Montespertoli Classic Car Rally - February 28, 2010

Vintage cars will be the protagonists in Montespertoli thanks to a mega rally scheduled for Sunday, February 28th. The MG Car Club of Italy is organizing a tour through the Tuscan hills, culminating in the Chianti town. Around thirty MG-branded models dating back to the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s will take part in the event. The cars, hailing from Tuscany, Lazio, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, will stop in Piazza del Popolo at 12:00 p.m. for the presentation of a plaque and other club merchandise, in the presence of Montespertoli's Mayor, Giulio Mangani.

The day's program sees the meeting set for 10 am at Florence Certosa, followed by a tour through the countryside of Val di Pesa and Val d'Elsa, until reaching the medieval village of Lucardo and Montespertoli, where there will be a stop for a lunch based on truffles and typical products.
"The MG Car Club chose this corner of Tuscany for the first intermeeting of its regional centers," explains Gualtiero Burrini, director of the Tuscany Regional Center, "not only for its splendid landscapes, historical and cultural attractions, and excellent cuisine, but also for its strategic location for our membership base spread throughout Italy. We therefore thank the municipal administration for its willingness to accommodate our initiative, as well as the Municipal Police and Civil Protection, who will actively collaborate and assist us during our stay."
Source: Municipality of Montespertoli - Press Office

Dear friends,
35 crews from the northern and central regions of Italy, for a total of 63 people, celebrated the end of a rainy and cold February, the likes of which hadn't been seen for years, in a festive and particularly friendly atmosphere, crammed into a venue that couldn't have been more typical, in the warmth of a fireplace whose heat couldn't surpass that provided by our Tuscan friends.
The expectations of lovers of the world's most famous tuber were not disappointed, just as promised by Sciur Angelo Bernardi, co-promoter of this Lombardy/Tuscany regional intermeeting.
Each person gets their own generous plate of tubers, a grater available for DIY, and then on to the typical dishes associated with the king of the day, including fried eggs.
A week has passed and I can still smell the truffle in my nostrils.
I also saw people scraping the tuber onto the typical "FIORENTINA" steak expertly grilled right on the premises by Antonio Gazzarrini, a Tuscan born and bred, who improvised as a chef for the occasion with the invaluable support of his friendly wife Manuela.
But the ultimate truffle experience was when I saw the tuber being grated onto the soft and delicious "CANTUCCI TOSCANI" biscuits that arrived in industrial quantities in wicker baskets.
However, a doubt assails me: could this latest vision be the result of a few too many glasses of Chianti and Vin Santo?
Well.......I wouldn't bet my life on it!!
Like all good things, this one also came to an end when everyone went their own way home, yes, but with a very special "DOGGY BAG" in hand: truffles, jars of truffle sauce, loose and packaged cantucci.
The previous visit to the Certosa Abbey, the walk along the typical Tuscan hills, the Mayor wearing the tricolor sash, the exchange of license plates, the folklore of the flashing lights of the municipal police car, the civil protection guarding the intersections and stops, the aperitif in the public garden, all very well organized.
However, I am sure that among the MG people or snack friends if you prefer, there are already those who are studying another beautiful one.
I have picked up something, but I won't reveal anything even under torture.
I leave you with the taste of surprise and, in the meantime, we wish Massimo Bottoli a warm "GOOD LUCK" for his next WINTER MEETING.
And as another very nice parrot from Romagna called Loreto Reale repeats..........."LET'S GO FORWARD"........ !!
 
Kind regards,
 
P. Paolo
 
PS: On the Romagna Riviera, parrots are an endangered species and, as such, protected. Those remaining survive thanks to the loving care of LIPU caregivers.