ABSTRACT
This chapter recounts the history of Piaggio from the firm’s birth in 1884 until World War II. Particular attention is devoted to the factory in Pontedera (Pisa, Tuscany), which was established to build aircrafts and propellers and would later be used for the manufacture of the Vespa after the end of World War II. The chapter explains the company’s success in the aeronautical sector, resulting from the war orders of the fascist regime. The transfer of know-how from the aeronautical sector to the motorcycle industry is the essential key to understanding the genealogy of the Vespa.
