VALPOLICELLA
The first tour of 2023 took us to north-eastern Italy and more precisely to Veneto in the world-famous Valpolicella.
On Friday, we arrived at the hotel warmed by a very pleasant sun, which unfortunately we did not see again throughout the weekend. The aperitif on the terrace was very pleasant and allowed us to get to know each other given the large number of first-time participants. However, the number of Delightful Driving veterans was also large.
DRIVE
A wet Saturday morning accompanied the symphony of engines fired up in the garage and waking up the village of Illasi. You had to be there to understand it, but the roar was truly exceptional. So many engines all different and together they played a beautiful orchestra.
The snake then headed towards the mountains where the first unexpected event was waiting for us: the road to the Fittanze pass closed for two months’ work. No problem, Google Maps helps us out and decides on 2 different detours as needed. Half the group then found themselves facing a dirt road not really suited to our sports cars, but where the Toyota Yaris WRCs had a lot of fun. Luckily we all arrived safely at the pass where some had a good coffee and others took the opportunity to take a few photos.
Quick descent to the valley and ready to climb Mount Baldo on an evocative road through real canyons. Here too…the roar of the engines will surely have warmed even the most insensitive heart. After a good lunch at the Chalet Novezza and a nice group photo, we returned to the hotel in the afternoon with routes also created independently by the participants: this is also the beauty of DD, the autonomy to do what one likes.
The wine-tasting dinner was an excellent time to taste the wines of the area and to tell each other about the day’s highlights, which were certainly not missed.
TASTE
On Sunday morning, still awoken by ‘very pleasant’ rain, we headed back into the mountains where we crossed the Lessinia nature park and where we were able to ride more relaxed on a smooth and fast road. With a nice steep descent where we warmed up the brakes well, we arrived back in the Adige valley at the Cantina Roeno, site of the final lunch where the participants were able to buy delicious local wines to take home as souvenirs.
