The sweet life—la dolce ʋita—of the 1960s was not limited to the past. It’s not easy to act like you’re in a Fellini movie, but if you find the right group of friends, the right location, and scour your closet for outfits, you can spend the last day week to do it. Earlier this summer, I participated in Total Look Rallies’ “Dolce Vita 60” road rally for three days traveling around Rome.
This isn’t my first foray into old-fashioned auto adventures organized by Stéphane Ratel and the team behind the rally—last year I spent a weekend in and around Paris immersing dive into the 1980s for “Le Vendôme 80,” which you can find here—and I’m excited to see how the format will adapt to the new time period and style. The fun we had cosplaying in the 1980s saw us wearing different clothes and driving older cars, but the enthusiasm and camaraderie remained the same as we I sometimes kneel beneath hot cars doing roadside repairs.
We gather on Thursday, with protest participants gathered at Villa Agrippina, just meters from Piazzale Garibaldi, where the weekend’s route will begin in earnest early Friday morning. A light rain fell in the afternoon and dusk, drops falling on freshly waxed hoods while conʋconerts deployed the roof for a celebration before our group headed inside. home, but that doesn’t matter; Gray skies and light drizzle were not enough to dampen our excited anticipation of what was to come.
Just like in last year’s Le Vendôe 80, I’ve been teamed up this coming weekend with my good friend Cédric Vaslin, who has presented our time machine in the form of the Nissan 300ZX Turbo from the Priʋée Autoмobile Collection. . As for the Dolce Vita 60, it was my turn to host the ride, which has the timeless shape of a short-wheeled two-litre Porsche 911. These days, it’s not the fastest thing, but there’s a joy in driving a light rear-car engine that doesn’t translate into statistics and measurements. This was the perfect ship for our cruise, although the Giulia Spider we usually follow also makes a strong argument for that title.
As I parked our Porsche in the hotel parking lot after checking in at Villa Agrippina, I walked around to see the rest of the mechanics in our group. They include an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA, a Facel Vega HK500, a Rolls-Royce Silʋer Cloud, a Porsche 356 Speedster, an Iso Riʋolta, a Jaguar E-Type Roadster, an Aston Martin DB5 and many other cars from England, like a Morgan. Plus Four and an MGB… but as a long-roof car enthusiast, I can’t help but love the 1957 Cheʋrolet Noмad that Alexandre Pesci lent to some of his friends. He and his wife were there driving a fully restored Alfa GTA rolling on genuine magnesium wheels (they would break the right rear on Sunday morning, an unfortunate hazard of running these lightweight racing wheel on the uneven roads around Rome!).
Unfortunately, the Lotterer and Gurdjian teams weren’t able to do it, but I asked my friends Philippe & Natalie Médart joined and they signed up with Shelby Cobra—a suitable if not unpleasant choice since they represent Shelby in Europe. They loved the experience and are already planning to participate in Le Vendôme 80 next year with their Porsche 928.
Since I bought one of the 25 Aston Martin DB5 Continuation cars for a friend a few years ago, I thought about driving the Dolce Vita 60 with it, especially when I saw someone else with my car. they come along. It always draws a crowd and looks especially nice next to Tenuta CastelɄuono—reminiscent of early Bond ʋillain headquarters—where we had lunch on Saturday.
No regular rally and competition times were given, but there was a photo scavenger hunt focusing on architectural landmarks along our route. I always thought it was odd to “compete” in old road rallies, but this was a perfect way to connect the group to the historical and modern beauty of the area. Then again, almost any random glance out the window can produce something worthy of a photo.
The weekend gala was held at a splendid building owned and operated by a kind lady in Bagnaia, a kilometer from Borgo Dei Conti Resort, which served as our base camp on Friday night and Saturday (and is our location). mimini Concours d’Élégance on Friday). Each team had to speak before a panel of judges consisting of Emmanuel de Brantes, Mădălina Diana Ghenea and Chiara Lungarotti, to explain the history of their car. I tried my best to get my hands on one of the bottles of champagne, but it wasn’t like there wasn’t a lot of champagne being poured late at night anyway. Again, it’s not really out of the competition. We laughed together, enjoyed delicious food and drinks all weekend; the main purpose is to enjoy our life, that’s too easy.
Between the period-correct cars and clothes, the rich history of Rome and its surrounding area, and the camaraderie new and old, this rally lived up to its name. I’m looking forward to the next edition of Le Vendôme 80 which will take place May 5-7 next spring; Maybe I’ll see you (back) then?
