By John Rowntree
Photos by Tom Ducibella and John

We had an interesting collection of Alfa models that escaped Italy over a span of about fifty years. We were able to make the most of a temperate day, partially cloudy skies, and mostly empty roads through 80 miles of pastoral countryside and small villages. 

We gathered on the east side of Milford and departed for our scenic ride, heading west on Route 101. We left that main road to meander through West Wilton and Temple, heading southwest. After we merged onto route 124 heading to Jaffrey, we had a great view of Mount Monadnock in the distance. 

From Jaffrey, we turned north on Route 137 to the scenic village of Hancock, where we stopped for a photo op at Norway Pond. 

Travelling back roads south to Peterborough, we travelled on High Street past McDowell, where this year’s Medal recipient will be Yoko Ono. This highlight gives me an annual opportunity to mention this site, where various creators have been in residence and created works that won 103 Pulitzer Prizes – works like Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Something unexpected on a back country road in NH! Unfortunately, it is only open to the public on one day a year – not this day. 

We stopped for our mid-tour rest stop in Peterborough after parading down Main Street, before proceeding on our eastward journey on a backwoods road that runs on the north side of Pack Monadnock, reaching Route 31 South at the location of a local trebuchet that in the past has been used to hurl pumpkins. We learned that, on the day after we passed, some British film crew was at the site hurling a piano. Too bad we missed that. 

From there, we went through the middle of the village of Wilton and headed uphill toward Mont Vernon to reach the scenic road to Amherst, and then on through the not-so-scenic Merrimack to our lunch destination at The Common Man restaurant in the historic Matthew Thornton homestead. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading home. 

Il Giro Participants
Tom Ducibella & Angela Nannini – 2018 Guilia QV
Sonchu & Stefan Gavell – 1973 Junior Zagato 1600
Ross & Max Kramer – ’96 916 Spider
Steve & Nancy Perry – 2020 Guilia
John & Roberta Rowntree – ’87 Spider Veloce
Peter Walker & Meg Anderson – 2005 Porsche Boxster S