AROC Goes To Italy, #4

Oct 1-13, 2021
or May 8 - May 18, 2022

Please Note: This tour is produced for the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). You are required to be a Club Member. You can join by contacting AROC.

Welcome to our 2021 and fourth fabulous visit to Italy.  Following our three previous and very successful programs, we are gearing up for October of 2021. We’ll be including most of the highlights from the past trips and have added some new additions. Again, we’ll experience car manufacturers, museums, designers, and, of course, incredible food. Highlighted are extraordinary days, with the new Alfa Romeo Museum, and the ‘send-off’ day at the Mille Miglia in Brescia. Sandwiched between these highlights are visits to manufacturers and showrooms like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Ducati, Maserati, and naturally, Alfa Romeo. We are including some outstanding visits to private collections. The hotels and locations mirror the quality of this program. We’ll be repeating visits to a couple of superb wineries and enjoying some of the finest lunches and dinners Italy has to offer.

The tour was originally conceived and formulated by AROC President, Cindy Banzer. “We wanted our members to have a real Italian experience, one that will introduce the history of the country’s amazing car industry, but also one surrounded with private visits and cloaked with great fun and camaraderie.

Once again, the tour has been carefully planned and scheduled in collaboration with Steve Austin’s Great Vacations. Steve is well known for his Classic Car Tours to Monaco, the Mille Miglia, Le Mans, the Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed.

The program is inclusive of all transportation, accommodations, visits, and tours. All breakfasts and dinners or lunches* are included. Arrival and Departure airport is Milan’s Malpensa Airport. The tour price does not include air transportation to or from Italy. Along with Cindy Banzer, Steve Austin will accompany the tour and act as organizer and guide.

*The main course for the day may be a Lunch or Dinner (3 lunches, 7 dinners). Please note, Lunches in Italy are big, very much main courses.

Ladies! There are no side tours planned for individuals. However, there are two or three days, where one can easily split from the group and enjoy a relaxing day at the hotel, shopping, or whatever.

Itinerary

Oct 1 - Arrival in Milan and transfer from Milan's Malpensa airport to Turin and the NH Lingotto Hotel (4 star - 2 nights). Upon our arrival, we have the opportunity to go onto the roof of the Lingotto, which was originally the test track for Fiat. Also, the fine art display of the Agnelli Art Gallery is bound to impress. Dinner tonight is at our hotel.

Oct 2 - A morning visit to the Museo dell 'Automobile Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia,' one of the finest auto museums in all of Europe. It houses the largest collection of historic cars in Italy. One of our special evenings is at a magnificent winery south of Turin in the Alba region. The short ride takes us through beautiful countryside. As this tour prides itself on the great food of Italy, we can safely predict you are going to be amazed. The effort and presentation of our appetizers, meal, and accompanying prize-winning wines are consistent with the finest restaurants in Europe.

Oct 3 - We depart Turin for Lake Garda and our standout accommodations at the Grand Hotel Gardone (4 star-4 nights). This hotel has been so popular with our past groups; we have extended this venue to four nights. En route, we journey to Arese and the Alfa Romeo Museum. This recent, magnificently reopened museum follows the history of Alfa Romeo from inception to the present day. We have allowed plenty of time to enjoy this visit and include the choice of joining our English speaking guide or to wander the floors and exhibits at your own pace. This evening, following check-in, we dine at a lakeside restaurant.

Oct 4 - Today, we make an early start for Brescia and our first glimpse of the Mille Miglia. First, we visit the town center where all the cars are registering and preparing for the afternoon 'off.' At lunchtime, we head for the Mille Museum. All the entrant's journey from the center and are staged here before the official start this afternoon. We'll be able to watch the cars as they head out on the Mille course amid enthusiastic support from the crowds lining the route. Later this afternoon, we return to Lake Garda. This evening we have another special night with appetizers and champagne on the hotel terrace overlooking the lake. For dinner, we retreat to the beautiful ballroom for another superbly prepared dinner and live music. We are joined by special guests, race driver Brian Redman and his wife, Marion.

Oct 5 - Today is our first 'catch your breath' day. The beautiful setting of our hotel is also supplemented with an attractive village and a particularly classic garden. Today, we leave for your own exploration or relaxation at the hotel. A ferry runs from the hotel to the next village, just a five-minute ride or a twenty-minute walk. Dinner this evening is at your leisure.

Oct 6 - This morning we head across Lake Garda to the eastern shore. Today’s visit is to the Allegrini Vineyards. This gorgeous setting is in the heart of the Valpolicella region. The once ‘tavern wine district’ has become a major renaissance for Italian wines. One of the leaders of this has been the Allegrini family. The vineyard surrounds a stunning 16th-century medieval ‘palazzo’. Our visit includes a wine tasting followed by an ‘Italian lunch,’ something to remember. The return to our hotel is by the lake ferry service, which crosses the lake and very obligingly drops us right outside our hotel.

Oct 7 - Today, we depart Lake Garda for another major lake, Lake Como. In the morning, we drive to Milan for a number of visits. This includes a private collection of extremely important cars, some of which have taken top honors in Europe and at Pebble Beach. You’ll also experience a very different and highly entertaining visit is to the private Lambretta Museum. It houses numerous scooters from all over the World as well as the very earliest bicycles. Our last visit for the day is an Alfa dealer who has collected, over the years, all the cars produced by Alfa Romeo. It was a special ‘find’ on our last trip. Late in the afternoon, we arrive at our lakeside Barchetta Excelsior Hotel (4 star – 2 nights). Dinner at our hotel.

Oct 8 - Our second chance to take a deep breath. A day on Lake Como. A ferry takes us from our base at Como to the lovely and popular village of Bellagio. A beautifully located restaurant offers one of the finest lunches on all of Lake Como. There will be plenty of time to explore the little hamlet of Bellagio, be sure to take your camera and flat shoes - it’s hilly! The late afternoon and evening are at your leisure in very lively Como.  

Oct 9 - This morning, we head for Bologna. En route, we visit the Enzo Museum in Modena, dedicated to the life of Ferrari and his contribution to the Italian automotive industry. Our all-time most popular lunch venue is a small family restaurant in the Emilia Romagna countryside, where we might be lucky to get a pasta-making demonstration. This afternoon, we schedule a visit to the remarkable Righini Collection, one which has to be seen to be believed. I Porcini Hotel, 4 star - 2 nights.

Oct 10 - This morning, we tour both the Ducati and the Lamborghini factories, a great doubleheader. We then head to Maranello and a visit to the Ferrari Galleria. There will be plenty of time to visit the many Ferrari and F1 shops. Mid-afternoon, we head back toward Modena for a visit to the unique Parmaggiana Cheese Factory, where strangely is housed the historic Maserati Collection. This evening, our farewell dinner is at an Italian Restaurant. Fittingly, the restaurant is pure Italian.  

Oct 11 - This morning, following breakfast, we head back to Milan and Malpensa airport and concludes our 2021 tour.