Skip to main content

FERRARI GOES BRUNELLO: THE MEETING OF TWO STATUS SYMBOLS IN TUSCANY

This June Ferrari organizes a three day Tuscany tour for its best customers. Belong to them? Good on you. Florence and the Tuscan hills are waiting for you. 

Not part of the celebrated crowd? Never mind, just watch them driving through Montalcino's town center on Friday afternoon. Each of the Ferrari drivers will also receive a gift package filled with some of Montalcino's best Brunellos. Because unlike you and me, the Ferrari owners hardly have any cash left for a bottle or two of the prestigious Tuscan red (that's what happens if you invest all your money into a car). 


Red Ferrari and yellow Fiat 500 cheek to cheek in Siena
Which one to choose?
Ferrari and the new Fiat 500. Two classics when it comes to Italian cars. 

I've asked the organizers whether I could drive along and participate in the 2013 Cavalcade. I know these roads rather well, my car is red too and dusty enough for nobody to recognize what it is I'm exactly driving. I also wouldn't mind the gift package. 

Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo turned me down right away. Not surprisingly, my VW Polo isn't up to scratch, but above all - one alone won't do. It's a collectors only event. You need to have a least three Ferraris in your garage to be allowed in onto the cruise. Oh well...

CAVALCADE 2013, Ferrari meeting in Tuscany - Montalcino, Friday 28th of June 
The 100+ Ferrari drivers will pass Brunello town between 3 and 5 pm after a sumptuous lunch at the Ferragamo owned five star hotel Castiglion del Bosco. 

 In Montalcino they'll pack up their free case of Brunello wine before making their way back to Florence. (A note to the local police force: forget siesta and be on the ready. This afternoon alone may sort out Tuscany's financial misery for the rest of the year.) 


VW Polo after a summer on the Tuscan countryside roads
Okay, I have only one of them and it's no Ferrari, but what the hell,
 it fits perfectly through the narrow alleyways of my Tuscan village. 
Location: 53024 Montalcino SI, Italia

Popular posts from this blog

SANT'ANTIMO ABBEY - TUSCANY'S ROMANESQUE TREASURE

Sant'Antimo abbey near Montalcino You don't have to be a catholic to remain spellbound by the eternal beauty of the Sant'Antimo abbey. The Tuscan church and monastery can turn a stubborn skeptic into a reborn spiritual. At least for the time of the visit. 
Read more

SWIMMING, READING AND DINING IN BAGNO VIGNONI

Whilst  the  sell-out of tourist destination is a well known plague all through Italy, t here exists a tiny town in UNESCO Heritage Val d'Orcia which forgoes made in  China souvenirs and just opened a bookshop instead. Bagno Vignoni is one of  Tuscany's oldest tourist destinations.  In fact the historic spa town has never been anything else than a tourist destination,  and the ratio of inhabitants to visitors must always have been at least 1 to 10. Having looked after  medieval  pilgrims, ailing popes and saints ( St.  Catherine of Siena used to live here for a while),  Bagno Vignoni isn't tempted at all  to put out plastic chairs or pizza takeaways for  present day travelers.  I used to live close to Bagno Vignoni and have fond memories of chasing my first -born around the town's main square  which consists of a steaming hot  water pool (a  must-see sight for urban architects!).  Our healthy mornings were usually finished off  with a slice of fudge chocolate c
Read more

VAL D'ORCIA: A MAP OF THE UNESCO HERITAGE SITE

About 40 minutes south of Siena and a bit over an hour from the Tuscan coast, Val d'Orcia lies to the east of the Maremma and to the west of Montepulciano and Umbria. The UNESCO world heritage site is made up by the territories of Montalcino, San Quirico d'Orcia  (with historic spa town Bagno Vignoni ) , Pienza, Castiglione d'Orcia and Radicofani. The Orcia river crosses two more municipalities (Castel del Piano and my hometown Cinigiano ), where it divides the province of Siena from the province of Grosseto (Tuscany's two southernmost areas) before flowing into the Ombrone river.    View VAL D'ORCIA MAP in a larger map
Read more