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

MANDELLO DEL LARIO, Italy -- 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 ow...