By Vern Brown
Photos by Gene Durso, John DeWaele, and Meg Anderson

A beautiful but gusty October day found a dozen Alfa Romeo automobiles gathered at the Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster, MA, on the morning of October 15th. The happy group had come from MA, RI, NY, CT and in my case VA (more about that later). The rain of the past few days had receded (as promised by Gene and Judy Durso) and the event started on time shortly after 10 AM.

Our caravan consisted of a pretty good mix of vintage Alfas, from a well-preserved original ’59 2000 roadster driven by Roger and Karen Carlson, Rod Burdick’s ’63 Giulia Spider, Fred Frey’s beautiful ’72 Super (Fred and Beverley Fisher came up from Long Island and also did Tutto Italiano the following day), Gene and Judy’s ‘72 GTV, Tom Freiberger’s ’71 Montreal , a group of later Spiders (belonging to Peter Walker & Meg Anderson, Tom & Liane Brooks, John & Lauren DeWaele, Dan & Deb Donovan, and Steve & Nancy Perry ), my GTV-6, and an MGB (a friend of Tom & Liane).

While the leaves had not quite reached their stunning fall peak, the town of Barre (with its large town green flanked by the Congregational Church in true New England style) saw the caravan’s first arrival. From there we were off to Petersham, which looked like Old Sturbridge Village with real people, among them us. We did a photo stop in Petersham, stretched our legs, and then headed to mighty Wachusett Mountain.

The drive from Petersham to Wachusett Mountain traversed the forest for more leaf peeping, finally opening to the valley along Mountain Road, giving us all a panoramic view of the eastern valley beneath Wachusett Mountain. The caravan climbed to a parking lot at the peak (or, as my wife noted, the top of the hill). The view was great, and the stretch was needed, as we were two hours into the drive by then.

From the Wachusett Mountain summit, we cruised down the hill and back to the Old Mill Restaurant for a convivial lunch with our fellow Alfisti. The Old Mill is a charming spot beside a mill race, with a casual atmosphere and really good food. Alfa trips, Alfa acquisitions, Alfa conventions, Alfa restorations, in addition to friends, family and kids, were all topics of the day. From the Old Mill, some of the group drove down the road to the Wachusett Brewery, where the day’s activities concluded.

The AONE Wachusett Region Road Tour started for me about a week before the actual event. I began the trip to the tour in Hampton, VA, with my GTV-6, which I had just about not driven since I bought it in Alfa Owner the week prior. The car had been in various stages of preparation (i.e., balance the driveshaft, get the AC working, strip and paint, and then drive). And drive it did for the 600 miles to Boston and then some. I’m in love here! How come Alfa didn’t sell 50,000 a year of these wonderful cars? Okay, I understand that a significant amount of sorting out was not a good sales tool for the production run. In any case, I only need one and I’m thrilled at now having a truly modern GT in a 25-year-old package, not to mention one that my whole family can ride in.

I’m grateful to be in such a great club, with a group of dedicated local (and afar) members who love to drive and discuss their beloved automobiles. Thanks to Dan & Deb Donovan for putting together the route and to Gene & Judy Durso for coordinating the event. It was great!

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