The 36th edition of the International Fiat 500 Meeting in Garlenda (SV) has concluded, the most important event in the Fiat 500 Club Italia calendar.
There were 920 participants, representing 11 nations (in addition to Italy, there were crews from France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Austria and Ireland, the latter being the guest of honor in 2019). The event also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the association, which is the largest model club in the world with over 21.000 members, and it was also an opportunity to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the social magazine “4PiccoleRuote”.
This morning hundreds of cars gathered at the Ippodromo dei Fiori in Villanova d'Albenga. The highlight of the morning was the creation of a huge mosaic of 35cc cars to compose the number “2019°” in honor of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the association. The ordinal indicator “°” was created with the four cars from Ireland, the XNUMX nation of honor.
The Meeting took place over three days (from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July), preceded by a long prologue called “Waiting for the Meeting”, which starting from Monday 1st July included trips, tastings and various entertainment for the Cinquecento enthusiasts who arrived in the area early to transform their participation in the event into a holiday opportunity.
The cars travelled hundreds of kilometres up and down the roads between the coast and the hinterland, touching numerous locations (Albenga, Arnasco, Ortovero, Andora, Laigueglia, Villanova d'Albenga, Leverone di Borghetto d'Arroscia) and discovering landscapes and flavours.
The Saturday night show – a sort of entertaining “bullfight”, which revealed hidden talents of the Cinquecento athletes and staff members – further enlivened the celebrations for the Club’s birthday, whose important contribution to tourism and culture on the Riviera was recognised by the laying of a tile on the Muretto di Alassio.
«The success of an event like this – and which is the basis of the success of the Fiat 500 Club Italia – is to be found in the ability to involve entire families, men and women, old and young, in a real experience
emotional experience that goes beyond the scope of historic motoring." explains the director of the Meeting Alessandro Scarpa.
A Meeting that is dedicated to a historic car, but that has a young soul, not only in the "evergreen" spirit, but in the appeal it arouses in fans: among the members this year there are many young people between 20 and 35 years old who have chosen the Garlenda event to have fun with lifelong friends and meet new ones: acquaintances that often arise on social media and that in Garlenda, on board the 200, materialize. Great involvement is also noted among the volunteers (almost XNUMX), many of whom are very young and who also come from outside the area.
The Fiat 500 is much more than a means of transport: it had a fundamental importance in Italian society in the 60s and 70s and today is recognized as an icon.
But what is surprising is the unifying power of an absolutely “transversal” utility vehicle, which appeals to more than one generation and always has the flavour of novelty.
The Meeting becomes a special occasion to experience your emotions: to ask your girlfriend to take the “big step” or renew a declaration of love after thirty years of marriage; to celebrate the license you just earned; to face a challenging journey alone or with your old friends; to show the community of Cinquecento enthusiasts your newly restored car, respecting its originality or decorated according to your imagination.
There are friendships that have been going on for decades that were born and are carried forward during the Meeting: even if during the rest of the year sex video there are no opportunities to meet, coming to Garlenda offers many the certainty of seeing loved ones again, in a dialogue that never stops thanks to today's communication possibilities. "See you in Garlenda" is more than a slogan, it is a wish for a long life for the historic "little car" and above all for the large group of its enthusiasts.
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