2023 Edition

Belle Èpoque sul Lago, the first edition of Belle Èpoque Lake Como, was held on 18 June 2023 in Colico in Piazza Garibaldi.

The event is aimed at two- and four-wheeled vehicles designed and built before 1950 carried by drivers and crews dressed in the style appropriate to the era of the vehicle.

The streets of the lakeside and Piazza Garibaldi in Colico were the splendid setting for the event, thanks to the municipal administration which promptly collaborated in the organization by making the spaces usable, and to the Proloco which actively contributed by providing everything necessary for the event to take place .

On Sunday morning the square, already a popular tourist destination, was animated by the live music of the “Manoucherie” group who accompanied the arrival of vehicles.

Vehicles of particular historical importance that can rarely be observed outside the rooms of a museum or important international events. We are talking about about forty motorbikes, among which some stands out, like the Rudge Multi 500 from 1920, therefore over a hundred years old, driven by Ugo Foppoli, the Sarolea 23F Sport S.V. from 1924 of Baroni William, the 1927 Peugeot P102 A by Boracchi Roberto, but also BMW and Sunbeam.

As for the Italian motor manufacturers, some of the most prestigious models produced between 1929 and 1950 by Moto Guzzi such as Sport 14, Sport 15, GTV, GTS, GT 17, Superalce, a Gilera, PiaggioandInnocenti as well as a considerable number of Sidecars that owners only have the pleasure and possibility of moving on the road on a few occasions.

The two wheels were flanked by cars of particular importance which made the historical motoring panorama of that era complete. Among these we mention: a 1929 Ford Model A Pick-up by Lodetti Graziano, a 1928 Ford Model A Convertible by Pusterla Diego, as well as Mercedes, Lancia, Fiat, and a rare and precious 1932 Alfa Romeo 8 C which amazed the audience with the roar of his engine.

The audience that was able to admire the elegance of moving vehicles along the city streets in a large snake that led the way with a 1934 Moto Guzzi Sport 15 sidecar riding Gugiatti Luciano, club advisor as well as promoter of the event, accompanied by his wife Simona Baldini, both dressed in splendid period clothing. The parade ended with the passage in front of the jury which had the task of evaluating the vehicles assisted by the precise descriptions of the highly trained journalist Oscar Malugani. Friend and supporter of the Valtellina Veteran Car, Malugani gave the people present in the square curiosities and little-known details of each of the participating vehicles. In addition to the characteristics of the vehicles, some of which are in a splendid state of conservation, the clothing of the crew was also evaluated, both in terms of historical coherence and elegance. The event achieved its aim: bringing together a group of people accompanied by vehicles of particular historical importance and recreating, on the banks of Colico, a cross-section of history, a dive into the past which allowed the participants and the large audience present to remember a splendid living postcard from almost a century ago, pushing the promotion of historical motoring as well as Italian elegance and fashion.

The event ended in the afternoon with the awards ceremony for the participants in the presence of Lara Mazzina as godmother of the event, preceded by thanks to the friendly clubs for their participation, to the proloco for its help and to the Mayor of Colico, Monica Gilardi, who embellished the day with his presence and with the hope that we can meet again in 2024 with a new, even more cheerful and exciting edition.