The Arena in Pula had a special group of guests this weekend: 500 Vespa scooters!
Rovinj and Pula are housing an attractive manifestation this weekend: the 10th edition of CroVespa, the largest national meeting of Vespa lovers.
Organised by the Vespa Club Croatia, the event has drawn more than 450 Vespa owners from multiple European countries: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, France… It’s a considerable incentive for tourism in Istria, and a lovely nod to Vespa, the best known scooter brand in the world.
After all the guests gathered in Rovinj on Friday, September 8, they headed to Pula the following day to stage a unique spectacle: all 500 Vespas rode into the Arena in total silence, parking in a circle to enable the interested visitors to look around. The event was devised as a tribute to the ancient monument, the only one of its kind to ever house such a manifestation. The organisers made sure to thank the local authorities and Darko Komša, the director of the Archaeology Museum in Pula.
“I believe no one among us has ever dreamed of entering the Arena on a Vespa. Imagine how our Italian guests must be feeling – they never managed to stage such an event in the amphitheatres in Rome or Verona, but they had to come to Pula instead to drive into the Arena for the first time. They were the ones who made this remark, in a positive way, as all our guests are delighted by Rovinj and Pula. They are taken with Istria in general, at least the part they’ve seen on their way here. They say it really is a terra magica [magical land, popular nickname for Istria]”, said Ivica Ružičić from the Vespa Club Zagreb.
He added the trip from Rovinj to Pula was a pleasant one, as they travelled in a 4-kilometre long Vespa formation. They were escorted by the police, who they thanked for successful cooperation and help along the way.
President of the Vespa Club Croatia Rafael Čuljak said the Croatian club is known as an excellent event organiser, but also as a club whose members always have a smile on their faces; they are a laid-back crew, always ready to have some fun or help another Vespa fan when the need arises.
“Many people can’t understand why we love Vespas so much with so many other, more modern motorcycles out there. It’s the same thing as with Harley Davidsons – you either love them or you don’t. Our club currently counts 516 members from the whole of Croatia, 40 of them women. We’re not joined by the most interesting Vespas in Pula today, as around 40 of them remain on display in Rovinj where we created a temporary ‘Vespa museum’ this weekend”, said Čuljak.
Watch the takeoff from Rovinj in the video below:
Translation of excerpts from Glas Istre.
