Andiamo!

It's been a while since I have posted about Italy, so I thought I'd share one of the highlights from our trip. Our last day in Tuscany, Mark and I went to Arezzo. Arezzo is home to one of my favorite markets in the world. The last Saturday of every month they have the most amazing antique fair. Alas, our timing was off on this trip and there wouldn't be a fair, but I wanted to go check out Arezzo anyway.

It was a Sunday and most of the shops and cafes were closed, and I was starting to get a little bummed when I realized that our last day in Tuscany would be spent walking around a rather empty town. Arezzo has more than one piazza, so we strolled through one...empty...kept walking, enjoying the old architecture and history on our way to the next when...as we turned the corner...we hear pumping music (how did we not hear it before??? acoustical secrets of etruscan builders I suppose) and what sounded like cars racing...we turn another corner to the grand piazza and there they were... parata di Fiat dell'annata...a parade of old vintage fiats!

In a word, WOW! It was amazing...all these shiny candy colored Cinquecentos against a backdrop of weathered neutral-colored ancient walls. It was just about the coolest surprise and made for a great finale to the Tuscany portion of our trip.

We checked out a few of the cars, then, the grand master blew his whistle, waved a flag and...they were off! Engines revving, horns honking (I might add the horns were just as colorful as the cars - some played the musical score from The Godfather, others played La Cucaracha, others a whimsical little 'beep,beep') they lined up and drove out of the piazza. In ten minutes they were gone and the piazza was dead silent again. We couldn't believe our fortune of just stumbling on such a cool event. I guess that's the best way to experience Italy...just let Italy come to you.




Andiamo!