The Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese is in imminent danger of closing — and you can help save it!  This note just came in from Ven Fonte, an AONE member and owner of several wonderful classic Alfa Romeos:

Gentlemen,

You might already be aware of this but, just in case ... I got an email this morning from Oliver Collins in Toronto about the news concerning the probable impending closure of the Alfa Museum at Arese. One more real sad story in today's Italy ... as if Berlusconi wasn't enough these days! Please, take the time to voice our unhappiness for such a stupidity and let's hope it will be enough to make a difference. There is not much time, January 30th is our deadline!

An "emergency appeal" by email to everyone who loves the brand would not hurt the cause. Certainly, a show of force from this side of the pond, just as Alfa and FIAT are planning to reenter our big market, might very well be what is needed to make them think!! Thanks. My best.

Ven

Below is the original email from Oliver Collins, with info info on how you can make your voice heard. Do it now — the deadline looms! Here is how to post a comment to ‘Save the Alfa Museum’:

• Using Internet Explorer (Firefox and Safari work but you don't see the places to click, noted below):

• Go to the website http://www.alfaromeoarese.com/ (you may have to click a "Home Page" link)

• At the bottom of the grey page you will see: Pubblicato da Arese73 a venerdì, gennaio 14, 2011 132 commenti

• Click on the word "COMMENTI". If you don't see that word, move your cursor around in the grey area until it turns into a finger pointer and click there, use your browser scroll bar and scroll ALL the way to the bottom

• You will see a white space to write your comments in

• After inserting your comment, click on "POSTA COMMENTO"

• Click on "SELZIONA PROFILO"

• From the drop down menu select " Nome/URL "

• Write in your NAME only, but NO URL. Click Continua, next screen . . .

• Click on "ANTEPRIMA" and insert the security code exactly as you see it

• Again click on "POSTA COMMENTO"

• You will be returned to the home page with an English message at the bottom that says your comment has been published.

• Scroll down to the end of all comments where you need to click on "NUOVI". Or, if you don't see that word to click on, move your cursor to the right of the words "Iscriviti a: " below the grey area. Your cursor should turn into a finger pointer again, click when it does. This will take you to the next page of comments (there are 200 per page). This is the only way to see that your comment has indeed been posted.

Dear Alfisti,

I have just been advised of the unfortunate news that our beloved Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese is once again in danger of being dismantled, notwithstanding the ruling by the Italian Ministry of Culture to keep the Museum and it’s cars and documents intact.

The current FIAT ownership is putting huge pressure on the Ministry in Rome to have this ruling modified. The current ownership's final goal is not only to sell some of the cars, but also to sell the whole structure and finally move the remaining cars to Turin and lock them in a warehouse, as it has already been done with the Lancia Museum.

We are asking you to show your support for maintaining what is every Alfisti's spiritual "home", the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. Built and opened on December 18th, 1976 by the Alfa President at that time, Giuseppe Luraghi. The Alfa Romeo Museum is the essence of the Brand, it tells the story of its great victories, its great technological innovations, and its unforgettable cars.

Unfortunately there is not much time. At the end of January 2011 the Italian Ministry of Culture will evaluate the request to modify it’s ruling, as requested by the current ownership, and will issue a ministerial decree regarding the protection of the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese. This will be after examining the arguments of the supporters of this initiative against the objections by the current Alfa owners.

A write-in campaign has been created and, although it’s in Italian, it's very simple to navigate (see instructions below): please send in your feelings about the possibility of the museum being dismantled and the cars locked up somewhere in a warehouse. Your comments will help a lot!

Over the next few days the comments will be constantly monitored, and the messages left will be very helpful in preventing the Italian Ministry of Culture from modifying their ruling.

PS: when forwarding this email make sure not to send it to email addresses connected in any way with the current FIAT/ALFA ownership or employees.

Thank you very much in advance for your support! The original Italian version of this message is below.

Cari amici Alfisti,
Oliver Collins,
Toronto

More information from Italy — Alessandra Giorgetti - AFRA wrote:

Dear Oliver

The Arese mayors office succeeded a month ago in applying a national law , maintaining that Arese Alfa Romeo building , the cars, the archive , all documents and anything in the structure were of national cultural interest and FIAT auto could not destroy, move or sell anything concerning the museum.

Now Fiat says ok, the cars and the documents are national interests, but not the building. Because of expo 2015, they wish to sell it and dismantle it and are pressing the national government for this amendment. (Berlusconi hates Fiat...but we are not lucky enough for this to help!)

This should not be done, because we have archaic rules and Arese building was designed by a famous architect Vito Latis ...and should be of historical interests (otherwise the coliseum in Rome wouldn’t have survived so many years....) But we are in Italy and anything is possible.

The problem is that if Fiat gets the agreement for the building...where will all the cars be stored? Nowhere....!! because Fiat has no money for another structure and ...if we are lucky, they will be locked in Torino underground and no Alfisti or anyone will see the museum for many many years. If we are unlucky, some pieces will disappear during the transportation.........

So please write some words of disappointment on this web site that will be read by the government in Rome as proof of the international interest of the Museum.

Post this to all your friends and Alfisti that can help us , but do not post it to Fiat employers!
Ciao, Alessandra