Alfa Romeo Giulia fu presentata 10 anni fa (e la prima fu la Quadrifoglio!). Ecco un emozionante video di S Marchionne ed alcuni articoli (copyright of respective sites):
Lots of speculation are made around new Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Giulia, with concerns mounting about the uncertain situation at the Cassino factory, where both models are set to be built. Employees and unions voiced their worries over the lack of clarity regarding production timelines and Stellantis did not clarify the timelines.
The Stelvio, expected to debut in 2025, is now reportedly set to arrive in Q3-27, while for the Giulia we talk 2028. Information lack also on propulsions: will be all electric only or hybrid too (now that Honda and Toyota – between others manufacturers – are going back into this engine shape…)?
Internal sources confirm that preparations for the Stla Large platform at the Cassino factory have been completed, meaning the facility should be technically ready to begin mass production. However, given the broader uncertainties in the automotive European industry, nothing is black on white.
In Jean-Philippe Imparato’s announcement on updates to Stellantis’ strategy in Italy, the company confirmed that adjustments are being made in response to evolving market conditions, regulatory uncertainties, and trade duties.
As for the new Giulia, it promises to bring a blend of Italian design elegance and engaging driving dynamics, even better than the first model. The current (my) Giulia near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution contributes to its agility, allowing for precise handling through corners.
Some renderings of the new Giulia appear unconvincing (see link MOTOR 1), with the distinct Alfa Romeo character and style kind of diluted by design elements reminiscent of Peugeot’s styling. In CLUB ALFA and other sites the new Giulia is insted a fastback kind of car. Nothing official, though. Let’s wait, hoping is just a delay and not the begin of the end of leggendary Alfa Romeo (Imparato was given 10 years to turn back Alfa into profit…).
Cucinare è rilassante ed è una passione per molti Italiani, pur con alterni risultati. A me piace pensare che mi riconnette con il mio Salento, la mia Italia, che non mi sembra davvero di aver lasciato da oltre 20 anni [scoop: oggi 01 Feb 2025, sono esattamente 21 che vivo a Dublino!]
Maneggiare il cibo ha già in se qualcosa di mistico, di ancestrale, indipendentemente dal risultato che otteniamo e dal piatto che prepariamo.
Per me la “pasta e ceci” assurge e pesca nei ricordi d’infanzia (anche se non so bene perchè, visto che lasagna, parmigiana e l’immancabile pasta al sugo erano “numericamente” piu presenti sulla mia tavola e su quella dei miei nonni).
Fatto sta, che ogni qualvolta che la preparo, mi viene in mente quando mia nonna faceva sfrigolare in un pentolino qualche crosta (“muersu” in leccese) di pane e della pasta, usate poi per abbellire la pasta e ceci vera e propria. E poi la pasta fumante nei piatti bianchi fondi sulla sua tavola.
E poi anche lo “sbuffare” della pentola a pressione di mia mamma (che poi me ne ha comprata una portata qui in Irlanda quasi come un carbonaro _ chiusa in valigia avvolta da vestiti).
Sapori di altri tempi, che mi piace rivivere e gustare (ed i miei figli, devo dire, non disprezzano).
Scappo: vado a mettere a mollo i ceci col bicarbonato ….(rigorosamente “sourced _ procacciati” da mio padre a Zollino.
Alfa Romeo pare essere ad un altro spartiacque della sua nuova storia sotto il gruppo Stellantis. Alfetta o Giulietta, questo é il dilemma: l’auto che si sta disegnando in Alfa sarebbe una berlina coupe a coda tronca, da vendere solo in Europa (dove le berline sono ancora richieste in numeri significativi), affiancata alla Tonale e la SUV B, oramai vicina al debutto. La decisione però’ sarebbe solo sul nome: la vettura é infatti solo una ma si cerca di capire come presentarla: il nome Alfetta sarebbe una proposta differente rispetto alla Giulietta venduta fino a Dic 2020 (con un buon successo di pubblico, circa 480,000 unità, la sesta Alfa più venduta di sempre) e perciò potrebbe avere maggiore “appeal”.
Alfa Romeo appears to be at another crossroads in its new history under the Stellantis group. Alfetta or Giulietta, this is the dilemma: the car being designed by Alfa would be a coupe sedan with a truncated tail, to be sold only in Europe (where sedans are still requested in significant numbers), alongside the Tonale and the SUV B , now close to its debut. The decision, however, would only be on the name: there is in fact only one car but we are trying to understand how to present it: the Alfetta name would be a different proposal compared to the Giulietta sold until Dec 2020 (with good public success, around 480,000 units, the sixth best-selling Alfa ever) and therefore could have greater “appeal”.
