Italy is celebrated for its picturesque scenery, world-class cuisine, rich art, and beautiful automobiles.
Living next door in Greece has allowed me to visit many times, but one entry stayed unchecked on my automotive bucket list: the Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese.
The excuse I had been waiting for arrived with the brand's annual birthday celebration, which this year coincided with the museum's 50th anniversary.
I planned the trip myself and covered every expense, except for the press car that Alfa Romeo kindly lent me so I could experience the event through the eyes of an Alfisti.
Before reaching the museum, let me guide you through the metropolitan sprawl of Milan, the beautiful villages of Lake Como, and the lakefront city of Lugano in Switzerland.
Meet the Alfa
My ride was an Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida Sport Speciale, which sits below the flagship Initiale and Veloce trims.
The Brera Red paint was complemented by a contrasting black roof and three-spoke 18-inch Fori alloy wheels, giving the small SUV a richer presence than its price suggests.
Beyond the Sport Speciale badges on the fenders, this grade features vintage Alfa Romeo lettering across the scudetto grille and gloss black accents.
Initially, I wasn't a fan of the Junior's busy styling, but in this configuration it has a hint of exotic flair and makes you look twice.
The mild-hybrid turbo 1.2-liter engine produces 143 hp (107 kW / 145 PS), unchanged from the standard Junior.
The Sport Speciale truly shines inside the cabin, with seats upholstered in perforated Alcantara and Ice white leather, featuring heating and massaging functions for the driver.
Alfa added Alcantara inserts on the steering wheel, dashboard, and center console, addressing some complaints about perceived quality in the standard model.
The optional Techno Pack adds Matrix LED headlights, more ADAS, a 180-degree rear view camera, a hands-free tailgate, wireless charging, front and rear USB ports, and a better six-speaker audio system alongside the standard 10.25-inch infotainment.
The mild-hybrid Sport Speciale starts from €31,150 ($35,600) in Italy, with an extra €1,650 ($1,900) for the two-tone paint and €1,000 ($1,100) for the Techno Pack fitted to the press car.
Exploring Milan
The first stop is the iconic central square and its imposing marble cathedral, the Duomo di Milano.
This gothic landmark is striking up close, with 3,400 statues and 135 spires reaching into the sky.
Right beside Italy's largest Catholic church sits the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the oldest active shopping center in the country.
It leads toward the Teatro alla Scala on the far side.
Art aficionados will appreciate the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, which house original paintings by masters like Caravaggio, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.
I recommend renting an electric bike for €0.75 ($0.86) per hour after a €9 ($10) weekly subscription.
This lets you stop anywhere and avoid Milan's parking headaches.
I enjoyed the sunset at the Navigli Canal and pedaled into the park of the Sforza Castle, but be careful on bumpy stone roads and stick to bike lanes.
For longer distances, like visiting the San Siro stadium, public transport works well.
This time I chose the Junior due to a major heatwave, and the small SUV had an ice-cold A/C system while offering a quiet, refined ride despite the 18-inch wheels.
Note to Self: Don't Update Your Infotainment on Vacation
The only real trouble was an unexpected error that left the Junior frozen on the side of the road for about half an hour shortly after I took delivery.
It started when I pressed "Accettare" on the infotainment display before switching the language from Italian to English.
I accidentally enabled an over-the-air update that stuck on "Complete" and refused to let me start the engine.
The fix was to unlatch the battery and wait 10 minutes for a hard reset.
The SUV came back to its senses and worked fine for the rest of the trip. The lesson: steer clear of software updates when far from home.
The Beauty of Lake Como
I spent a day exploring villages around Lake Como, about an hour outside Milan.
The Y-shaped lake stretches 170 km (104 miles) around its perimeter, with dramatic relief and twisty roads that beg to be driven.
