Villa d'Este & FuoriConcorso Celebrate Automotive Elegance and History

Villa d'Este and the spell of Lake Como did not disappoint: the bitter, winter-cold weather that had threatened a grey and rain-soaked weekend transformed, as if by magic, into a magnificent, sun-drenched couple of days that made the carefully selected Saturday guests and the Sunday crowds every bit as central to the story as the cars entered in the Concorso d'Eleganza.

The format, as every year, runs across two distinct programmes. Sunday brings the prize-giving at Villa Erba, where there is room for a large public and a lavish parade, while Saturday turns the grounds of the luxurious Hotel Villa d'Este — and the narrow ribbon of land separating it from Lake Como — into a private drawing room where the cars are displayed and presented one by one. Saturday is also the day of the traditional Coppa d'Oro, awarded to the car most voted for by those present.