Tuscany in a classic Alfa Romeo

[Evan Bottcher]

he policeman pulled me over on the outskirts of Poggibonsi. It was at the end of a beautiful stretch of twisting Tuscan road, snaking beneath tall cypress trees and poplars, and I assumed I was guilty of some unknown offence: something that broadly translated into "having too much fun while at the wheel of a car".

I had a glove box full of tourist excuses ready for him, but all he wanted to do was talk about the car I was driving. He tapped the bodywork of my 1300cc Alfa Romeo Giulietta, made in 1958 and painted duck-egg blue, and smiled.

"This is the same as the police car in Italy when I was a boy," he told me. "Too slow to catch criminals nowadays, but back then bad men drove Vespas."

He made me open the bonnet so he could inspect the engine, muttered something appreciative about it being "belissimo" and motioned me on with a wave that came close to a salute. I glanced back at him in my rear-view mirror as I accelerated away. He was standing by the side of the road, watching the Alfa disappear.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/driving/article5901817.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

http://www.nostalgic.eu/

Planning a European vacation?  £1,840 might be a bit steep for 3 nights accomodation and 4 days car hire, but it sounds pretty nice!

[Gary Pearce]

You are a whiz Evan. How did you find that? Just the thing for our June 2010 trip. Hope you Fi and Jack are coming too.