We’re already halfway through August, but before I crack on with all things this summer, I need to reverse up slightly. 

I’ve always loved a classic car, years ago I succumbed to my love and bought a British Racing Green, Triumph Spitfire. It was my baby… ten days later it was on the back of a rescue truck getting towed from Sainsbury’s carpark. I adored that car, but dear god it was an insane money pit, largely due to the cowboys I bought it off, but also let’s face it, I can do an oil change but that’s about it. After a year or so, I felt the eternal squeeze on my wallet, and sold her to a dealer.  But my respect for those lines and the beauty of an old car, remains. As a child my parents had an old Morris Minor, I don’t know how old it was, but it had a split windscreen, leather seats and those things that pop out the side when you indicate. I loved that car as well, and the fun we had driving through Kent. My brother and I would egg our father on (he needed little encouragement), to floor the accelerator so we could take off and bang our heads on the roof as we went over a hump backed bridge. Oh, those beautiful old cars… my favourite still being a 1955 Porsche Speedster. And frankly about the only good thing about Top Gun.  

A friend’s father that I used to work with, had a stunning and very valuable vintage Alfa Romeo. I had a go in it once, and I’ll never forget the smell, the lovely old leather goggles and hitting the pedal going down the Mentmore straight. A badge on the dash was my very first intro to all things Mille Miglia. 

That beautiful Alfa Romeo

The Mille Miglia (1000 miles) originally began in 1927 but was ‘reborn’ in 1977. In 1957 it stopped for those intervening years, due to a tragically fatal car accident with a Ferrari, that killed the driver and also several spectators. Known as the most beautiful car race in the world, it is now formed of a series of timed trials, and a gruelling figure-eight course on normal public roads connecting Brescia and Rome. A total of 1,000 miles.  The classic cars (not the modern groupings) have to have been registered during the original 1927-1957 era of the race,

It’s been on my ‘bucket list’ for a long time, but those chrome hub caps never quite lined up. This year they did. One of the time trial legs came through Santa Maria Degli Angeli (close to Assisi) and about the nearest point to home for me. I blocked the day out in my diary and did a ton of research into the final route and timings, as these are often only announced a day or two before, and I wanted to pick my spot. 

I won’t forget the deep throaty roar of a long line of Ferraris’ passing in front of the duomo, or the fun I had with the official photographer, who when he saw my Leica camera, let me into some of the cool spots to take photos, and one of the officials who also allowed me to lie on the road now and then to get the right angle, as the cars drove past. It was heaven let me tell you. Some photos below, enjoy… I mean just LOOK at them. 

Topdown, topdown
Rollin’ with the topdown
See me rollin’ with the topdown

Lyrics by: S.Young, N.Sylvester, R.Jacobs Sung by: Channel Tres

Next year, all being well I will head to Siena as that city is breathtaking, and I’d love to see the race again from a different perspective.  I won’t regurgitate all the info, but if you’re interested, the main Mille Miglia page is here: https://1000miglia.it/en/

Pick up your feet
Got to move to the trick of the beat
There is no elite
Just take your place in the driver’s seat

(Driver’s seat, ooh-ooh)
(Driver’s seat, yeah)
(Driver’s seat, ooh-ooh)
(Driver’s seat, yeah)

Lyrics by Paul Roberts, Sung by Sniff ‘n’ the Tears

Now then, the rest of summer, what can I say, other than what has been a constant strain on just about everyone in Europe and way beyond.  The extreme heat really started in mid-June and it has, apart from a slack handful of days, been absolutely relentless, I never realised it was possible to sweat so much. The summer of 2025 was bad enough but this year has been brutal, with day after day in the 40’s. Right now, the only good thing I can think of to come out of this summer’s batshit crazy heatwave is that my gas bill was tiny.

I’m now so deliriously tired from the continual heat here in Umbria, that I just lie awake half the night and pop into the bathroom for a cold shower every now and then. The heat has been biblical, last week alone it was nudging 50 in the roasting sunshine and typical temps on my veranda are well into the mid 40’s. The other day the gate buzzer went, I have a t-shirt by the front door so I can be decent when I go outside, but I clean forgot anything for my feet, a few steps into the sunlight and I was ouching and ‘shitting demons it’s like hotplates.’ as I hopped down the tiled stairs to get my parcel from a now laughing Amazon delivery lady. ‘Ciao Marie… pachettino… sei caldo?’  Ouch, ouch, ouch all the way back upstairs again. 

The ferries have stopped going to one of the islands on the lake, as the water is too shallow, and there is a dredger trying to keep the main route open. One of the fishing villages near me – their harbour is now completely dry. Livelihoods are struggling all over, here is no different.

Last week, we were hit by more wildfires – the fire spent nearly two days, ripping through olive groves and destroying two farmhouses just a few miles from me. The smoke in the air turned the sky a colour as if it was a scene from Bladerunner. All the while two planes and a helicopter worked back and forth until the light went, scooping water from the lake. It was barely light the next day when I could hear the dull thud of the blades overhead as they started work again. We’ve even had severe heat induced lightning which was pretty fierce, and a tornado. It’s like Armageddon has arrived. I keep checking the forecast, hoping soon it will be below 30, some much needed rain for the crops, and a little sleep. 

Ironically it was so cloudy the evening of the solar eclipse and despite having the requisite specs, I saw not a sausage. Although a few hours later when the sky had cleared and I was able to watch a few Perseid meteors from my little veranda. 

The forecast is sweltering for at least another week- 10 days, and then I hope it will start to cool down. If you ever had any doubt about climate change (which I don’t btw), this year must surely be the proof you were seeking. 

Updated playlist / Give this a listen

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