Delizioso Bakery's 1st Birthday, 'Italian Made' Style

A beautiful morning, great company, and exceptional Italian flavours — the Italian Made Social Motoring Club (IMSMC) couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate a special milestone.IMSMC members gathered to celebrate Delizioso Bakery’s 1st birthday, and it turned out to be a fantastic event. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, setting the perfect tone for a relaxed and memorable catch‑up.

A big thank you to the entire Delizioso team for hosting us and for the generous coffee vouchers gifted to IMSMC members — a thoughtful touch that

made the morning even more enjoyable.

We spent hours soaking up the sunshine, surrounded by the sounds of Italian music, admiring 20 IMSMC classic cars with fellow members and the local community.

And speaking of food — Delizioso truly delivered. You’ll find artisan breads, freshly piped cannoli, an array of Italian pastries, irresistible filled donuts, and classic Italian coffee. Every bite and sip is a true taste of authentic Italian heritage.

As the saying goes, food brings people together, and it certainly did today. This wasn’t just a birthday celebration; it was a celebration of community, shared passion, and the simple joy of coming together.

Here’s to many more visits, more drives, and more moments like this with the IMSMC family.

Happy 1st Birthday, Delizioso!

Auto Italia 2026

Auto Italia, starting Saturday the 11th through to Monday the 13th, saw 67 members & family attend in one form or another over the weekend!

Our weekend began at the Pheasants Nest Foodary and we cavalcaded to the Mackay VC rest area for our traditional breakfast, Italian style. Added condiments from Joe Lecce & Anthony Vecchio were enjoyed by all (including the white anchovies!!).

We thank all who contributed, including cakes, biscotti & fresh coffee provided by Nina Stillone, Rosanna Cipri, Anna D'Aprile, Joe Serratore for sharing his wine, and the Di Rocco brothers for providing the Bialetti coffee for all. We thank, of course, those who assisted in setting up the “breakfast table”: Cate & Michael Stivala, Freda & Tony Albanese, and a special effort, as very early in the morning Tony Campisi from Fine Foods & Deli prepared 140 rolls.

Gerardo Mediati & Pat Marando made the effort of picking up this merchandise for all to enjoy.

A quick stop in Goulburn and off to the Weereewa rest area where we created a photo opportunity. From there we cavalcaded to our accommodation spots in Forrest, where we later met at the Ostani bar for lite refreshments. Later that night, 46 attendees enjoyed a 4‑course meal at Agostini’s ristorante!

Sunday morning, it was Auto Italia day. So much beautiful Italian machinery! Happy to report we picked up 3 awards:

Best historic 500: Amadeo DeCrea Best modern 500: Christian Cipri Auto Italia general manager award: Vince Fragomeli, 1969 1300 Lombardi.

At the conclusion of the Auto Italia event, many members opted for a rest or a quiet

beverage at the local bowling club (that’s different) and back to the Ostani bar for some. Later that same evening, we gathered at Bellucci ristorante for “another” fine meal! Certainly no shortage of food & delights for IMSMC!

Monday morning and it was “homeward bound” for the 19 x IMSMC cars. We decided to rename the Hume Highway to “Strada del Sole”... which is the name given to the major motorway that connects all the regions in Italy. The Italian cars dominated a long stretch of the Federal / Hume highways.

Happy to report, we all made it home safe & sound.

Kurmond Social

On Sunday the 29th of March, a group of 60 members and their families attended our Fiat 500 lunch to recognise our visitors from the Fiat 500 Club Italia, Alessandro Scarpa and Ana. Our day began at McGraths Hill McDonald’s, where we gathered to organise our cavalcade towards Kurmond Social Ristorante.

Nineteen historic Fiat 500s created a wonderful array of colours as we made our way through Windsor and Richmond, followed by a number of other Italian historic and modern beauties. Each car sparked curiosity from the public and brought smiles to everyone we passed.

On arrival, the featured model, La Cinquecento, had reserved parking right out the front of the restaurant. As traffic passed to and from Kurrajong, drivers tooted and honked in appreciation, with our display attracting plenty of attention.

We entered the venue, where refreshments and lunch were served. Between each course, we enjoyed speeches and presentations. Our good friend and member, Geoff Hall, made the trip from Canberra to participate in the IMSMC experience. He was presented with a Club Pennant from the Fiat 500 Club Italia by Alessandro Scarpa, in recognition of his special effort.

It was a fantastic day and a venue we will certainly visit again.

Long Lunch 2026

 The weekend of Saturday, 7 March, we held our annual long lunch at Gartlemann Wines in Lovedale. Our day began at our meeting place, McDonald’s Thornleigh, where we departed at 9:30am. We made one stop along the way, where we welcomed new member Mario Tripolone.

