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Cinquecento Beauty
2010-12-13 12:06
What: International Fiat 500 Parade
Where: Place du Casino
When 14-16 December
Cinquencento means two things to Italians: it can refer to the period of aesthetic flowering known as the High Renaissance (which we would call the 1500s), represented by great artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo; or it can indicate the engine capacity of that small classic of the roads, the Fiat 500 - to many drivers no less beautiful than the Mona Lisa herself.
Designed appropriately by a man called Dante, the car was first manufactured in 1957, and is still going strong. When its designer died in 1996, it was said that angels would no longer need to walk in heaven, since he had had the foresight to provide them with the perfect means of transport.
The Cinquecento is often spoken of in the same revered tones as its near cousins the Beetle and the Mini, but of course this thirteen horsepower wonder has its own particular following of fans, for whom no other car could ever be a proper substitute. Recently remodelled, the new version is bigger, but retains much of the styling and charm of the tiny original model:
Despite its classic status, there's also always been more than an element of humour to these cars -perhaps something to do with their rounded and slightly comical shape - so the fact that the first ever gathering of the car's fans in Monaco coincides with Red Nose Day will add a particular frisson of fun to the occasion. The event has been organized jointly by the Fiat 500 Club Italia and the Children of Frankie, a charity whose aim is to provide much-needed aid for sick children.
The cars arrive in Monte Carlo on 14 December, giving an opportunity for proud owners to get together, but the best chance to catch sight of these classics is over the course of the next two days, either in the parade on 15 December, or in the exhibition at the Espace Fontvieille from 11am.
A special awards ceremony will be held in the Place du Casino on Thursday 16 December, followed, in the evening, by a charity ball in aid of Les Enfants de Frankie at the Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris.
Fiat 500 outside the Hotel de Paris