Perfect picnic

PICNICKING IS not an Italian tradition but, ever since I visited Scotland during my first trip to the UK in 1986, I’ve loved the idea. So much so that, when I got back home, I dug out my mum’s long-forgotten picnic basket, which had not been used since the early 1960s, and restored it.

Some time later, I went further and rebuilt it in a sort of resto-mod style, keeping the basket and replacing the contents. Other baskets have been added alongside this picnic set over the years, while classic cars have helped me to maintain this cherished personal tradition of dining outdoors.

The highlight of the Delbòs’ picnicking season is Villa Erba, the second day of the Villa d’Este concours, when we organise a picnic for us and a few friends, which creates some fantastic memories and is a lot of fun.

However, during our last lockdown in Italy, having no classic car shows to go to, we had to adapt. Sometimes we had a picnic in our garden – but, one day when the weather was beautiful and we finally were allowed some more freedom, we headed to a wonderful field not too far from home to have a real outdoor picnic. It was also a good excuse to give the Mercedes 230 Fintail some exercise.

Perhaps this seems a bit trivial for a report in Octane Cars because the 230 was driven barely 30 miles in total, but the experience epitomised for me what classic motoring is all about. And then, on the way home, the carburettors started to play up, causing the engine to stall every time I had to slow down – so it was time to put the dishes away and get under the bonnet. Classic motoring, indeed!