fter years of badgering, cajoling, wheedling, and bribery, we were finally able to make it to one of Cal Crouch’s infamous Pasta Fazoom Italian Car Cruises this year. And what a fun time it was!

On the morning of Saturday, September 24, Kevin Murphy and I loaded up my Giulietta with some overnight stuff (and some tools) and headed west out to mid-New York State. It was a beautiful, cloudless, but chilly day and we kept the top up for the journey out the Mass Pike, but as soon as we crossed the NY line the top came down for the rest of the jaunt. We’d decided to take back roads for the second half of the trip, which proved to be a great choice, since it was a picture-perfect day as we wound through the countryside, seeing more and more farms and fewer and fewer cars the further west we went. The Giulietta hummed along happily, and it couldn’t have been a more pleasant Alfa experience (unless, perhaps, you prefer the person in the other seat to be of the opposite gender).

We arrived in Cortland, NY in late afternoon and checked into the hotel across the street from where the rally would be starting the next morning. Soon, we spotted various other Italian cars circling the parking lot (including AONErs Fred and Missy Frey in their delightful souped-up Fiat 500), and we knew we were in the right place. At the designated time, seven or eight cars gathered for a 45-minute caravan up to Syracuse, where one of the Pasta Fazoom participants owns Pensabene’s Park West Restaurant. When we arrived, we saw another dozen or so Italian gems already in the parking lot, and again we knew we were in good company. About thirty people gathered for the pre-rally dinner—an excellent Italian buffet—thanks, Terry! We enjoyed linking up with some folks we hadn’t seen in a while and meeting many others for the first time. It was great to spend some time chatting with Albany AONEr Bud Brickman again, who was there to run Pasta Fazoom in his GTV (one of several terrific Alfas he owns, including a Sprint Speciale and a fabulous 1900CS Touring-bodied coupe).

Afterward, we learned of some "better" directions for getting back to the highway, and Kevin and I followed Fred and Missy in their little Fiat, since they were the ones who were given the route. Soon, of course, we were hopelessly lost, and found ourselves late on Saturday night in a decidedly threatening part of the city. At traffic lights, unsavory characters approached our cars from the shadows, and we raced from light to light in hopes of spotting a familiar landmark. It felt like being in a cross between "Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Italian Job". Finally, we came across a major highway and got on it (even though we were headed north and needed to go south). Once that was rectified, we were back in Cortland at the hotel bar an hour later, and shortly thereafter to bed.

Sunday morning dawned dry…briefly. A nearby flash of lightning during breakfast announced a major downpour, which set the tone for the day. It was raining hard when we packed up the car and headed over to the Pasta Fazoom launch pad (a shopping center parking lot). It kept on raining, but we were heartened to see Italian cars continue to arrive despite the weather. Cal Crouch (dressed in a garbage bag) and his co-conspirators were there handing out the Pasta Fazoom rally directions (and nice cloisonné badges) and selling Pasta Fazoom T-shirts and hats. Miraculously, the AutoZone in the shopping plaza was selling umbrellas for $3.99 apiece—they did a very brisk business among the Pasta Fazoom participants.

Eventually, over 40 cars arrived—bravo! Cal had planned to divide the tour up into three "flights", depending on desired driving approach (fast, faster, and fastest). Because of the wet roads, however, we all left together as a group. Once we were out of town, we started to appreciate the significance of the "zoom" in "Fazoom". We residents of the eastern seaboard simply aren’t accustomed to being able to drive on roads that safely allow our macchina to be driven as they were intended. This by itself is reason enough for you to do this event in years to come!

Pasta Fazoom is an exhilarating combination of a spirited romp on 130 miles of hilly, twisty, traffic-free roads; some stops at scenic vistas to let the folks who prefer a more relaxed pace to regroup; the joy of traveling in a squadron of widely assorted Italian cars in front of and behind you; and the camaraderie with all the other Italian car owners who share the same appreciation. After a couple of hours of such stimulation, during which the rain gradually diminished and the roads began to dry, we stopped for lunch at the Boathouse Inn, a lakeside restaurant that the owners had opened just for us. Here, we were treated to soup, salad, and "Speidies" (spiced-up chicken and beef grilled with onions and peppers and served open-face on a round roll that you pick up like a tortilla—yum!).

Then it was back in the cars for more fun and games. Because of the long trip back to Boston, Kevin and I elected to bail out before the run was finished and, as a result, we missed out on the cider and goodies at the end (although, out of respect, we did eat the hermits I’d brought on the way home), and we missed seeing the dented Fiat 124 Spider, which unfortunately had an encounter with a deer along the way. We also missed the awarding of the coveted Founders Award (a piston painted in Italian flag colors mounted on a wooden base) to Fred and Missy and their Fiat 500—well-deserved!

We’d like to thank Cal Crouch and his cohorts for putting on such a really great event, and also for nagging us to come for so long. We’d also like to recommend that you get on out there next year!