Svizzera: Cioccolata e Montagne, Un meraviglioso week-end piovoso
| "A wonderfull rainy weekend" by Carlo e Lisa Di Grandi " | versione italiana |
Switzerland: Chocolate and Mountains. A Wonderful Rainy Weekend This year's Alfa 6C rally was hosted in the breathtakingly beautiful surroundings of Switzerland's famous Lake Lugano. The number and the quality of cars present was quite good, starting from several 6C Touring models, a Mille Miglia, some convertibles, and “other Alfas” which, as someone put it, “had lost a few cylinders along the way” due to unfortunate technical problems which forced some owners to leave behind their own 6C vehicles and join the rally with a spare cars, albeit still Alfa Romeos of course. The weekend was perfectly organised and efficiently co-ordinated by Axel Marx and Renato Perucchini, the only blemish being the light showers that persevered until Saturday evening. The meeting at the Origlio Country Club was bang on time as Swiss customs impose. Renato was ready at the entrance distributing all the relevant material, road book and other motoring paraphernalia together with the great F12 Alfa Blue Team van followed from two of the most important historic Alfa car: the Alfetta 158 and the 1750 GS (former Nuvolari). Both cars coming from the Alfa Romeo Museum always present in all of the most important events which support the glorious past of this brand. The visit to the Alprose Chocolate Factory on Friday afternoon was well received, and all the teams happily filled their bags at the factory shop on the way out. A beautiful journey thorough Ponte Tresa, Maccagno and Monte Ceneri brought us back to Origlio, where some modern Alfas provided by local dealers were displayed with our own vintage cars. This brief ride was more than enough to help us work up a voracious appetite, so we settled down to enjoy the delicious aperitivo provided in the hotel restaurant at 7:30 pm. Dinner was served right on time (once again !!!) at 20:30 pm, followed by a few informative words by Axel Marx along with abundant gifts of chocolates and a custom made Swiss Army knife for each team.  Fresh from a night's sleep, we were all ready for the pièce de résistance at 8:30 sharp (of course !!!) through one of the most enchanting part of the Swiss Alps. On and off (but mostly on) the rain never abandoned us for the rest of the day. Starting in Biasca, we went through the Lucomagno pass, Laax, Thusis crossing the marvellous Val Ferrera and peaking up to Valle di Lei, a very impressive landscape all the way. The one-way tunnel to the get to Valle di Lei dam was a journey from times gone by. The landscape at our arrival on the other end of the tunnel was breathtaking, surrounded by waterfalls and a tiny fog from low clouds which made our presence seem out of reality. Once through the tunnel, we parked our vehicles on an awe-inspiring dam, and proceeded to hike up the mountain to the “Baita del Capriolo Restaurant” where our host greeted us with a delicious array of antipasti followed by a lunch entirely composed of outstanding local specialities. After lunch, a leisurely walk (under the rain!) brought us back down the mountain to our cars which were parked far away at the dam. Luckily, the walk back down the mountain occurred on an easy road, otherwise we might not have been able to make it after all the food we had eaten! Back in our cars, the spectacular descent to Origlio was clearly the best part of the rally. Due to the tunnel closure, we crossed the San Bernardino pass which was still blanketed by a mixture of snow and ice. Low clouds and a constant drizzle created a surreal atmosphere all the way back to the hotel. The two-hour break between our arrival at Origlio and the subsequent departure for dinner gave the participants the opportunity to stretch our legs after a long day of driving (330 km), and some dare-devils even went for a quick swim in the hotel's unheated pool. By precisely 8:00 pm the Alfa Blue Team F12 Shuttle had successfully completed its mission to deliver all the guests to the Marx's lovely home for cocktails and dinner. We sampled an enormous spread of antipasti in the Marx's garden while admiring the breathtaking view of Lake Lugano and commenting on the events of the day. Dinner was served in Axel's garage (viewing highly recommended) which was clearly the highlight of the day: outstanding food, company, organisation, not to mention the setting which is enough to keep any top car collector spell-bound for years! An award ceremony concluded the evening at around midnight. Sunday, the weather turned to our favour when sunny spells and a warm climate characterised the day. A tour around the lake roads from Bioggio through the delightful Morcorte and Mendrisio brought us all to the Chicco D'Oro Coffee Museum where we enjoyed a tour and a brief informative film. Lunch on the terrace at Seseglio gave us the opportunity to finally enjoy the warm weather. Once again, the very thoughtful organisation team provided all the teams with abundant gifts of typical products such as a local grappa, more chocolates and a few more Swiss Army knives. After lunch it was time to say goodbye, with the next appointment scheduled for Liguria next year. But this... well ....will be another story. Carlo and Lisa Di Grandi |
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