Moto Guzzi's renovated Lake Como headquarters welcomes a pilgrimage of motorcycle-bound aficionados

MANDELLO DEL LARIO, Italy (AP) — After extensive renovation by the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi, aficionados this year had fresh reasons for a pilgrimage to the lakeside spot where their beloved two-cylinder bikes are hand-built.

Thousands of Moto Guzzi riders pulled up Saturday for an annual gathering and informal ride along the winding lakeside roads. They started arriving on Thursday for the unveiling of the headquarters, new museum and expanded factory on the shores of northern Italy’s Lake Como.

The headquarters, nestled between a mountainside and the lakeshore, received an additional 5,500 square meters (nearly 60,000 square feet) for factory space and the museum that honors the iconic brand that has been owned by Vespa-maker Piaggio since 2004. Works took five years and cost more than 50 million euros ($58 million).

Timothy Bennett, who lives in the U.S. state of Georgia, was making his second trip to the headquarters after attending a toned-down 100th anniversary celebration during the pandemic. His first Moto Guzzi — made distinctive by its dual cylinders projecting from either side of the bike — was an 850-T, and now he owns a 2018 California 1400 Touring.

“I’ve owned a Moto Guzzi since my 20s,” said Bennett, 58. “The first time I saw one in a magazine, I thought it looked very interesting. And then I went ahead and saved up some money and bought a used one, and fell in love.”

This year, Bennett and other visitors to the World Guzzi Days could peek through new observation points to see workers hand-assembling the motorcycles, just as they have for 105 years. The company prides itself on its processes.

“Moto Guzzi is handmade, it is an artisanal product, it’s a piece of art,” said Matteo Boddi, head of manufacturing for the Piaggio Group. “And we never substitute automation for this core part. Automation is for safety and for sustainability.”

The new factory includes the addition of an automation belt to move parts and engines through the factories and robotics to transport the finished motorcycles for their final test. The factory expansion potentially doubles the maximum production to 30,000 motorcycles a year.

“We tried to make an accessible place both for passionate motorcyclists and people who are just curious about motorcycles being made in Italy, on Lake Como, and may never even have heard of Moto Guzzi before,” said U.S. architect Greg Lynn.

Celebrity spottings and weddings have long been a pastime at Lake Como, known for its majestic views of the Alps. The lake is featured in the James Bond film Casino Royale, and George Clooney owns a villa on its shore . But that glitz isn't why the Moto Guzzi fans turn out in droves.

Roland Rampnoux has been visiting the factory regularly since 1980, and belongs to a 150-strong Moto Guzzi club in Paris. He was impressed by the factory, but his interest was mostly in the bikes and the camaraderie.

“I like the mentality of the people who ride them,” Rampnoux said. “When you see a Moto Guzzi it is immediately recognizable. It is a legendary brand.”