Modern Vespa

She was the female model in Ruth Orkin's famous photograph "American Girl in Italy," shot in Florence in 1951.

The two had met only a few days before and actually did an entire serious of photos over the course of a week or two with the general theme 'women traveling alone'.

She was a beauty then... and a beauty even in old age.

WIth the help of some MVers, I actually found a pair of those vintage goggles for my daughter for when she rides with me.
Please hlep me find these goggles!

And the last time my wife and I were in Florence, I used Google Earth and street view to find the spot in the Piazza della Repubblicawhere the famous photo was taken, and snapped a shot there:

Not what most people seek out in Italy...

More photos can be found here:

http://www.orkinphoto.com/photographs/american-girl/

I understand that Jess got his hands on the same model/year scoot as the one in the picture.

I've been meaning to send him a follow up shot from the same contact sheet as the famous photo above.

Apparently there were no hard feelings over the leering, because the guy with the Lambretta gave her a ride.