By Tom Ducibella

Photos by Jim Miga, Frank Anigbo, Angela Nannini, and Tom

Video by Frank

ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE HEADED FOR A RAIN DATE, the Sunday morning forecast morphed from the tail end of a deluge to a reversal, with sun-drenched, 70 degree, mid-morning, magnificent motoring — perfect for the drive to coastal Magnolia on Boston’s North Shore. Little known and appreciated by only a few Cape Ann cognoscenti, Magnolia is a sleepy coastal town with sweeping ocean views on a section of elevated one-lane road off of Route 127. Its postage-stamp-sized center has little more than a small variety store, post office, fledging restaurant, and five-star café, named the Humpback (of course, for our distant mammalian relative). This little café gem is governed by top flight foodies with excellent lattes, quiche, eggs, and sandwiches. It was our final destination.

The group met at Tom and Angela’s house for an hour-long social in the poster-filled garage, with the bulb garden in full bloom, instead of a barren highway (often necessary) rest stop. After lots of conversation, arising from the variety of arriving Alfas that included a stunning Le Mans blue GTV (thanks to John and Robin Devereux), we formed a caravan as the sun broke through. The tops remained down, and we left on time to rendezvous with several Alfisti who drove directly to Magnolia, given their starting location or that the drive was over-subscribed.

For those who come to the North Shore in their Alfas, Route 127 is a delight, with plenty of twists and turns and no traffic lights or stop signs, which makes for caravan cohesion and eliminates frequent pull-overs to regroup cars. The excellent pavement is another plus (listen up Quad owners with your ultra-low profile tires). And, at 40 mph, you can still exercise your Italian hardware while enjoying the ample scenery. Although we did not stop, along the way are several bookstores (Beverly Farms and Manchester) and scenic walks (Trustees of Reservations, no fee).  These were suggested as stops after Magnolia (not to mention Gloucester and Rockport).

After a slow ride around Magnolia’s coast while admiring the ocean views, we turned a few blocks inland to the Humpback Café (with a town parking lot behind where the Alfas congregated). A few tables outside were joined and the Alfa social machine was firing on all cylinders. Many of us made new club acquaintances, and several Cape Cod members who came are considering a fall event, after the summer tourist invasion is over.

And here’s a cool episode reported by Frank Anigbo: When he and Karen went back to the parking lot to get a close look at the cars after getting their coffees, they encountered a local who wanted a tour of all the cars and facts about them. Frank says that took some time but that it was wonderful talking about Alfa Romeo. Frank’s passion for Alfa is well known, so much so that, when I arrived in  Magnolia, Frank and Karen just happened to be already on the sidewalk, having arrived separately from the Cape. From my car, I handed them an older Hemmings’ magazine article with pictures of a yellow GTV like theirs (the GTV they brought to the event was burgundy). 

To make the event even more enjoyable, a wide variety of Alfas came out, from a 1958 Giulietta to a 2018 Giulia, and in between (chronologically) these models: Duetto, 1750 Spider Veloce, Bertone GTVs, Milano Verde, and later Spiders. There was more interest in Alfa models than going to the café. Even after the initial congregation in Beverly, the group rebooted Alfa chat in the Magnolia parking lot. Caffeine played second fiddle to car talk and reconnecting.

Magnolia has a new, long town pier, a sandy beach stroll, and a cliff walk (a 10 mph, one-way ocean bluff road). This is the first year for this tour (basically a test run) and it could turn into an annual event with a longer drive that includes more of the Gloucester area, but still terminating in Magnolia with its scenic views, quiet ambiance, and the Humpback. 

North Shore Ramble Participants
Andrew Coxstavros
Lou Sirianni
Andrew and Allison Brody
Tony and Gayle Antoniou
Frank and Karen Anigbo
Paul and Cheryl Leone
John and Robin Devereux
Dave and Vi Pratt
Jim Miga
Mark O’Connor
Tom Ducibella and Angela Nannini