Italy is the first choice on the list, and it is the site that is reviewed here. But not all of the Vespa sites are branded in the same way. For instance, the US and French sites are plain gray, which does not exactly connote the joy of living mentioned earlier. Chile leads to a mere address, and Norway is bright purple.

The Italian site makes extensive use of Flash to animate pictures and menus. The effect is pleasant without being overwhelming. The front page is loaded, almost like a portal, and the navigation menu is unusually positioned on the right side. In addition, five massive buttons, using Flash technology, appear in the main picture in the middle of the screen.

One section -- the "test area" -- is a questionnaire for market research rather than some exhilarating driving experience in cyberspace. Adding to the disappointment, the questionnaire was rather poorly conceived. When trying to submit the form, the participant will get a warning message if any question is left unanswered. There are more subtle ways to measure preferences of site visitors.