaming the streets of, well, Rome, as an example, which is where Piaggio brought the world press for the intro of the new GTS 300—the most powerful Vespa ever made. Along with an increase in horsepower, the updates…