Vintage Car Rally - Scalea - Sunday 29th March 2009

[Italy4me]

Vintage Car Rally - PASSEGGIATA IN AUTO E MOTO D’EPOCA - Scalea.
Starting in Scalea the cars will drive through the streets of Scalea then to San Nicola Arcella and back to Scalea.
Time trials and competitions for oldest vehicle, youngest driver, car which has covered the most distance etc.
Organised by the CLUB AUTO D’EPOCA SCALEA & MOTORETRO’

See more details here: Nuova pagina 1
Timetable of events here: http://www.caesm.it/PROGRAMMA%204%5E%20PASSEG..pdf

[Mrs Teapot]

Wow, bet there are some gorgeous old Italian cars to see. If you are going along I'd love to see some photos.

Mrs T

[Italy4me]

Here's a few pics.

[Italy4me]

from the Vintage car rally

[Doug]

Lesley,
Have you ever seen older European car rallys there? I remember the 1960's cars and it hurts to have the word "vintage" connected with my era. The 60's are a good vintage and maybe not ready to be opened and enjoyed yet?! Or are we a bad vintage and you get vinegar when you pop the cork? :mrgreen::mrgreen:

We had a dedication of an historic tunnel restoration last week and there were cars like these. dj

[Mrs Teapot]

Wow, thanks for pics Italy4me! Is the first photo an Alpha Romeo? Lots of Fiat 500s there I see.

Looked good!

Thanks,
Mrs T

[Italy4me]

Originally Posted by Doug

Lesley,
Have you ever seen older European car rallys there? I remember the 1960's cars and it hurts to have the word "vintage" connected with my era. dj

Yes I have seen much older cars at rallies here. The one in Scalea is just a bit of fun and a get-together. To take part your car only needs to be over 20 year old - if we hadn't smashed ours up it would have qualified in a few years...8-)

[Dermot Brophy]

Hello Doug, and all.

As the proud owner of a 1966 Austin Healey Sprite, I kniw the feeling - it's chastening to think that I could very easily have bought this car new, which is now the object of such reverend curiosity!

Mind you, having spent allmy life teaching, I got quite used to finding that History clases were studying events in which I may well have participated.

Eheu, fugate labuntur annes.(I think that's right - some time since my Latin classes)

We're in Calabria sul momento - actually down in Tropea for a week learning Italian. Be back in San Nicola next week and hope to make contact with whoever is there.

Auguri a tutti

Dermot

[Lynn]

Dermot, can you let us know how your classes go and if it is a worthwhile exercise?

Lynn

[brynithel3]

Hi All

Talking of language classes. Lesley are you still attending the free classes in Scalea? Are they well attended? Do you have to sign up for a set period or can one just drop in? (I suppose you need residency status)

Ciao

John

[MarKel]

I noticed in the photos that everybody seems to be well wrapped up - in heavy anoraks and what looks like very definite winter clothing. Hope the temperatures increase before our arrival next week.
We were in Scalea last Easter which was early to mid March, and when leaving we had to drive through snow on the road to Lagronegro Nord.
Hopefully we won't have a repeat of that - we could do with some sun
Markel

[Doug]

Hey Dermot,

That Healey would be fun on back Italian roads. Hope you enjoy Tropea. Please say hi to the folks at Piccola Universita' from Doug & Di if they remember us. We did 2 weeks in 2007 with weekends spent looking at Scalea property. Wonderful time. Great school and sweet town.

Lynn, you would excel there with your existing skills. We were newbies and got a lot from the intensive immersion classes. The 4 hour sessions got a little hard on the backside, but it was worth it! Also worth the rather high cost (in our opinions) given the quality of the instruction. I'd "beam us over" this week if I could as I know another class would mean even more to us now.

[ Welcome to Piccola Università Italiana ]

Ciao, Doug

[Italy4me]

Yes we are still attending classes at the school.
The academic year starts at the end of September and runs until the end of June with a week or so off for Christmas and again at Easter.
The numbers fluctuate a bit and folk seem to join at any time of the year.
We provided our Italian ID cards when we signed up.

[Italy4me]

I must have grown accustomed to everyone else being wrapped up to the nines whilst I am in shirt sleeves.
The day the photo were taken (Sunday) it was very overcast but I wouldn't have described it as cold (I was in a short-sleeved t-shirt and was perfectly warm enough sitting outside a bar).
The temperature was around 24 degrees.
Today has been really warm (34 degrees whilst we were sitting on the balcony eating our lunch) and now (at ten past nine in the evening) it is 20.6 degrees.

I remember last Easter was cold (and wet too) but Easter also fell much earlier last year.
Fingers crossed for all of you heading over for some warmth!

[Dermot Brophy]

Hello again to all.

Doug, we are actually in the Dante School. We booked through a UK agency. Today as our first day - I've just finished my homework!! As it happens, due, perhaps to weather and economic slump, they are feeling the pinch here, We are the only students at the moment - so we have 1 to 1 tuition for 2 hours a day, instead of 4 hours in a class. My initial feeling is that both young ladies know their pedagogical stuff - saro di piu al fine dela settimana!

Re those double-wrapped drivers etc., even a warm day is less benign at 40 or 50 km/hr in an open vehicle. There is also, of course an element of authenticity of style involved - after all, they are putting on a bit of a show for the delight of the on-lookers.

I had thought of bringing the A H down, Doug, but there are all sorts of problems involved. Also, it is fun during July and August when we will almost certainly be in Ireland.

Re the temperature, it is fairly warm here in the pleasant town of Tropea, but it did pour with rain twice during the day. They tell me that the weather has been cativo in most of Italy this year - here;s hoping for a change for the better.

Lesley - we will contact you two when we get back - be nice to meet up again.

A presto

Dermot

[Margaret]

Wonder whether I'm beating Gian to it and ? whether you want to know this but...
'Ne sapro` di piu` alla fine della settimana' and 'cattivo'. Please say 'buzz off' or worse if you want to...will understand as I know that when Gian has been quick to pick up on some of my efforts I have felt the same! Try and convince myself that I'd rather be corrected than not ... but sorry if it's really PITA stuff. I tell myself it's better to keep trying than never to say anything for fear of being wrong.

[billy]

Hi MarKel,
Hope you enjoy your Easter break in Scalea in your newly painted apartment[hopefully]. I'm sure the weather will be great and your grandchild has a good time. We don't arrive in Scalea until the 22nd so we will miss you this time but we might see you later in the year.
Have a great holiday,
Billy and Sheila.

[Dermot Brophy]

Cara Margherita,

I couldn't agree more. Better to bash on as best one can rather than avere sempre paura di sbagliare. So what if one makes an ass of oneself ogni tanto? It's in being corrected that one really learns - for example, I'll probably never come up with "cativo" again! The "ne" is a bit more technical, but what irritated me about that one was that we covered precisely that in class today!!

Now on with my homework!!

Dermot

[Doug]

Mi dispiace Dermot,

I wasn't aware of another school in Tropea. Do you happen to recognize this image of outdoor seating at a trattoria there?

Back to le macchine -- does that Austin Healey have SU carburetors? We had a '66 Volvo 122 with those @#**?? devices!

I won't interrupt again. You need to focus on having a nice time and learning.

Cordiali saluti

[brynithel3]

Hi Doug

I quite liked working on SU carbs. Those were the days when you could at least do you own servicing and repairs. Todays engines need fault find equipment and computerised tuning. I wish I had kept my old Rover 105S. She might have been an old tank and a bit of a gas guzzler but running repairs were easy.

Ciao

John