Ciao, Vespa

Geared Vespas are becoming a rare sight in Rome. With the exception of this chap on a Sprint Veloce zooming down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, I didn't see more than than a handful of classics. The Roman's favourite transport is the motorini, the ubiquitous automatic scooter parked on every square inch of pavement and in every nook and cranny of the Eternal City's alleyways. The canny Italians have long been selling off their geared scooters to British and American dealers, and since the demise of the P-range last year prices have shot up. It's perhaps significant that the scooter that I saw with the heaviest lock and chain was this Rally parked up near St Peter's Square.