He grew up in Palermo, Sicily’s capital, where Scooters are used for transportation and business. His father, Antonino Di Marco, began working as a Vespa and Lambretta mechanic in Palermo in the fifties. Massimo began to have a fascination with Italian Scooters and began to dream about someday becoming a Service Mechanic. His father, Antonino, noticed his passion for Italian scooters and when Mas
simo was seven, began to take him to the shop with him after school. Massimo was more interested in hanging out with his Papa' at the shop than playing with the kids Massimo had a talent for working on Italian scooters only. At twelve, he began to work as Assistant Mechanic after school. His boss, Franco Reina, was impressed on how quickly Massimo learned each and every day. A few years later Massimo was able to assemble and tune a Italian scooters engine on his own. Years and years later, he became proficient in diagnosing various types of Italian engines almost just by listening to them. Understanding Massimo’s passion for Italian scooters, his Papa' helped him open a shop just down their cobblestone street. Within ninety days, Massimo had many clients and was so busy that he ended up hiring two other mechanics to train and work under him. Massimo owned and operated his own Shop Service for five years in Palermo, without a vacation. So, he finally decided to take a much deserved one. He asked his Papa' to look after his business and went on vacation, ending up in California to visit his aunt. While he was there, he met his future wife and they eventually married in 1999. He took his new bride back to Italy to meet the family, where they stayed in Palermo and Tuscany for a year.
“California Dreamin’”
After returning to California, Massimo worked for Vespa of California from 2001 to 2004. He was their Lead Scooter Service mechanic, and became service manager of their four locations; Newport, San Diego, Shearman Oaks and Santa Monica. After leaving Vespa of California in 2004, Massimo began servicing and restoring out of his home garage. “Word of mouth” spread that Massimo was honest, reliable, courteous, professional and fair to all. His business boomed accordingly. With his strong work ethic and growing list of steady clients, Massimo was able to save enough money to open his own shop, service and sales. Massimo Italian Scooter Shop opened in July of 2006. Massimo Di Marco is now pleased to be able to offer his professional services to Italian scooters aficionados throughout Southern California.
