I agree. The Volpe was a decent bike--I nearly bought one when they were new, but got such a good deal on something else that I couldn't pass it up. Unless it's been crashed or badly thrashed, you should be able to get it running with a light tune-up and lubrication. The brakes should be fine, maybe after a pad change (no problem finding those), and if you pull the cables out of the housings, lube them and slip them back in, you'll fix the shifting and improve the brake feel. At some point you'll probably have to repack the hubs, headset and bottom bracket, but that's all standard stuff, easy to learn and not hard to do (or maybe not--the bottom bracket in my old Trek has been untouched for at least 10 years).
impossible to say for sure without seeing it, of course, but if it's just an old bike that was working when you leaned it against the garage wall, you should be able to get it back on the road in a Saturday morning for not much money beyond tires and brake pads. I sort of wish I had it....