You may have heard the proverb:
all roads lead to Rome. This phrase
refers to the road system of the Roman Empire.
Roman roads made it possible for the Empire to expand and achieve great
power.
One of the famous roads in its network is the Via Aemilia. This ancient Roman road connected Piacenza to Rimini and runs right though the Emilia-Romagna region. It was completed in 187 BC. The “Emilia” portion of the name refers to the famous road – Via Aemilia.
The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and includes the cities of Modena and Bologna and the small villages in between. The region is famous for being a center for food and automobile production. In fact, the tradition of building beautiful vehicles in Italy goes back to the days of Roman chariots.
Since we have always had an interest in beautiful Italian automobilia, we were especially keen to visit what is unofficially known as Motor Valley in Emilia-Romagna. Motor Valley is actually the birthplace of Italian Speed. Its famous automotive companies include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, De Tomaso, Dallara, and Ducati.
It should be no surprise, that Modena has always been a place that has generated boys who are fascinated by engines, cars and racing cars. Right on Via Emilia in Modena is the Stanguellini private museum, which exemplified this fascination.
We had contacted the museum in advance to inquire about
opening days and times and were told we would need to make an advance
reservation. The tour would last about
45 minutes and was free. We arrived at
the predetermined hour and were greeted by a kind elderly gentleman.
The gentleman led us through the ground floor, which
displayed about 10 automobiles in what resembled a showroom, not a museum. He was so patient and thorough, explaining
everything to us, in Italian! His automotive
knowledge was extensive. Here is the amazing part: I speak only about 10 words
in Italian, and the gentleman in turn spoke no English! Perhaps it was having studied Latin and French
in my teens in school, or, if you think about it, the English language is also
a derivative of Romance languages. It turned out we were able to communicate
quite well. Somehow, with his patience and enthusiasm about
passing along his knowledge of the various cars, etc on display, and our being
in absolute awe of what he showed us and our thirst for knowledge made this a
rewarding exchange.
He would explain something in Italian, and I would repeat
back to him in English the words we thought he said. His eyes would light up when we both stumbled
on similar words and we had a wonderful exchange.
Check out the coachwork of a much earlier Fiat. Look, it even has the same knock-off wheel nuts, that are on a 1966 E-Type Jaguar! Look at the hand brake… the fenders (splash guards)…
Look, a wooden dash, simple but functional, with just the necessary instrumentation!
Memories of my childhood in Germany: looks just like my
neighbor’s Fiat!
Or this beautiful Maserati looks like it is still driven
around town!
After we had explored the cars on the ground floor, we were happy and about to depart. The three of us headed outside, back to the guardhouse. Suddenly, with a twinkle in his eye, the gentleman called over to the guard. My husband and I didn’t know, what to expect. Then the two of them pushed my husband in his wheelchair up the rap behind the guardhouse to the second floor, the picture below. You can’t imagine the surprise that met us there!
Needless to say, we spent the next few hours thoroughly drooling over and enjoying this collection with our newfound Italian friend. Below are some of the treasures
We will remember this wonderful day for many years to come.
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