Most participants chose to drive their everyday vehicles, as the weather forecast predicted 25mm of rain and storms. Fortunately, the forecast did not eventuate, and we arrived at our destination comfortably and in good spirits.

Our experience began with wine tasting and a few purchases from the cellar door, followed by a delicious lunch. The staff provided excellent service throughout. A highlight for many was the seafood risotto, complemented by a special chilli preparation by Mr Anthony Vecchio.

Saturday evening was spent at the Cessnock Leagues Club, where a variety of activities and conversations were enjoyed by all. Joe Lecce kindly shared snacks with the group, adding to the friendly atmosphere.

After a well‑earned rest, a small group gathered for breakfast on Sunday morning, before heading home around 10:00am.

It was another wonderful weekend enjoyed by all participants. Thank you, everyone!

Annual Membership Card Collection Breakfast

Sunday the 8th of February saw 137 members and families attend our Annual Membership Card Collection Breakfast, held at Industrial Harvest in Eastern Creek. One by one, the Italian machines entered the car park, creating a wonderful assembly of Italian engineering. The rain did not keep members away, and they arrived with a fine appetite and a desire for a very good coffee (compliments of our Club!). The day began with a complimentary Prosecco, wishing everyone a Happy New Year. A quick address from our President, John Di Rocco, welcomed everyone and highlighted the number of events already planned for the New Year. It's going to be big!

The staff at the restaurant provided wonderful service, with everyone catered for in a very professional manner.

Our Club raffle created a “winning atmosphere,” with many prizes on offer. The funds raised will assist the Club in future subsidies and allow us to support charities throughout the year.

We look forward to a very active year, creating stronger bonds among our members and families.

Mid-Month Breakfast – Luddenham Village Café

On Sunday, 14th December, 58 members and their families attended our final mid‑month breakfast at the Luddenham Village Café. Normally, we are a small group of around 15, but this month the numbers exploded! It must be Christmas!

We sincerely thank the staff and management of the café for a job well done — the service and food were well above expectations. We also took the opportunity to capture a group photo to send to our good friends at the Fiat 500 Club Italia in Garlenda, wishing all 26,000 members worldwide a happy and safe festive season. Of course, no Christmas celebration would be complete without a visit from Santa… and he did not disappoint!

Coincidentally, the 14th of December was also the birthday of our Club Historic Plates Registrar, Leo Di Rocco. To his surprise, Leo was presented with a beautiful birthday cake — Torta Bergamotto — generously offered by the Roccisano family of Pasticceria Siderno, in recognition of his birthday and his consistent, efficient processing of Club Historic Plate renewals. The cake was truly spectacular!

Adding to the festive spirit, member and café owner Daniel Berardinelli offered panettone for everyone. Thank you, Daniel — the Christmas spirit is alive and well within the IMSMC family!

IMSMC Christmas party 2025

On Sunday, 30th November, 170 participants — made up of members, family, and friends — attended our 2025 Christmas Fundraiser Lunch at Novella. The atmosphere was wonderful, as the great service and hospitality of Novella were enjoyed by all.

Our members and guests supported the fundraiser by bringing many items (toys and games) and non‑perishable food items to assist Hawkesbury Helping Hands (HHH).

Having served over 1 million meals to date to those in need, Hawkesbury Helping Hands has also provided disaster relief and significantly supported the community during the last eight floods, fires, droughts, and COVID. Their services include:

• Free community meals served on Saturdays and Sundays

• One‑off emergency hampers for Hawkesbury residents

• A drop‑in hub from Wednesday to Friday, 8 am – 1 pm, where those in need can enjoy a shower, a cuppa, and a bite to eat

  

They are truly a very special group of individuals who go above and beyond to ensure no one goes without, especially at Christmas time.

In addition, we collected $1,875 in gift vouchers from our members and guests, which will be donated to HHH. Our club raffle also raised $2,000, which will allow us to support other charities throughout 2026.

Finally, we had a visit from Santa Claus, bringing smiles to many children — and to plenty of the “big kids” too! 🎅✨

Auto Festa 2025

Sunday, 26th October 43 cars were presented by the Italian Made Social Motoring Club as part of Auto Festa, the Norton Street Festival of Leichhardt.

One by one from 8am, our cars moved into position in an orderly fashion, creating a wonderful display of historic and modern Italian auto engineering. Immediately, members set up camp under the large willow trees and began sharing homemade delights. Once again, we thank the ladies who catered these homemade goodies.

Every member driver received a complimentary coffee and pizza voucher from Grinders Coffee and Ami Pizza. There was never a shortage of good food, as Norton Street was lined with over 100 stalls offering a wide variety of Italian and international foods and beverages!

Our cars attracted all the right attention throughout the day, with members sharing their experiences and knowledge in response to the many questions asked by the public.

