by Ernesto Lella
It seems like only a moment has passed since Nicholas Ugon after having solved yet another problem for me during the restoration of my 500 he told me "Guy (guy, that still sounds weird to me at over 60), do you have your cell phone? I'll give you a present so you can put it here and watch all the videos about restoring the car." and he gave me this pen white (which you see in the photo) that I jealously keep, with the recess to rest the phone horizontally and see the videos... More than a moment, three years have already passed since Nicola left us and, thanks to Laura and Roberta, his worthy heirs of passion, more than of activity (Autoricambi Ugon which has been going on for more than 60 years) and this year thanks to the excellent organisation of the trustee of Naples Antonello MartinaOnce again (the third time), we all gathered in Ercolano, not to commemorate, which might be sad, but to celebrate Nicola, as he would have wanted. All of "his" 500s were on display for a morning of festive display in the restricted traffic zone of his city. We arrived slowly, a small group at a time, because as always, we meet on the street, depending on where we're coming from, even if we're just driving a few kilometers in a queue, honking to announce the arrival of our little "boxes." The meeting point for us coming from Naples is the highway entrance, after the toll booth, where many motorcyclists on Sunday outings also stop, and it's always a pleasure to meet up, but here... first pit stop: when I arrived, a small group of friends were looking at the engine of a 500, the beautiful Giannini of member Agostino Lucignano who is acting up. The beauty of meeting up is precisely this: in the group there are two engine wizardsNicola D'aniello, mechanic, tuner, and driver (because he races the 500, obviously on the track), and Andrea Cante, former mechanic, former tuner, and former driver (who also raced it), now retired (but only on paper, because passion never retires). Tips, condensers, a tune-up, and then we're off, even if not at full throttle because some issues remain, but with our little ones, we always come home. A lovely party, as I was saying, along the main street of Ercolano, where friends meet, families with children take photos, Laura and Roberta spread smiles (and a few exchanges, just to keep up the good work), and in no time, we're off to the splendid setting of Villa Signorini for the customary lunch. Naturally, we pass in a cheerful, honking procession past the shop that celebrated Nicola's 60th birthday and now boasts the smiles of Laura, Roberta, and our dear mother, who await our passage like three sentinels guarding this precious slice of history. Villa Signorini, renowned locally for the quality of its events, lives up to its reputation: an excellent lunch, a delightful parking lot nestled between rows of trees, all packed in because there were so many of us, numerous representatives from various parts of Campania, regional coordinator Domenico "Mimmo" Filippella in the morning, along with many friends from the Caserta coordination group, and, most importantly, a guest of honor at the restaurant... And this is a story within a story; a few weeks earlier, a woman, Giovanna, contacted me on WhatsApp and asked if she could attend one of our gatherings, even though she didn't own a Fiat 500, because her twelve-year-old son (who, he tells me, has some health issues) is passionate about classic cars and spends his time immersed in videos, tutorials, and groups to cultivate this passion. He did it all himself: he contacted us, found my number, and gave it to his mother. There was no need to ask Antonello; no sooner had we done it than the three spots were already booked. Once we arrive at Villa Signorini we speak on the phone with Giovanna and we look for each other in the parking lot to get to know each other among the myriad of 500s and we see each other immediately from afar and I know each other Giovanni, skinny, Harry Potter glasses and the ecstatic face of Alice in Wonderland getting lost in that sea of 500. I know mother Giovanna and father AntoninoMy first friendly approach with Giovanni was to gently scold him for showing up at our rally wearing a Ducati T-shirt. So I dig into my car (which is a bit like Mary Poppins' bag) and pull out one of our Fiat 500-branded caps and put it on Giovanni: a big smile, friendship made. I take him with me, open the car, open the sunroof, and off we go with the photos. He gets in the driver's seat, stands up, and makes the Victory sign. At lunch, Giovanna and Antonino tell me their story, which is worth reading, knowing, and listening to for the love and tenacity of this beautiful coupleGiovanna had some problems during her pregnancy and was forced to give birth to Giovanni prematurely, at just 25 weeks! He weighed less than 500 grams, his organs were not fully developed, and he had no life expectancy (according to the doctors), but sometimes love is stronger than any expectation. Through months of incubators, surgeries, therapies, and treatments, Giovanna and Antonino never gave up; this was their son, adored and longed for, and they would have fought with all their strength for him. And so it was: against all medical logic, against all clinical advice, they sought out centers of excellence, journeys of hope, and slowly, through countless surgeries, countless therapies, and so much love and determination, they made it. Today Giovanni is a highly intelligent, curious, passionate, and attentive boy, a little behind in his schoolwork due to the treatments, but who cares? I too, when I saw his smile and his joy as he got into the car and sat behind the wheel, without knowing him and without yet knowing anything about his story, was fascinated, infected, because he is a boy who fascinates, with whom you fall in love at first sight. Well done Giovanna and Antonino, the Giovanni's smile It's the greatest reward for all your great sacrifices and dedication, and it's confirmation that you should never give up, that love is an immense force, and you have plenty of it. Next time, we'll meet in the morning and take Giovanni around in a Fiat 500; he's become a bit of a mascot for us. Who knows, maybe you'll also consider getting one of these magical "boxes" to carry him around to rallies, this time "from the inside" and not just as spectators.
