Forza Italia 2018 - 7th Annual Meet-up of Italian Passionates

Last Saturday Palac Alexandrinum Hotel, just dozen kilometres north of Warsaw, hosted the 7th Forza Italia meeting - an annual gathering of Italian motorization enthusiasts. It was organized by an automotive club of the same name, nota bene celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. For that particular weekend the hotel was renamed to Palazzo Alexandrinum and the atmosphere resembled more the northern parts of Italy than Warsaw suburbs.

NORTHERN ITALY BROUGHT TO NORTHERN WARSAW

Somehow, I never managed to come for a visit to Forza Italia’s events. To make up for it I promised myself at the very beginning of the season that I will not miss this edition. I did not regret it, as it doubtlessly was spectacular. Growing in scale year by year the meet-up reached an astonishing audience – according to the organizers there were more than four-hundreds teams and more than two-thousands visitors!

All aspects of the happening were buttoned up and it was hard to believe that it has all been organized by club passionates, not by an even agency. The event was prepared with great attention to details – the welcoming glass of sparkling wine teleported my thoughts to Concorso d’Eleganza earlier in May this year and only miserable weather made me realize I am still in Poland. The location for the meet-up was chosen thoughtfully, as the modern palace built in place of XIX-century manor house together with a gigantic garden made for a perfect car display.

FORZA ALFISTI

There one only one brand that was queen that day – Alfa Romeo. According to the signing list there were more than two-hundreds Alfisti in a vast selection of models. One could stumble across the 75, 147, 156, 159, Giulia, Giulietta, Spiders from all epoque, Brera, GTV and 4C. The remainder of the teams was equally split into Fiat, Abarth and Lancia owners. There were also display cars with Cavallino Rampante on the hood – namely a yellow 488 Spider and red Portofino brought by Ferrari Warsaw. Amongst very few cars from Maranello my heart went to the 612 Scaglietti, one of my favourite gran turismo from Ferrari. There was a number of interesting classics, too. The first one was Lancia Beta Montecarlo named as the car of the event and also one-off Fiat 2300 ‘En Plein’ Coupe bodied by Vignale. Sadly, there was no Lamborghini, even though on the entry list there was one Huracan Performante and… long awaited Countach. Such a pity!

A DAY PACKED WITH ATTRACTIONS

The day was full of attractions. In the morning one could take part in a tourist rally for a limited number of participants. During this time the rest could walk around the garden, taste some amazing Italian pasta and gelato, drink espresso and admire all the Italian automobiles. In the Hotel’s conference rooms various lectures were set up and in front of it there was even a stand with unconventional watches brought by Reservoir.

The weather in the afternoon got much better and the day looked brighter. It was then, when Gosia Andrzejewska performed a short concert of the Italian classic and though she mentioned the repertoire was new to her, interpretation of the songs and her voice were simply amazing. After that a short quiz took place followed by concourse of elegance, when volunteers were given the chance to present their automobiles and connected stories. It turned out amazing!

EVERYONE WINS AT FORZA ITALIA

The sun was setting down when Forza Italia’s leader, Jakub Strzemżalski was handing out prizes to the countless quizzes and rally winners. The best won large sized prints of cars and places relating to the Italian culture. The open part of the meet-up was then closed and some of the visitors headed to their rooms to prepare for the evening banquet. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more about this part, as I needed to head off myself…

EVENT WITH REALLY HIGH STANDARDS

It was only at home few hours later when I had the chance to get the 10th jubilee, limited edition photo album, summarizing the past decade of club’s activity. Its quality, similarly to the event, was exceptional. It is a fantastic design matched with high quality photos and print that made this hardcopy book an absolute must-buy. Chapeau bas! Such a book matches quality of albums distributed at best automotive events around Europe, organized by professionals.

But is Forza Italia an amateur event, really? Despite my first visit I can see how consistently is the club’s idea put inti reality. The meet-up is open to everyone and really atmospheric. From that inspiration for the venue, Italian tone around everything, matching food and coffee. It was not without a reason when I drew the connection between Forza Italia and Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa Erba in Cernobbio, north of Como. Let’s look at aspects such as live music, photo album and great venue – apart from car selection and overall exclusivity – it is check, check, check. I would be really surprised if the organizers denied taking any inspiration in their bigger and better Italian counterpart.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

I overheard many times from the team how much pressure does such a dynamic and exponential growth of the meeting exert on them. Expectations are bigger and bigger year by year. After what I have seen last weekend, I am absolutely certain that whichever way you decide to take your event, you will manage to organize it. I just hope that the atmosphere stays the way it has been at Palazzo Alexandrinum this year. Forza Italia!!!