AONE closed out its 2025 season with a party we won’t soon forget! Thanks to the Alfa passion and generosity of long-time club members Ven Fonte and son Nick, we celebrated over a hundred years of Alfa Romeo history at Ven’s beautiful laboratorio e piazza displaying over twenty perfectly preserved and maintained Alfa Romeos from the 1920s through the 1960s. Our members filled out the years following with a variety of Alfas from every decade (yes, including a 939 Spider from the 2000s), arranged on a manicured field with nearly fifty cars. What a spectacular sight!

The Fontes (with a little help from some friends, including detailer and AONE member Jim Miga, the Garage Valet) had put a lot of planning and effort into the event, and by our 10:30 gathering time the cars were all out of the garages and arranged around the beautiful piazza. As AONE members arrived, we were directed across the display area to find our parking spots in a field beyond. It was a beautiful sight to see so many Alfas, many with their Busso engines barking in the crisp fall air. The parade had the feeling of crossing the starting line of a Mille Miglia!

As people walked up the path back to the piazza, the enormity of the event started to sink in. So many significant cars in one place, all running and driving perfectly — it was better than the best museum experience. Everyone leisurely wandered around the stunning array of cars, taking it all in. Among the automobiles (all classics in their own right) were a 1924 RL TF, a 6C1750GS, a few 6C2300 and 2500 variants, and some unique 1900s. There were also several race cars inside the garage, including a factory 75T Evo IMSA, a wide-body GTV, and a Formula 3 powered by a 2L Alfa engine modified by Nova Motors. All of these had been campaigned at one time or another by Ven and/or Nick. Professional automotive photographer Josh Sweeney (Shoot For Details) was on hand capturing some great photos and videos.

The garage is creatively decorated with memorabilia, posters, and shop signs. The workshop is impressive, with lifts and a full machine shop and engine clean room. Virtually any automotive repair and restoration can be performed. And a space like this wouldn’t be complete without an ultimate man cave to relax in.

At around noon, Nick gathered us together to tell some of the fascinating stories and interesting details about the cars in the Fonte collection one by one. Most of the cars either have a racing pedigree or are rare one-off or small-production specials. Nick had some stories about rare cars that were faked to bring more money. In the pre-war era, Alfa would supply just the chassis and running gear, and the buyer would commission a body from one of the several carrozzerie such as Touring, Pininfarina, and Zagato. A chassis often had more than one body at various times, making the provenance difficult to ascertain. The talk was very informative and enlightening, with Nick getting a chance to hone his stand-up comic skills.

All of this automotive indulgence made a person hungry, but we had that well covered. Greg had researched and found Fired Up and On the Go, a company that brought an honest-to-goodness wood-fired pizza oven on-site. The pies were being cranked out before noon, and they were the real deal — everyone raved. Then for dessert Nick had set up a couple of on-demand ice cream makers manufactured by ColdSnap, the company that he and his brother Matt (who was also there) founded. More raves! The Fontes had thoughtfully had tables and chairs brought in, set up in a room in the garage, but the weather was so perfect that most people elected to stay outside.

As wonderful as the Fontes' cars were, we mustn't forget the Alfas that the rest of us brought! All arranged on the lawn near where the main action was, it made for an Alfa car show by itself!

As people were leaving, Ven handed out plaques to everyone commemorating the event that said “Il Cuore di un Alfista” (The Heart of an Alfa Romeo Lover) plus Ven’s name, AONE, and the date, with a heart made of Alfa parts. What a nice touch!

It goes without saying but needs to be said: Our club and all of the members who took part in the event offer our heartfelt thanks to Ven and Nick for sharing their fabulous cars and generous hospitality with us!