MINI Italy

The MINI Cooper S Roadster may not seem like the ideal traveling companion. But as my recent road trip through Northern Italy proved, the two-seat drop-top is just about the best traveling companion I could have hoped for... Besides my gorgeous partner, of course.

The folding ragtop means there’s enough room in the boot for a decent amount of luggage, while also offering you the chance to grab some Italian sun along the way. There’s decent oddment storage, a useful satnav and peppy stereo for your tunes. Under the bonnet performance is strong, but efficient – at the same time maximising enjoyment and all-important holiday funds.

Setting off from Milan our trek took us east to Venice, which like a number of places we were to discover, is no place for cars. The 'streets' here are actually canals which pleasantly, on this occasion, were not accompanied with the usual ‘aroma’ often encountered during the warmer months.

Rather than endure Europe’s largest carpark, and the hefty fee it attracts, we were led by our trusty iPhone to a local garage run by a couple of likely lads. These older gentlemen turned out to be quite helpful, and not only took care of our little MINI during our absence, but also offered us train tickets and directions that made getting to and from the famous islands that much easier. And cheaper!

After a couple of days our holiday felt strangely lacking without the company of our four-wheeled friend. So back to the garage we went, collected the MINI and set off for Verona.

The pace is a little quicker than that back home and the driving style… Well, let’s just say it's Italian. It’s nothing to be worried about, and for the most part Italian drivers are very considerate, and surprisingly courteous. You often need to remember that many of the rules that go unchecked back home (keep to the left unless overtaking?) are steadfastly adhered to here.

Verona’s Roman ruins and Juliet’s balcony are the kind of places you can easily lose track of time, so it’s best to remember that parking, like the fees on the Autostrada, can be expensive. Using the iPhone (with a local SIM for data) is the best way to track down a reasonably priced local garage, and it also means you’re not pushed for time once the better half discovers the local markets...

With MINI’s boot now testing the claims I made earlier, we set off for the picturesque lake region and the stunning scenery of Riva Del Garda. The twisty roads into town remind me again why the Cooper S version of the Roadster was such a good choice. MINI’s wheel-at-each-corner stance offers acres of grip on the serpentine downhill run into town.

Parking in Riva Del Garda can be tricky, but fortunately MINI’s, well, mini size, means we can squeeze into places others can’t – and therefore enjoy a shorter stroll to the restaurants and gelati stands that line the foreshore.

Staying the night at a small hotel high atop the cliffs over town, the Roadster’s petite size again proves invaluable. Picking our way through the olive groves to the top we wonder just how anyone in a regular-sized sedan would ever make it – especially if someone were  to come the other way!

As we left the lake in the rear-view mirror and climbed into the Alps, the weather turned. And for the first time in our trip the roof was locked in place and the heater cranked to full.

Climbing higher and higher through the clouds the thunder and lightning seems to envelop us as we twisted our way across the San Giovanni Pass, and, eventually, to the Gavia Pass towards Bormio.

SNOW BUSINESS
With an eye on the external temperature gauge we notice the figure drop, firstly into single digits, and then below zero. The MINI's ice warning tells us that we’re soon in for something not too many convertible drivers would face Down Under – and, next minute it’s snowing.

Driving across the pass to Bormio the snow falls thicker and faster. Our pace is slowed not only by the weather but by a trio of blokes ahead braving the elements gingerly on two wheels. Despite wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, we brave the elements for a couple of happy snaps ourselves. The MINI’s roadholding proves an exemplary model of tenacity despite four inches of slush on the shoulder.

The cloth roof does an impressive job of insulating us from the elements, while the climate control barely raises a sweat, maintaining a steady temperature without allowing the windscreen to fog.

Descending the twisting, narrow road into Bormio the weather improves, but only just. The MINI again proves itself a capable corner carver, pointing quickly and accurately through the often uneven and occasionally off-camber bends that bring us at last to our overnight stay.

Bormio, known in the winter months for its ski runs, is popular with hikers in the summer – and all year round for its Terme, or hot springs. Dating back to Roman times, this region’s baths have seen thousands of years' service. Fortunately, knowing the owner of one of the town’s two stalwart spas helps, and an after-hours guide through a cave deep in the heart of the mountain takes us to the source of the valued warm water for a midnight dip.

