MILLE MIGLIA 2012
I was honored to be invited by Stefano Ricci, Main Sponsor of the 2012 Mille Miglia, to be a part of the Judging Panel of his personal trophy.
The 'Stefano Ricci Gentleman Driver Trophy' is assigned to the MM crew that shows real elegance in their outfit. Not necessarily the most expensive, glamorous, shocking: the most elegant, which means, in short: the most stylish combination of men and machines
Thursday 17th May: the entrance of the Villa Fenaroli Palace Hotel in Rezzato, near Brescia, is nothing less than grandiose. Porsche and VW official teams were staying there, as did the Austrian Morgan and Porsche Clubs
Stefano Ricci, the Florentine fashion mogul and elegance Master who sponsors the Mille Miglia...and races it too, with his Aurelia B20
Niccolò Ricci, elder son of Stefano, drove a splendid Aston Martin, His fiancée smiles confidently, probably still unaware of the thousand-miles ordeal that she is facing
The start of the Mille Miglia is always a good place to meet old friends, enthusiasts, celebrities and hard-core classic car collectors
Dr Michael Macht is a great car guy, once on Porsche Board, now sits on one of the VW's empire top seats. He decided to drive a very special VW Kafer with Porsche engine, a rarity coming rarely out of the Museum in Wolfsburg
Friday 18th May we played golf at the Golf Club Bergamo, 'L'Albenza'. This 27-holes course is year after year listed among the top 10 Italian courses, so we couldn't miss it
We were not disappointed: a wonderful course, very well maintained, with lots of trees, space, and perfect fairways ending in fast greens. A golfer's Paradise
After L'Albenza, we drove with our 409 to 'Da Vittorio' in Brusaporto, one of the best restaurants in Italy, managed by the Famiglia Cerea. They deserve every award that the international critics bestow upon them both for the restaurant and for the exquisite hotel, a member of the renowned 'Relais and Chateaux' family. We toasted to a good day of golf with a bottle of Franciacorte bubbly gracefully provided in our room at our arrival
'Da Vittorio' is so good that the Michelin guide awarded it three stars: its maximum rating and a great award for a non-French restaurant. The ambience of the location and its surroundings is fabulous and relaxed at the same time, just the place where a gentleman can enjoy his Martini cocktail
When it comes to great food, impeccably presented and with several really innovative ideas, 'Vittorio' is peerless. His Fritto Misto is famous, and deservedly so
Touch of class: a large repository of chocolates and the homemade bread offered in many types and sizes by this delightful girl
SUMMARY
The Bologna-Brescia-Brusaporto-Albenza-Bologna trip was 550 kms (350 miles) long. The 409 went like a watch and her fuel consumption for a mostly highway journey like this one is now stabilized around 7-7,5 km/litre or 16,5 mpg, like during our trip to Goodwood in 2011. I checked the oil and water levels every morning and they never needed to be topped up.
