One evening towards the end of August in 1958, Federico Fellini invited Tazio Secchiaroli, Carlo Bavagnoli, Pierluigi Praturlon, Sandro Vespasiani, Ezio Vitale and Guglielmo Coluzzi, amongst others, to dinner. His guests were the photoreporters of Via Veneto, the 'paparazzi' who haunted the frenetic Roman night-life to steal pictures, stories and gossip to sell to the newspapers. This meeting gave Fellini the idea for the film 'La Dolce Vita'.

The time was the late Fifties and Rome was the film and international jet-set capital. Via Veneto throbbed with life, its chic nightclubs and luxury hotels were a Mecca for actors and writers while politicians and VIPs arranged to meet at its fashionable cafés. A kaleidoscope of different languages, music, scents and colours. 

Fellini's depiction made the world aware of Via Veneto, the city of Rome and thus also of Italy, a country that was struggling out of a difficult post-war period. The economic boom was upon us: widespread wealth encouraged people to rediscover their joie de vivre and dabble in art, design, television and fashion. And more. The Fifties were also a never-to-be repeated period in the history of the motor car. Lancia reigned supreme over other manufacturers of the day due to the class, style and sportiness of its models. Cars with names like Ardea, Aurelia and Appia streaked along the roads of Europe with style, sophistication and sensuality, just like the divas they really were.

Now, more than 40 years later, people dream of returning to those carefree days of optimism and fun. People have the same desire to have fun, travel, learn and abandon themselves to the subtle delights that our collective imagination allots to the now-legendary 'Dolce Vita'. With the one big difference that a luxury car is now no longer a dream achieved by the few but within the reach of many. The new 'Dolce Vita' is still as exclusive as ever but not unreachable. And the Fifties are enjoying a revival. 

In fashion for example: the colour pink, flowers, sweetheart necklines and light, luxurious fabrics are the inspiration for the latest international catwalk shows. Gucci has created a collection of bags based on vintage models; Gaultier has made classic hats in new materials. 'Some of the frocks looked as though they had walked straight off a poster from the Fifties', declared the New York Times after visiting the last catwalk show in New York.

The feel is the sensual, slightly naughty world of shoulderless evening dresses, come-hither bustiers and - above all - those vertiginous stiletto heels. Indisputable symbol of the ultra-feminine Fifties: 'the time when women walked with a special wiggle due to the way those magnificent shoes moved over the cobbles' The quote is from Marcello Mastroianni, unforgettable star of 'La Dolce Vita' by Fellini. 

And the Fifties are also back in the cinema and music industry. The latest movies are inspired by legends of the past and women are their undeniable stars, just as in the Fifties. Examples include 'Eight Women' by Catherine Deneuve, 'Far from heaven' with Julianne Moore or 'Callas Forever' with Fanny Ardent.

Music is also infected by the new trend. Musical hits of the past, rewritten and rearranged, are climbing high in the hit parade: from 'It don't mean a thing' by Gabon to 'Something stupid' by Robin Williams - and Fifties music often features in film sound tracks.

Then there is the Vespa, and the big rounded coloured refrigerators and the geometric lampshades: even industrial design is becoming a cult again. And automotive design is no exception. It is no coincidence that the Lancia brand, always ahead of its time, has chosen this moment to bring out the new Lancia Ypsilon. 

The 'Dolce Vita' years were also the years when Italian fashion began to make its mark on the world. The movement now known as Italian Glamour first arose at that time. 'La Dolce Vita' is associated with values that forged the identity and appeal of Italy: the everyday concern with good looks, the quality of food and wine, the taste, the imagination and the ability to know how to live well. Above all, it is concerned with class, charm and style. The very same Italian style lies at the core of the Lancia philosophy as it is expressed in the new Lancia Ypsilon. As you would expect, the car is carefully designed down to the last detail, including the choice of new body colours, the many different fabrics and leathers used for the interior trim, the carefully-designed passenger compartment and the chrome detailing to make the cosy interior still more welcoming. 

The Lancia Ypsilon is Lancia's response to the needs of sophisticated, cultured customers who are able to reconcile apparently conflicting values such as tradition and innovation, rationality and emotion, individualism and social awareness. Men and women who are satisfied at work and at play and are now in search of personal, exclusive well-being. This new world of exclusivity is not driven by a desire to possess valuable, costly items, but by a desire for subjective satisfaction and gratification. Hence the importance of having time for yourself. To satisfy your desire to experience well-being. The Lancia Ypsilon is all this.