Postcard from Rome – on a Vespa

‘Live dangerously, take the whole day,’ says snappily dressed journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) encouraging Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn), to bunk off her royal duties in William Wyler’s 1953 Oscar-winning charmer, Roman Holiday.

‘Work? Huh! Today’s going to be a holiday,’ he adds.

It’s one of my favourite films and I’ve seen it many times. A love letter to the Eternal City and a tribute to decent behaviour by journalists, it earned Hepburn an Academy Award, which she left in the ladies at the award ceremony…

The hero scooter is a 1951 Vespa 125 Farabasso (low light) which provides genuinely thrilling transport for hack and princess as they ride a choreographed sightseeing route before the runaway scene causes the carabineri in Jeeps to give pursuit to the young couple on the Aston Martin Racing Green scooter.