The compassion of our hearts and souls yearns to be mystified by exploration, discovery and enlightenment. Thus, journeying to breathtaking hideaways and captivating lands far from home is what keeps us evolutionary. So when the time for a much needed vacation breeches your mundane routine, answer the call with a travel itinerary that will lead you somewhere spectacular, such as the enchanting grounds of the Portofino and Fiesole areas in Northern Italy. And if you want to capture the natural fluidity of Italian style, acquire the keys to a requisite sports car to complete the fantasy. I think a Lamborghini Gallardo will suit the occasion just fine.
Our Northern Tour began with a proclamation from Lamborghini to celebrate the range of the most successful vehicle in the company’s history: the Gallardo. With over 12,000 units sold since inception, the Gallardo is a driving compulsion and accentuates what a perennial sports car should look and feel like. The Bull’s V10 engine, carbon fiber sculpture and exotic lines leave one with no choice but to drive it proudly and exuberantly as if they conceived it themselves. For Lamborghinis are iconic and some of the most important supercars of the modern day era.
We landed in Milano, Italy with verve and social anxiety to be back in the land of saints, philosophers, architects and designers. A three-hour drive would bring us to our lunch gathering at Ristorante LaTaverna del Gallo Nero in the small township of Varese Ligure. The atmosphere was reminiscent of biblical nativity scenes in which evangelists and archbishops sat at long wooden tables in stone castle dens for dinner. Shortly after lunch we drove off as a team of six down the narrow brick streets in grand style.
Of course our disposition while touring the serenity of Italy’s countryside in an Italian symbol of mobility was congenial. Mostly all were infatuated with the brigade of colorful Gallardos passing by with pride. Kids cheered, adults gazed with amazement and businessmen snickered.
Originally erected in 1411, the estate was first an oratory before its conversion into a monastery and later a private property.
The end of the day led us up the winding driveway of Hotel Spledido in Portofino, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. It was a momentous day of driving. The property’s narrative is Victorian luxury with modern relaxation accoutrements. It is home to well-established guests looking for extraordinary measures of enchantment and compelling testimonies of harmony.
The next morning we had breakfast on the terrace while enjoying the beauty of the Mediterranean amongst a strong morning light. The agenda was to tour Forte dei Marmi two hours away for lunch and then head to Fiesole for the evening. I’m sure if anyone was asleep we awoke them with the roar of a half-dozen V10 Lamborghini engines. My first choice to begin this journey was the Blu Caelum LP550-2 Spyder.
A warm welcome by the town’s occupants followed our arrival to Fiesole, where we would camp like posh aristocrats at the historical Villa San Michele. Originally erected in 1411, the estate was first an oratory before its conversion into a monastery and later a private property. In 1982, the Orient Express claimed rights to the majestic villa-themed hotel, and to this day its management poignantly caters to the social elite with fulfilling experiences of compelling testimony.
Our last day of driving featured mostly highway jaunts to Lamborghini’s headquarters, company museum and factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese. This time I went with the menacing Super Trofeo Stradale. There was no time for child’s play and full throttle would be my mission for the remainder of the expedition.
