Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano 2011

The mountains are the Dolomites, located in the Veneto region of Italy which extends from Venice on the Adriatic to the Austrian border to the north. But all the action takes place between the charming medieval town of Bassano and the famed ski resort area of Cortina. The scenery and roads don’t come any better.

This perennial June event, invented by the Calmonte brothers, Danilo and Renato, seventeen years ago, was just held in Bassano from the 16th to 19th. It attracted 110 entries from seventeen countries, the farthest coming from Argentina and then from the United States, then Israel, Greece and a wealth of other EU countries. This year the Calmonte’s violated their own rule of ‘no more than 100 entries’ because of the demand and their desire to satisfy all. Thirty crews were newcomers, who immediately caught the spirit of the event, that it is not a race, but a gathering of friends that share the same passion, to spend time together in beautiful surroundings, and to enjoy the Italian cuisine and wine. And if you have a problem during the tour, others stop eager to help and let you continue this fabulous adventure. And if they can’t make things right the able chase mechanics Aldo Carrozzo and son Christian will. And as a last resort there is always the dreaded flatbed. Actually, this year it was more than an adventure as we had to cross eleven Dolomite passes, totaling more than 20,000 meters of up and down elevation change in the mountains.

Day # 1 – The event started on Friday morning in the beautiful courtyard of a 17th century Italian villa, where all the cars met for the start and the teams met for an outrageous outdoor buffet lunch. There we greeted old friends, met new ones and ate and drank to our Italian content. There were three teams from the US , all returning addicts: myself and mate Santo Spadaro, in a 1954 Arnolt Bristol ‘Bolide’, Ven Fonte and son Nick in a 1933 Alfa Romeo 1750 GS Touring and Frank and Louise Solano in a 1939 Lagonda Special. Dino Brunori and his son Carlo, from Brescia, campaigned again in their Nardi 750, a toy-size car. I continue to marvel at how the two can fit with helmets, face visors, rain gear, bottles of water, sponges and other essentials in a space so small and still be comfortable for 450 miles. Dino confessed, it is actually a jigsaw puzzle with no solution.
At 1:30 sharp, the field of cars, the oldest first, was ceremoniously flagged off at 30 second intervals. This was my third year and it still excites ! Sunscreen applied, we left Bassano in full sunshine to drive across the hillside vineyards of Valdobbiadene, the home of Prosecco, that sparkling aperitif wine now popular everywhere. Between two brief time trials, gift bottles and a tray of chilled Prosecco in flutes appeared for drivers and navigators, sure, why not ? Before reaching our evening destination, Alleghe, a small alpine town beside an immense emerald green alpine lake, rain came. The weather forecast predicted the change so we were ready for it, reaching Alleghe, a bit wet on the outside but dry on the inside. It was nothing compared with what was to come.

Day # 2 – Saturday morning, up and out for the epic part of the meet: 175 miles and eleven passes, including all the highest of the Dolomites, the acid test for cars and crew. But first the road entered a long, narrow and deep, deep canyon, called Serrai di Sottoguda, where we drove along the canyon floor for a mile or so, beside a small, roaring river with cascades and wooden bridges from one side to the other, feeling more like a scene out of Indiana Jones. Three hours of mountain passes in clouds gave way to drizzle as we stopped at noon for the traditional Italian lunch, planted at the table for two solid hours enjoying great course after great course.

Time up, party over, down an espresso and out the door and into the now steady rain. Steady soon became serious rain along with cold winds on top of the passes, with patches of fog here and there. Lights on, wipers on, if your barchetta has them. Ours did not. Break out the chamois’s and sponges. This is starting to look like a rerun of last year’s Mitiche Sport, if you recall: switchbacks, flower boxes, rain, mud, sheep, cows, church spires, alpine chalets, pine trees, rocks, wind, mountain huts, fog, bikers, lakes, all images etched in my memory from last year. But like last year, ‘only the brave survive’ and eventually we reached San Martino di Castrozza, our goal for the day. As if four hours in rain wasn’t bad enough, Dino and Carlo had a charging problem, stretching their afternoon leg into six, eventually rolling into a dark and lonely parking grid with the snack and Prosecco welcome station long since closed. Six hours would have been worse had angel Aldo not been there to provide his crack road service and avoid the flatbed. Grazie Aldo!

The reward for the wet day’s efforts was a hot shower and a wonderful dinner in a restaurant a short bus ride up the mountain. Once sitting beside a warm fireplace, eating the local gnocchi, called canederli, drinking wine, sipping grappa, surrounded by our Mitiche friends, the rain was soon forgotten. What more could one ask? A sunny day? Anybody could do it in sunshine!

Day # 3 – As much as the rain pounded and thunder clapped that night, the heroes of the rainy mountain passes awoke Sunday morning, party day, to blue skies and sunshine, making the final remaining leg into Bassano a breeze. The morning was made all the better with party #1, a planned stop at a roadside trattoria for traditional baccala chowder of the region and a drink. On to Bassano, for morning party #2, where the cars entered the Piazza Liberta, teeming with waving crowds, photographers, and more snacks, big bowls of cherries and more Prosecco. Once more, no shortage of great food and drink.

That party over, and on to the third and final, the killer of all Italian lunches, held at a medieval castle perched atop a steep hill in the next town over, Marostica. Imagine the best of Italian antipasti, and wine, on a private, shaded lawn in the side yard of a castle, then indoors to be served pasta, risotto, four roasted meats, real vegetables and wine, and you would have the lunch.

Le Mitiche Sport is, in a nutshell: great organization, rare and special vintage cars, roads, scenery, food, wine and people. If you have a vintage barchetta, there’s no better thing you can do. If you don’t have one, find one or a friend with one. See you next June !