Forza Italia 2019 - 8th Edition
Polish celebrations of the Italian culture and motorization!
It was already eight edition of Forza Italia annual meeting that took place last weekend in Hotel Palace Alexandrinum, on the outskirts of Warsaw in Krubki-Górki. It was the second time the event became the Mecca of all Italian-minded petrolheads.
The event was matching the scale of the previous edition - there were 340 cars and 30 motorcycles admired by more than two-thousands visitors! Creating the trademark Italian atmosphere more than 1’500 kilometers away from its origins is a feat - but one that Forzaitalia.pl and its team achieves each and every time!
The first piece of a puzzle is the location itself. The chosen venue with a vintage hotel and its surrounding park does not only act as a perfect display, but also ideal for spending the time with your family. The central villa although looks like a period-correct palace, was rebuilt after serious damage and looks great.
The second secret inredient is the smell and taste of italian coffee, a glass of prosecco served straight from period correct Piaggio Ape and Italian cuisine, served to those, who became hungry when staring at the italian beauties.
The key to tie these two together is music. It was Italian of course, and despite it not being live this edition, catchy hits were creating the atmosphere. I still cannot get rid of the “Margharita non lo sa” song by Dori Ghezzi!
What makes such a great atmosphere? It is a mix of three important aspects!
The visiting teams were all but bored. Some lucky crews who managed to sign up partook in a navigation rally, leading via picturesque roads with riddles prepared by the organizers - interesting and difficult at the same time.
The hotel’s conference room was converted into motorization lecturing centre - Piotr Krasinski talked about Ferrari F1 Champions, Lukasz Golanski spoke about the pop-culture and history of Fiat 500 and Agata Smolka - racing driver - closed the automotive themes by talking about the Ferrari Challange
The visitors could also experience and test-drive the newest FCA cars or buy a fantastic watercolor picture of a dream Italian car by Dagmara Kaczmarek.
There were plenty of attractions during the day: a quiz, lectures and even a rally!
The event was full of contrasts but all are welcome! Both if in a 1934 Fiat 518 Ardita by Viotti or 1997 Punto.
Despite the day overflowed with various attractions, the main one were the Italian vehicles. These, as always, were divided into two categories - the rare(ish) classics and more common, daily driver group. The latter was the dominant one, with various versions of Alfas 146, 147, 155, 156, 159, Giulias, Giuliettas, MiTo and Breras. Next was Fiat with its 500, followed by few Abarths.
The oldest automobile on the ground was Fiat 518 Ardita by Viotti, from 1934, but there were many other classics worth attention, too! The rarer ones were led by Abarth 695SS replica, done with meticulous attention to details, Fiat 130 Coupe or Fiat 600 Multipla - my personal favourite. As always, Alfa Romeos were strongly represented by two GT 1600 Junior, Giulia GT and Giulia Super dressed in Mont Blanc decals. Lancias followed closely with two beautiful Beta Montecarlo and prepared for historic racing Fulvia. Creme de la crème was 1963 Maserati 3500GTI, restored to a brand new state.
An interesting part of the event is elegance contest, partially inspired by the one well-known from Villa d’Este at Como in May each year, called simply Concorso d’Eleganza.
Each willing vehicle owner had the chance to not only present his or her beauty in front of the Palace, but more importantly tell the interesting story related to the ownership or the history of the car itself. Some of them were simply hilarious!
All is scored by few jury members, but it is the ovation of the crowd around that doubtlessly makes for the best prize.
Concorso d’Eleganza:
Edizione Palazzo di Alexandrinum
The key to such a phenomenal day is not cars, music or food… it’s people!
Even though people do not create the Italian feel of the event per se, without them Forza Italia would not be the fantastic meeting it has always been. They are a large group - from founders and organizers who are fantastic team, phenomenally planning every single detail of the day, to visitors, who are kind, smiling and full of shared passion.
Some people were exchanging hints and tricks on how to repair their Italian beauties, some were making new friends and others planning trips to Italy together. There was a man dressed as Carabinieri and few steps away one could discuss Mille Miglia whilst sipping espresso served from the boot of Alfa Romeo 166. What a combination!
I have only visited two of the eight Forza Italia events but from that short experience of mine I already know I want to be coming back. Spending time with great people even despite me not driving an Italian classic is an amazing feeling, and I am looking forward to see what will be next! The bar is set very high and it will once again form a difficult challenge to push the boundaries even further. As always, the worst thing about Forza Italia annual meet-up is… the year worth of waiting for the next edition!
Chapeau bas Forza Italia, a presto!
Text & Photos: Adam Pekala ©
