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Corradino d'Ascanio

An exhibition at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera pays tribute to the inventor of the Vespa scooter.

The exhibiton Corradino D'Ascanio: Man, Genius, Magician, Legend is an event organised with the patronage of the Abruzzo Archives Superintendency, the Regional Authority of Tuscany, the Provincial Authority of Pisa, the Municipality of Pontedera, the Provincial Authority of Pescara and the Municipality of Popoli – takes visitors through four sections (the Man, the Genius, the Magician, the Legend) illustrating the unique genius of one of the great names of Italian industrial history. Showing an extensive selection of projects, original drawings, documents and contemporary publications, as well as the oldest Vespa models from the Piaggio Museum collection, the exhibition celebrates Corradino D'Ascanio and the birth of a true icon of Italian style and industry, famous all over the world. Since the development of the first model, the "98cc" patented by D'Ascanio on 23 April 1946, more than 17 million Vespas have been produced and sold worldwide. And the success of the first and most famous scooter continues: Vespa sales in 2011 are about to reach the remarkable milestone of 150,000 vehicles sold in just one year.

Corradino d'Ascanio in his practice in the '50

The exhibition section devoted to the Man – presented in the catalogue by Maria D'Ascanio – physically re-creates Corradino D'Ascanio's workplace, with original objects and furniture. Visitors can see a huge collection of private photographs and documents on his lifetime, from his childhood in Popoli in the region of Abruzzo, to the years in the USA, and his arrival in Piaggio.

The focus of the section on the Genius – introduced in the exhibition catalogue by Giorgetto Giugiaro – is a large collection of vehicles, patents and technical drawings examining the professional formation of Corradino D'Ascanio (Popoli, 1 February 1891 - Pisa, 6 August 1981). The exhibits investigate the origins of an engineering genius that would lead D'Ascanio to patent the first prototype of the modern helicopter and, between 1945 and 1946, the Vespa, setting off the extraordinary success story of one of the most important symbols of Italian industry and creativity.

Corradino D'Ascanio's creativity was not limited to his engineering activities, however, as the section on the Magician explains, with a catalogue commentary by Costantino Frontalini. His thousand other ideas include the bizarre installations devised for the two-wheeler exhibitions and trade fairs where the Vespa was shown, tricks designed to astonish like the "Vespa on a peach-tree branch" or "Vespa on a jet of water". These stunning effects can be seen at the exhibition thanks to the virtual reality technology developed by the Percro laboratory of Pisa's Sant'Anna University.

The last section in the exhibition on the inventor of the Vespa looks at the Legend (presented in the catalogue by Donatella Puliga): next to the most important models developed by D'Ascanio, a series of filmed interviews with friends, colleagues and relations offers an account of a powerfully unique figure, fondly remembered by those who knew him.

Lanzara, D'Ascanio and Fangio in Pontedera, September 1956

Contributors to the exhibition are Daniel Schinasi (who created the portrait used as the exhibition symbol), Alberto Fremura (author of four pencil sketches for the four sections of the exhibition) and Pisan scriptwriter Mario Cristiani, who edited the epistolary reading for the opening delivered by Luca Zingaretti and accompanied by accordionist Fabio Ceccarelli, who composed the music played at the event.

The exhibition will also be accompanied by a special stamp cancellation, from 2 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday 20 December at the Piaggio Museum. The cancellation mark, designed by Maria Cecilia Imiotti from a famous photograph of Corradino D'Ascanio, will be catalogued and archived at the Post and Telecommunication Museum in Rome.

Corradino D'Ascanio: Man, Genius, Magician, Legend
Until 31 january 2012
Museo Piaggio
Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 7
Pontedera (Pi)

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Corradino d'Ascanio

An exhibition at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera pays tribute to the inventor of the Vespa scooter.

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