Il posto piu lontano, e probabilmente anche il piu esotico ed affascinante, in cui io sia mai stato é il Giappone. Ci siamo andati nel 2017. Una fantastica settimana in cui é stato possibile immergerci in una cultura davvero poliedrica: cibo, modi di vivere, religione…un assaggio di tanti aspetti di questo meraviglioso Paese, che meriterebbe una sosta piu lunga. Colpisce il mix di cultura, tradizione, eleganza ma anche modernita e novita (spesso nello stesso posto, quartiere). Il sushi gustato in Giappone gia da solo vale il viaggio. E poi i templi davvero interessanti e ricchi di storia.
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The furthest, and probably also the most exotic and fascinating, place I have ever been is Japan. We went there in 2017. A fantastic week in which it was possible to immerse ourselves in a truly multifaceted culture: food, ways of living, religion… a taste of many aspects of this wonderful country, which deserves a longer stop. The mix of culture, tradition, elegance but also modernity and novelty is striking (often in the same place, neighbourhood). The sushi tasted in Japan alone is worth the trip. And then the temples and shrines are really interesting and rich in history.
After the 3,880km (2,100 miles) of the first part of the trip, the return to Ireland recorded “only” 2,650 km (or 1,650 miles) due to the fact we did a more straight line via Italy-Switzerland-France, not touching also Spain and Andorra as when in July we went to Italy.
Nevertheless it has been rich of beautiful moments, visits, encounters and roads for our Giulia to discover!
The first “strategic” decision has been to leave Puglia on the 14th August when no trucks are allowed on the road until midnight of the 15th ! And also when most of the tourists and Italians are already set at their travel destinations.
This gave us the possibility to enjoy panoramas and less crowded (if not empty, at times) motorways and other roads. After the usual lunch pit stop nearby Civitanova Marche with “Prof Michaela”, ex colleague of Anna – my wife – we consequently reached comfortably Recanati (after a lunch break) with full light to enjoy the visit of the “Leopardi House” where the distinguished Poet Giacomo Leopardi lived for biggest part of his life.
Other than the immense cultural impact of this Poet, we enjoyed some really beautiful views from the top of the hill were Recanati sits.
By night time we met Gloria and some friends in the always nice Bologna; some food there guys, oh some foods…not to talk about the cars of the Emilia Romagna (birth place of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Dallara and others “monsters”)
Driving Giulia on those roads is always a beautiful moment. I must admit I crossed only a couple of Maserati and 1 Ferrari, while in 2020 (our first trip to Italy) I saw a good few more….but it could be related to those emptier roads as above
Interesting also to see that in 2020 we crossed many more Giulia all over Italy, France while this time around I noticed more Giulietta and Stelvio and definitively very few Giulia (they don’t know what they are losing!!)
We left Bologna while Italians was ready to celebrate “Ferragosto” on the morning of 15th: this world comes from “Feriae Augusti” which stands for the rest of Augusto, the Emperor, who created this on 18BC!
Meanwhile people was going (or was already) to the beaches, lakes, or preparing barbecues we drove to Aosta which is just under the Italian / French Alps with tremendous landscapes to admire and climbing roads to enjoy.
We passed of course under the European tallest mountain: Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc for our cousins the French). in Sallanches there is a spectacular view of the Mount and we were happy also there to meet an old friend of mines, André (I know since Erasmus in Nantes, 1999!)
The day after we enjoyed the full tour of Lac Leman visiting small villages “au passage” but most of all stopping by Lausanne in the day and Genève by night. The only issue was that the speed on the road was strictly enforced at 60 or 70km/h (boring but SAFE Swiss 🙂 so it took a bit more than thought to reach the latter city, thus we decided to visit the morning after. And it was a good option, since is a nice city stop!
Lausanne with StelvioLausanne PanoramaGenève
We are on the 17th by now…second last day of the trip. We moved to Bourges with a just bit than 4 hour journey in national roads (in France those seem not having a dedicated petrol station network and you have to adventure on villages to find one…while in the motorway you can comfortably find after XX kilometers…).
Bourges is a really nice mediaeval city and we arrived on a good moment, since we enjoyed light spectacle on most of the monuments, starting from the imposing Cathedral !
Bourges
The morning after was the day of the Loire Castle: more than 100 castles or imposing nobility homes exist in this part of France, some of them universally renowned.