Eventually, we find ourselves at the film star-famous Lake Como visiting the Villa del Balbianello – the setting for the Lake House retreat of Naboo in Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones and the Bond film, Casino Royale. The views have to be seen to be believed, while the history of the villa itself, is almost as impressive as the peninsula on which it is perched.

As we near the southern end of the lake, we decide the small hill-top hamlet of Brunate is a better option than the larger township of Como itself. Winding the switchbacks almost 500 metres above the lake, MINI again proves its worth on narrow Italian roads, passing with millimetre-perfect precision on a ribbon of asphalt barely wide enough for a large sedan.

The locals of Brunate are enchanted with the little Roadster, and with the roof down, several take the opportunity to ask questions and take photos. It serves as the perfect ice-breaker and before we know it, a couple of beers and a wonderful meal of purple gnocchi await. It’s hard deciding what’s better, the meal or the view!

Now certain that MINI is carrying more weight than when we began (the food is simply amazing), we head back down the hill and southward for the working harbor city of Genoa. “To know her is to love her”, the locals tell us, and believe me, they’re right. It’s hardly pretty, and for that reason is devoid of tourists. Which in my mind makes it something of a rarity – a good chance for sampling Italian life at its most normal.

The long descent into town is entertaining, and it’s this reason cars like the MINI make road tripping so much fun.

TOP FIVE
Leaving the blue-collar town is almost as much fun. The circuitous loops and tunnels lead us down the Italian Riviera and give us an aural accompaniment of bubbly cracks and pops from the exhaust as we head through the naval town of La Spezia, and into the southern end of the now-legendary Cinque Terre.

Cars aren’t allowed in the five tiny hamlets that make up the Cinque Terre (literally, five lands) and until the 1960s, there weren’t even roads into the area. Locals made do with water transport until the train and finally roads finally made it through. With it came hordes  of tourists every weekend.

After a minor ‘discussion’ with the local Carabinieri (police), we were finally allowed through the boom gates and into Riomaggiore where previous arrangements had been made with our hosts to park the car (the only way outsiders can drive into any of the tiny towns). It’s a tight squeeze, and incredibly steep, but as the MINI had proved time and again, this was another one of those exercises the little roadster would take in its stride.

Leaving the UNESCO world heritage listed area, we wind back across the top of the hills and south for Tuscany where the Roman centres of Lucca, Pisa and Siena await. These walled cities are by-and-large unchanged from the middle ages, and their narrow streets are subsequently restricted to traffic.

Learning the many road signs and their definitions is worth it if you wish to avoid an expensive fine. The region is also famed for its many unmanned speed cameras (eat your heart out Victoria), so mind the speed limits when passing through.

As well as being a place renowned for its old buildings, piazzas and city walls, the region also holds the title of 'Italy’s worst freeway'. Unlike most, it is free of tolls and the condition of the surface reflects it! The MINI’s stiffly sprung ride sent a few rattles through the canvas roof’s framework and at times even juttered the windscreen. It wasn’t quite enough to shake your fillings loose, but it did come rather close.

The narrow streets also highlighted another strike against the convertible’s canvas cover – visibility. Until now the weather had been pretty good and the roads clear and open. But with rain about, and narrow streets requiring careful placement, we found visibility poor when reversing in close quarters, even with great side mirrors and standard reverse sensors.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
With time evaporating, a quick visit to Rome was next on the cards and again it was time to set the cruise control and let the miles fly by. Italy's 130km/h speed limit is civilized and, for the most part, well respected by Italian motorists. MINI’s satnav directs us into the heart of Rome, and before we know it, gridlock.

Rome is inundated with cars, and it doesn’t seem to matter what time of the day, there’s little relief from the heavy traffic. Think of it as trying to thread the eye of a rusty needle with a frayed piece of twine.

Buses, cars and scooters vie for space at every opportunity, while compliance with lane markings and other signs seems voluntary. It’s the closest thing to piston-powered pandemonium I’ve ever experienced – even topping Vietnam’s Hanoi. A good thing then the MINI’s compact size helped us navigate our way through the countless, and often confusing twists and turns.

With our trip at an end, it was time to say ‘Arrivederci’ to our pint-sized friend and return to good old public transport.

It’s quite a come-down, and, as good as the trains in Europe are, nothing quite matches the flexibility and fun of your own four wheels – especially when they offer the combination of pep and verve of the MINI Cooper S Roadster.

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