ROME — Approximately 15,000 Vespas participated in an event in Rome on Saturday to celebrate the scooter's 80th anniversary. More than 10,000 Vespas rode around the Colosseum and past the Roman Forum.

Vespa enthusiasts began arriving in Rome on Thursday, prior to the main event. Vespas from the past eight decades were displayed in the parking lot outside Rome's Stadium of the Marbles. Rome's mayor cut a ribbon at the Stadium of the Marbles to open the anniversary event.

Participants traveled from various locations, including continental Europe, northern England, San Francisco, Australia's Gold Coast, and the Philippines. Andrew Walton, a 59-year-old truck driver, rode from Newcastle to Rome. He traveled by ferry to Rotterdam, then through Germany and Austria, and along Italy's coast. Walton bought his first Vespa approximately 20 years ago. "You get on, twist, go. Doddle. Easy," Walton said.

Natalie Dunand, a retiree, described the appeal of the scooter. "The passion for Vespa is for the Italian style, freedom, the '60s," Dunand said. "I love it."

Piaggio has sold approximately 20 million Vespas worldwide since 1946 and sells them in 110 countries. Davide Zanolini, executive vice president of marketing at Piaggio, described the scooter's design. "The shape, the elegance. This very charming attitude of Vespa is much more of a lady than a man," Zanolini said.

Initially, women were among the target clients for the Vespa. The word "Vespa" means "wasp" in Italian. Piaggio was an aircraft manufacturer before producing scooters, and its factory in Pontedera was destroyed by bombings during World War II.

The scooter has appeared in films such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and the animated film "Luca." The 1953 film "Roman Holiday" features Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn riding a Vespa through Rome. A photo retrospective at the event included an image of explorer Soren Nielsen reaching the Arctic Circle on a Vespa in 1963. An article from 1950 described the sound of Vespas in downtown Rome as resembling the Indy 500.