We picked to visit: Chambord, Blois, Amboise, Clos Lucé (where the genius Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last few year of his life). The day was sunny and bright, the castle very interesting and we ended the busy day very tired, eating dinner at 11pm “chez” another friend of my Nantes life: Mickaël and family, near Le Mans (where unfortunately I did not make Giulia visiting the famous race track 🙂
Amboise : air ballon taking off from the Loire river
…19th August
The last day of our trip started with a short journey to Cherbourg (less than 3 hours) and a stop by CARREFOUR for some essential food purchases (a bag of more than 20kg…without having bottles of wine in it…). Then teh majestic ferry, for me big as much as the Titanic !
Almost a day after (19hours hit and miss) Giulia was not a unfamiliar car on the wrong side of the road anymore but back at home in Dublin.
Cherbourg
I sincerely advice everyone to enjoy a road trip somehow, somewhere…we will definitively do it again.
Our third day started with a relatively short and easy traject from Bordeaux to Donostia SanSebastian in Basque country (230 motorway mainly for just more than 2 hours). Under a constant heat wave, luckily our Giulia air conditioning works well. This gives us time to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of those days. In the beautiful Basque city we admired particularly the view from Igeldo mountain.
In the afternoon we moved to Zaragoza (260km less than 2h30mn) with only short visit before dinner (enough to see the cathedral and part of the city centre) In the morning we moved towards.
San Sebastian from Igeldo
Giulia on her way to ZaragozaZaragoza Lancia Delta HF Integrale
Andorra: 400km in a bit more than 3hrs The roads are less demanding on the Spanish sides (just before reaching Andorra we met an historic Lancia Delta HF integrale, very well maintained) and definitely more curvy and with slopes in the french Pyrenees (160km took 2 hours…but interesting and nice views! Oh my. I really loved having the power and handling of Giulia there…
Perpignan: last stop of the 15th July. Beautiful citadel and church and really nice meat in the restaurant!
After 18hrs ferry, with the cabins convincing me more and more eating only free range chickens (since cages are so smalll) we debarqued in Cherbourg to go straingh to the always charming Mont St Michel where we wandered for a good couple of hours. Next destination Saint Malo, fortress city mostly destroyed during WW2 but rebuilt in the same fashion right away.
we had some very nice strolls and even nicer galettes and crepes.
After seeing l, with lots of pleasure and memories, some friends near Rennes, the second day saw us and Giulia visiting La Rochelle in Charente and finally Bordeaux , already preparing for the mighty 14th juillet celebrations. A really nice start!
Quale migliore occasione, prima di partire per un viaggio attraverso l’Europa, di ricordare l’ultimo incontro del gruppo Alfisti di Dublino? Soprattutto perche allietato da alcune partecipazioni “straordinarie”: il club “Ducati Dublino”, Maurizio, direttore di “Radio Dublino” e gentile Signora (www.radiodublino.com/livestream) e perché poi culminato in…pizzeria !(https://www.damimmo.ie/) La mia Giulia e’ arrivata ottimamente preparata all’evento grazie alle cure maniacali di Greg di Bespoke car (https://www.facebook.com/steamvalet) che ha reso la mia Giulia scintillante come nuova! L’incontro e’ avvenuto il 26 marzo nella zona di Raheny, S Anne park, nello scenario incantevole di Watermill Rd che va verso Bull’s Island.
Oltre 30 bellissime alfa di tutte le eta ed una decina di Ducati, Aprilia, Harleys! Una bella chiacchierata tra amici, con molti dei quali ci siamo ritrovati “Da Mimmo” dell’alfista ed artista Tino 🙂 un’ottima pizza, per concludere l’incontro baciato dal sole e dal vento del mar d’Irlanda!
Restate sintonizzati sul mio viaggio attraverso l’Europa con Giulia incorniciata in paesaggi meravigliosi.
What better occasion, before leaving for a journey through Europe that I start next week, to remember the last meeting of the group of Alfisti from Dublin? Especially because cheered by some “extraordinary” participations: the “Ducati Club Dublin”, Maurizio and wife of “Radio Dublin” (www.radiodublino.com/livestream) and also since because culminated in … !pizzeria! (https://www.damimmo.ie/) My Giulia arrived excellently prepared for the event thanks to the maniacal care of Greg from Bespoke car (https://www.facebook.com/steamvalet) who made my Giulia sparkling like new!
The meeting took place on March 26 in Raheny, near S Anne park, in the enchanting scenery of Watermill Rd which goes towards Bull’s Island. +30 beautiful Alfa of various ages and a dozen Ducati, Aprilia, Harleys! A nice chat amongst friends, with many of whom we met “Da Mimmo” by alfista and artist Tino 🙂 An excellent pizza, to conclude the meeting kissed by the sun and the wind of the Irish Sea!
Stay tuned on my trip through Europe with Giulia depicted in wonderful landscapes
Alfa Giulia - drivers experience 