by Ernesto Lella
April 11, 2026. When you put your phone number everywhere, anything can happen... and last Wednesday, around 22 pm, during useless TV program time, the WAPP message icon flashed, I picked up the phone and an unlikely and illegible name appeared: Krzysztof BędkowskiIs a call center possible at this hour? Will they want to sell me discounted electricity and gas contracts or suggest I invest money in BitCoins, which if I had them I'd spend them all in 500? Who said curiosity is a woman's thing? It intrigues me, I read: “Hi, my wife and I have a Yellow Fiat 500 L We're returning from Sicily to Poland to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I'm a member of the Fiat 500 Club Italia. We're currently in Matera and plan to arrive in Naples on Thursday. I have a damaged hose that carries air from the grille under the windshield to the fan. Can you help us find this part in Naples? Thanks for your help!.
Ah! I'll reply right away, exchanging messages to clarify that the pipe is the large one from the air conveyor in the engine compartment and... who could bother me at this hour if not the "little sisters of the 500"? I'll write (I won't call for decency's sake) to Laura Ugon to ask for clarification hoping that he won't tell me to go to hell, with or without the 500, but Laura is always on the ball. "I looked at the cameras and asked Roberta for confirmation. The part is there, it's cheap, and I even have the original cable ties."Perfect, very efficient as always. I messaged Krzysztof and updated him on the situation, telling him to contact me when he was about to arrive in Naples so we could meet and have coffee. How wonderful to be able to solve a problem so quickly, at 10 pm, with four simple messages.
I wish!!! Thursday morning, 7:19 a.m. (don't these people in Poland sleep?) new message: “Unfortunately we managed to get away only 30 km from Matera and the car broke down completely. We're waiting for roadside assistance and will return to Matera :(“.
The beauty of Krzysztof and his sweet Magdalena It's that they manage to flash dazzling smiles even from the cab of a tow truck 2.000 km from home. I had spoken too soon about the resolution of the problems with four messages: in fact, when we arrived at the workshop, he told me that the whole thing was completely broken. cooling fanThe mechanic's suppliers don't have the part available, and he asks me if I can call a local parts store (I forgot, he doesn't speak a word of Italian, so we rely on Google Translate!). I try four parts dealers, but nothing works; I contact Laura and Roberta again, but they don't work either... plus, getting it to Matera on a Thursday is a real challenge, and then... a light bulb goes on, the one on the 500 that doesn't give off much light (maybe that's why I hadn't thought of it before): are we in the Fiat 500 Club Italia or not? Antonio Lorusso and Lorenzo Cornacchia The Altamura residents, who have become regular guests at our Naples gatherings, are 20 km from Matera; they'll surely know how to direct me. I call Antonio, and the answer is disarmingly simple: "What's the problem? Have him bring the car and we'll fix it.". Elementary, if it weren't for the fact that the car is in another workshop and is already completely dismantled... In the meantime the morning has passed and Antonio candidly tells me «Now I'll get the pieces and bring them to you after lunch, I won't take anything anyway."
After a while Lorenzo calls me: "Reassure your friends. Spare parts found this afternoon." they are in the workshop»The photo with Krzysztof, Magdalena, Antonio Lorusso, and Michele Sarrocco, the group leader from Altamura, proudly displaying the fan and flashing bright smiles, speaks volumes about the pleasure of being able to do something for those in need.
We agreed to meet up upon arrival in Naples, but… the troubles weren't over. On Friday, when we left for Naples, small tamponade with a slight dent in the rear hood, a flat tire and here is the bitter surprise and new evening message: “Hi Ernesto. After a bit of a twist and turn, we arrived in Amalfi. Another car hit us from behind, hitting our Fiat 500. The tailgate is slightly damaged. I also noticed that the tyres The front tires, which were brand new, are almost completely worn out after 1.000 km. The wheel alignment is probably incorrect. Can you help me?".
And how can you say no? This time Laura and Roberta couldn't because, given the limited space in the shop, they don't deal in tires. I messaged (always late at night) our tire dealer friend who will now become a Punto Amico for the benefit of all the members in the area and made an appointment. At 9 o'clock sharp the 500 Giallo Positano entered the workshop: front wheel alignment completely out of place, frantic search for tires since suppliers are closed on Saturday mornings and in the end they found themselves at CasertaThe boy ran with the van while Krzysztof, Magdalena, and I passed the time with cappuccino and croissants, and finally, at 11:30, we were ready to go again. Thanks to the trustee. Francesco Puzone we recovered two caps, two T-shirts and some stickers (all produced by the other trustee Antonello Martina) of the Naples Coordination, one of which was immediately placed on the side window to mark the short stop in Naples and off we go, destination Pompeii excavations, then Rome, then Florence... all the way to Poland. Given how their journey began, I felt like giving them the phone numbers of friends. Fabio Grosso, Massimo Lissa, Ringo Ducci, Alessandro Vinotti, whom I know personally for their exquisite availability, hoping that their intervention will not be necessary.
I hope this story reaches even those who are not members, because when I talk about the Club, I sometimes hear the fateful question: "Why do I have to spend €48 to sign up? What do I get in return?"You get small gadgets, a magazine (and that alone is worth a lot), some deals, a sticker to stick on your windshield, a website where you can get advice and information but… you receive something non-material that you could never buy, neither with €48 nor with many more zeros: you receive one spirit, one community, something that gets inside you and makes you feel part of a big family. A family capable of making a Cinquecento driver feel at home, even if he's 2.000 km away from his own, and who, if he needs it, knows he can text a stranger in the evening, knowing he'll find someone who will step up and engage others to make him feel safe and not alone, even if his "little box" is acting up.
Have a good trip, Krzysztof and Magdalena! We'll see each other again someday, maybe in Poland!
We conclude the story with the photo of Krzysztof and Magdalena under the sign of their city, finally arrived home without further problems, welcomed with many thanks for the Italian welcome, (Krzysztof for the occasion wanted to wear the t-shirt we gave him). Among other things, thanks to the usual round of messages and phone calls (this time with the partner Paola De Santis) they also managed to go on a trip to the Castles in Rome with lunch included together with the local Coordination thanks to the exquisite availability of Maximilian Ponzi just to confirm how this Club is a big, wonderful family.
