POLTU QUATU CLASSIC 2014
I was invited to be part of the distinguished Jury of the 2014 Concorso d'Eleganza 'Poltu Quatu', in Costa Smeralda. A honor that I couldn't refuse
Starting from Bologna, our first stop was in Forte dei Marmi for a nice dinner at Fratellinis'. The ferry from Livorno was scheduled at 2330, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the dinner (and a good Martini, of course)
Simone Bertolero was the organizer of the 'Poltu Quatu Classic', located in this magnificent 5-star hotel in Costa Smeralda, the best part of Sardegna. Anna and I had nice memories of being there as 'normal' tourists a few years ago, se welcomed the idea of coming back for the Concorso; and Simone's young model friends were very nice
This is a splendid place to visit with your classic car. Costa Smeralda habitués might almost know what a Bristol 409 is, or at least may appreciate its style
Nice cars everywhere, though only 25 cars were selected for the Concorso by Corrado Lopresto, who is unquestionably Italy's most important classic-cars collector
Jaguar and Alfa Romeo in the sunbathed parking lot of 'Vigne Surrau'
'Vigne Surrau' is a young vineyard but its wines are excellent and the managers both knowledgeable and enthusiastic
An imposing Isotta Fraschini
British and German roadsters seem to be born to cruise Costa Smeralda's windy, sunny roads
Bougainvilles paint the landscape pink and purple, an amazing effect
Phi Beach is an astonishingly beautiful Open Air Club located near the military outpost of Forte Cappellini, with a restaurant and a terrace perched over the sea a few miles west off Poltu Quatu. The wind was fierce....
...but the ambience, inimitable
Audi has conquered all the trendy spots in Costa Smeralda. Luckily, they put a 'R8 Spyder' tag on this car, otherwise I would have never imagined what this conveyance might be
Classic cars all over the place during the transfer to Porto Cervo, in great style
Cruising from Phi Beach to the Porto Cervo harbour and the intriguing Rolls-Royce 'dealership'.... where a great Italian, the superb Lancia Lambda of the Nicolis museum, brought there by lovely Silvia Nicolis, was awarded a well-deserved place of honour
A great hotel must have a nice bar and a good bartender; a Martini cocktail is a reliable test of the efficency of this team. Marcello, in Poltu Quatu, didn't always keep the Hendriks and/or Tanqueray 'Ten' in the freezer, as I did ask him to do, but his Martini was palatable and the finger food that went with it very tasty. All in all, an enjoyable Martini
All set for the Claudia Bertolero défilé. The models were beautiful, the dresses elegant, the whole show, introduced by Simone Bertolero, quite classy. And take a look at the scenario! Everybody just loved it
Eeven when covered, the Isotta looks as huge as a battleship
The model for a high-speed record car by Mollino, a sort of postwar Stromlinienwagen, stylishly parked in the lobby of the Grand Hotel Poltu Quatu
At dusk, the light of Sardegna is enchanting and the Poltu Quatu pool looks almost magic
The Jury was qualified, friendly, very knowledgeable and met in a peculiar Meeting Room.... L to R, Corrado Lopresto; Stefano Pasini; Max Girardo, ebullient manager of RM (Auctions) Europe; Luciano Bertolero, famous expert and broker of classics and the sponsor, with his 'AutoClassic', of the Concorso; Dominik Fischlin, FIVA steward, who is a great connoisseur and a longtime friend
Sunday morning: San Pantaleo, a nice village up in the mountains
San Pantaleo was a very peasant interlude before coming back to Poltu Quatu for the main event: the défilé of the Concorso
The Concorso had magnificent prizes and had many of them; by noon of Sunday the Jury, after so many discussions about what the Best of Show might be, cast more than a passing eye on the chilled Magnums of Dom Pérignon, very probably the only Champagne that I would ever want to drink
Eberhard & Co awarded one of their excellent watches to the 'Best in Show' winner and another one, appropriately, to Signor Pulcini, the owner of Poltu Quatu, who so graciously sponsored the event. The photographs of the Sunday défilé and of the Prizes were made by young, talented © www.CarmineArrichiello.com
The Jury assembled at the table, waiting for the cars to pass by for the prize-giving ceremony
Angela and Umberto Falchetti passing by with their beautiful Lancia Aurelia B24 America. A very charming couple: it is a real delight to see that classic-cars Concorsos of this level still allow you the pleasure to meet people as nice as them
Dr Daniele Spataro and Eleonora came all the way from Sicily to present this meticulously restored Fiat 1500. They appropriately won the 'Best Restoration' award
Ugo Amodeo, the President of CAMEP, is the organizer of the 'Coppa della Perugina'. He travelled to Poltu Quatu with his wife; their sleek Jaguar E-Type won the 3rd class, 1960-onwards
'....And the Winner is....'
I was very happy to present to Dr Axel Marx the 'Best in Show' award for his magnificent Alfa Romeo 1750 Gran Sport Brianza
Time to leave, and the lovely Lopresto family starts the trip back to Milan on their glamorous Alfa Romeo 2500 Sport Cabriolet Stabilimenti Farina. Let's hope to meet again in Poltu Quatu for the 2015 edition of the Concorso!
Golf & Classic Cars Dept: the Pevero Golf Club
A proper golfer can't travel to Costa Smeralda without yelding to the irrepressible urge to play the famous Pevero Golf Club 18-holes course, designed by Robert Trent-Jones
Fellow golfers warned us, in alarmed tones: the Pevero is narrow! It's tricky! I's windy! It will swallow all your balls and leave you empty-handed! And so on. Well, don't believe them.We found the Pevero to be difficult but fascinating, a bit challenging in strong wind but absolutely magnificent in its design and detailing. A good golfer always wear proudly the colours of his Golf Club...
And you know what? They can be located in the most exclusive part of the Costa Smeralda, where 300-ft yachts and billionaires are two-a-penny, but the Secretary, the Caddy Master etc were absolutely the most courteous people ever met in a Golf Club outside of Bologna. We found this politeness extremely charming
Of course the Pevero is so glamorous that even mr Bond, James Bond, found some time to test his golfing prowess there, in 1976. After all, the Goldfinger match was almost ten years old by then, so he needed some practice. BTW, just take a look at the battlecruiser-sized yachts moored in the bay in front of Cala di Volpe: undoubtedly, Commander Bond would have been pleased to see them
The restaurant of the Pevero Golf Club is excellent as well. Cheers!
Time to go. The Olbia harbour, monday evening.....
....and a mandatory stop on the way back to Firenze and Bologna, the 'Panificio Giannotti' in Altopascio, where they bake the best bread in the world
Start...
...and arrival
Another nice trip with our Bristol; once again, she did bring Anna and me to and from our destination in this case Poltu Quatu, in great style, and now it's time to wash her and then put her back to sleep under her cover in a protected garage.
She is now slightly patinated but fierce and fast, a seasoned warhorse always ready to take us to classic-cars meetings all over Europe. Summer means some well-deserved rest for her as well
*alcune di queste belle immagini sono state scattate dal fotografo di Eberhart & Co, www.CarmineArrichiello.com, cui va il mio ringraziamento. Altre sono state scattate durante il fine settimana del Concorso d'Eleganza di Poltu Quatu da Anna, fotografa ufficiale di Casa Pasini. Come al solito, in pratica, io ne ho fatte ben poche ed è per questo che sono tutte belle foto...:-)))
