The weather's going to be GREAT on Saturday for Il Giro - for the fifth year in a row!  Here are the maps and directions of this year's route as downloadable PDF files (printed versions will be provided):

• Directions (turns and mileages)

• Morning maps

• Afternoon maps

The deadline for registering is Wednesday, October 1st - see below!

This is the fifth anniversary of Il Giro!  AONE members and Peterborough, NH, residents John Percival and Guilherme Bonatto have teamed up again to put together another fabulous motor tour in the beautiful Monadnock region of southern New Hampshire. Last year, we had 21 Alfas come along on the drive! The participants all had a terrific time on a tour that included driving up from Concord, MA, into New Hampshire via quiet back roads, a stop in the appealing mecca of Peterborough, a drive by Dublin Lake, and lunch in Henniker, NH, with several Alfa photo ops along the way. The tour ended in Sunapee with shopping, lake views, and time for refreshments.

For this, the anniversary edition of Il Giro, we’re talking more back-roads driving at the beginning of the day from Concord, MA, and gathering in Jaffrey, NH, for lunch at the Kimball Farm restaurant on Route 124. The afternoon segment will go through Marlborough, NH, with spectacular views of Mount Monadnock, driving by Dublin, and finishing off with ice cream at Ava Marie’s in Peterborough.

You have two options for meeting up with the rest of the gang:

1. If you live in Massachusetts, Connecticut, or Rhode Island, you can meet up with Guilherme at Papa Razzi Ristorante’s parking lot on Route 2 in Concord, MA, just before our 9:30 am departure. The drive north is a pleasant one indeed! Guilherme has mapped out a new and terrific route that will take us by Forge Village, West Groton, and West Townsend, MA, to reach NH Route 124 before arriving in Jaffrey for lunch at Kimball Farm. Papa Razzi’s is located on Route 2 westbound in Concord, MA, just before the Concord Rotary. (If you’re coming from the west, you’ll spot Papa Razzi on your left; take a left at the light.)

2. Or, if you live further north, you can go directly to Jaffrey and meet up with the southern contingent at around 11:30am in the parking area of the Kimball Farm restaurant on Route 124. Directions to Kimball Farm can be found at http://tinyurl.com/6denp5. As you enter the parking lot of Kimball’s, circle around (counter-clockwise) and look for parking near the Kimball sign, on the left as you enter the parking area. There will be a reserved area for Alfa Romeos. Lots of Alfas will be there by 11:30!

We will depart on the afternoon segment at 1:30pm. This way, everyone will have a good, relaxed time for lunch and for catching up with our AONE buddies.

In order to keep things under control, our tourmasters are limiting the event to the first 30 cars to sign up—first come, first served! Please register with Guilherme by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 1st, with the exact number of reservations. To register, the preferred method is via email to Guilherme at bellunotre@gmail.com, or you can contact him at 603-924-7608 (home) or 603-860-9705 (cell). If you call and get a message, please leave your name and number so that Guilherme can return your call to confirm your entry. Include your phone number, your plan about where you will join (1 or 2 from above), and whether you are going to have lunch with us at Kimball Farm. Do it now so you don’t end up on the waiting list!

So reserve Saturday, October 4th (rain date Sunday, the 5th) on your calendars and sign up pronto! There will be maps posted on the AONE web site sometime before the event. Remember to keep up with the car in front and to wait for the Alfa behind you, so we all keep together.

We’d like to thank all who have participated in prior years of Il Giro and look forward to seeing you again. Let’s aim for a large group (20+ Alfas) on this Fifth Anniversary edition of the Giro. Have fun and drive safely. See you there!