Italian for happiness

After giving it a lot of thought tonite--about 45 minutes so far--I've decided that I want a Vespa. Bad.

But really, I thought about it long before tonite. It probably first got into my head about the time I saw this lovely lady ride one:

Then when I went to Italy and saw them everywhere in every color, I thought, "One day, one shall be mine."

Also while in Italy, I crossed off the first step: own Vespa gear. (Because if I learned anything from the "Friends" episode where Joey pretends to own a Porsche, I know that the name-brand gear is the first step.)

Yes, I'm still a bit hazy on the exact license requirements. Yes, while I did find people online who ride them in and around D.C., I'm not sure how it works on the roads out of the city. (Like to Alexandria, where I work.) And, oh yeah, there's that whole I don't drive thing. Minor detail. Especially since thinking about learning to drive this scares me way less than thinking about learning to drive a car.

I want to be this girl! With a slightly higher neckline. And a better driving form.

Did I mention how cute they are? And how many colors they come in?

I want one. Bad.

Photos: Vespa, mine, mine, mine, Vespa, Vespaholic, and Vespa.