on the road
august2014
25
//SPEC
AlfaRomeoMiTo2014
Performance
Sporty littlehatchback
that’sspeedy, light
andsurprisingly
powerful.Easy todrive
incitiesbutmore fun
onopen roads
Engine
1.3JTDM-2 (Diesel);
five-speedgearbox
Topspeed/
acceleration
174km/h; 0-100km/h:
12.6seconds
Price
From€21,200
■
Four SeasonsMilan
(right). If youwant
somewhere indulgent to sleepoff that credit card
splurge, this is theplace todo it.Rooms from€670,
fourseasons.com/milan
■
Royal VictoriaVarenna
Thegardenoverlooking
the lake is thishotel’sbiggest attraction,but the
restaurant and roomsare lovely, too.Rooms from
€140,
royalvictoria.com
■
Angolodel Silenzio,Como
Don’tmiss thePersico
risotto.
sterialangolodelsilenzio-como.com
mangiareedormire
now the ItalianNational Trust. Iwander through the rooms,
decoratedas theywouldhavebeenwhen thevillawasbuilt.
Ashort driveup the road takesme to thecalmerVilla
Carlotta, home toagardenburstingwithsummer flowers.
Thesun issaggingas I inchon to the ferryatMenaggio,
heading toVarenna,myhome for thenight.On theeastern
shoreof the lake I swingaroundcoastal roads, past
boutiquessellingespadrillesandwaitersservingCampari
sodas in thesquare. I pull over andsettledownwithadrink,
thrilled that Imade it hereandhappy to think I’ll never leave.
But thenextmorning I do, temptedby the ideaof going to
Switzerland.Bynow theMiToand I are likeold friendsand
thisnimblecar’sassuredhandling isaboonaswewind
around thesnow-dustedmountains.Occasionally there’s
aslower car in front and I’m forced toovertake, but it’sno
problem in theMiTo: acceleration isswift and immediate.
Driving throughSondrio the landscapechanges, grand
villas replacedbycowssnoozingunder apple trees.
Stopping inTirano, I feel abit odd. I’dplanned to take
the redBerninaExpress toStMoritz, but can’t bring
myself to leave thecar here. I’ve tackledcity traffic,
lake roadsandmountainpassesand found it
exhilarating.Soafter lunch I bookdinner inMilan
andhopback in theMiTO, ready todo it all over again.
