PIAGGIO

Rinaldo Piaggio founded the company in 1884, initially building locomotives and railway carriages. It moved into the military sector in 1917 and later built aeroplanes and aircraft engines.

After the war Enrico Piaggio turned to scooter production, and the Vespa, designed by Corradino D'Ascanio, was built at the rebuilt Pontedera plant in April 1946. More than a million units had been produced within ten years.