Mille Miglia...as the say in Italian, one thousand miles was the theme this time around during my visit to sunny Italy. The weather could not have been any better, with sunny days and cool nights which allowed plenty of seat time in 3522R. My brother Vic had the Europa in perfect tune, as we ventured the open coast roads and twisty mountain passes together.
Each drive most every day had something to remember, from the cobblestone lanes of the tiny castle villages to the smooth blacktop of the state highways. We turned heads and attracted plenty of attention when ever we parked.
The auto jumble at Imola was one for the books. The throng of bargain seekers descended to find the entire circuit lined with vendors and their wares. Classic cars and bikes on display...that hard to find part was only a memory, all you needed was to seek it out.
I made it a point to visit the Senna memorial at the curva Tosa and the corner just past Tamburello where it all ended. To this day there are fresh flowers and tributes from around the world to honor his legacy.
As the Gods would have it...Ferrari arose from their slumber and finally gave the people what they have been waiting for. The victory at Spa had everyone pumped, then again at Monza was incredible to whiteness. The church bells sounded the Tifosi went wild and the country forgot it troubles for a few hours... Glorius just Glorius
I kept my record streak in tact...a run in with the police was once again on the agenda. This time for a parking violation. If you are not familiar with the registration tag on the windscreen...there is a little hourly thumb wheel attached. You set it to indicate your time of departure...well silly me, a stop at a cafe got me into a heated discussion with a local enforcer. Seeing me pull in to a spot at a town square marked for one hour, once out of eyesight he wrote the violation some five minutes later. All my reasoning had no effect, as I reminded him of my ten minute stop, and my failure to turn the thumb was a very expensive cappucino twenty eight euro fine.
I was once again reminded of how much fun it is to drive these perfect handling machines, the time spent tossing it around was well rewarded and brought perfect enjoyment each time Vic said "more throttle lets go "