At 2:30pm, the first opportunity for members to exit was presented. Once again, each moved out safely and in an orderly fashion, with the remaining member cars exiting at 5pm. A great day once again! Thank you to the team of organisers, and thank you to the large number of members who presented their cars and those who visited our display area—reflecting the family that we are!

Concorso D’Eleganza 2025

On Sunday, 28th September fifty member cars were presented at Gough Whitlam Park, Tempe, to show off our magnificent machines for the annual Concorso D’Eleganza, invited by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of NSW.

The weather was beautifully sunny and warm—despite the forecast. It was pleasantly cool under the shade, with a panino and drink in hand.

Each member exhibited their wonderful machines for all to appreciate and admire. We are fortunate to have a diverse range of historic, classic, and modern Italian-made vehicles in our club. The designs that have come from Italia throughout the last century (and beyond) are the envy of the automotive world.

The day would not have been complete without an abundance of gelato, caffè, and panini. But above all, there were smiles and great friendships, shared alongside some of the finer homemade delights.

As always, our judges did an exceptional job, and we thank them for their time and efforts. It’s not an easy task, but they certainly made it look like a “walk in the park.” Thank you to Gerardo Mediati, Nat Stillone, Tony Portelli, Gianni Melissari, and Raffi Babkenian.

Awards & Recognition

The four presidents of the respective clubs selected the wonderful Autobianchi Furgoncino as the “Car of Cars” of our display. Congratulations, Nat Stillone.

We also congratulate Amadeo De Crea, who unveiled a beautiful historic Fiat Abarth 595—a credit to both him and Gerardo Mediati for the creation of such a wonderful car.

alomg with our winners for the day:

• Emmanuel Ziino – Modern Spider – 2002 Alfa 916 Series

• Daniel Cipri – Modern Sedan – 2018 Giulietta Veloce

• Mario Piredda – Modern Coupé – 2007 Maserati GranSport

• Christian Cipri – Modern Abarth – 2020 595

• Amadeo De Crea – Historic 500 – 1969 595 Abarth

• Rob Losinno – Historic Coupé – 1970 Alfa 105

• Amadeo De Crea – Historic Sedan – 2002 Fiat Uno Turbo

• Vito Mazzotta – Historic Spider – 1984 105

• Sandy Stillone – Encouragement – 1969 Fiat 500F

• Charlie Losinno – Special Interest – 1948 Topolino

Congratulations to all!

It was a fantastic day with a great turnout, and the support shown by non-winning members to the winners was truly heart-warming. After every category announcement, comments like “Well done, mate” and “Well deserved” echoed from the audience.

We look forward to many more opportunities to showcase our wonderful vehicles.

Shannons/CMC Sydney Classic & Ferragosto

Sunday, 17th August saw over 60 IMSMC members attend two separate events across Sydney.

17 Club cars assembled at Eastern Creek for the Shannons/CMC Sydney Classic. In all their splendid colours, our vehicles drew admiration from attendees representing 106 other Classic Car Clubs. A big congratulations to all members for the outstanding presentation of their cars. This year, our Club lap took place early, with a 9:30 AM parade. Special thanks to Charlie Losinno for presenting his FIAT Topolino in the 1940–49 Class of the Presidents Concourse.

Meanwhile, 23 IMSMC cars gathered at the Officeworks car park in Five Dock before heading to Second Avenue for the annual Ferragosto festivities. We welcomed new member Domenico Fuda (great Alfa 75!) and his family, and after some lively discussion, the cavalcade made its way to the event, departing at precisely at 8:15 AM. Upon arrival, Christian Cipri took the lead and assisted all Club cars into reverse park position.

A standout this year was a red Fiat 600 sporting green P plates on a white background—red, white, and green! A perfect tribute to the Italian flag. Well done, Alessandro Romeo!

It’s estimated that over 150,000 people visited the streets of Five Dock to celebrate all things Italian—food, drinks, and produce galore! Once again, our cars made a significant impact. At the end of the day, security and police provided excellent support to ensure the safe exit of our vehicles, even as hundreds of visitors surrounded us.

Ferragosto is now a permanent fixture on our club calendar, and we look forward to a long and fruitful association with the event managers at Canada Bay Council.

Pangallo 2025

On the wildest, wettest Saturday—August 2nd—48 IMSMC enthusiasts gathered for an unforgettable visit to Pangallo Estate.

Members arrived in the early afternoon and were treated to a tasting of blood oranges, olives, wines, and "Cellos," all crafted from Pangallo’s onsite produce. Many took the opportunity to purchase these delicious offerings at the cellar door.

Later that afternoon, the group visited the Cessnock Leagues Club for refreshments and lunch, followed by a brief freshen-up at the Wine Country Motor Inn. That evening, everyone was transported back to Pangallo via minibuses for a lively night of eating, drinking, talking, laughing, music, and dancing.

As the night drew on, we surprised members with coffee, cakes, tea, biscotti—then even more cakes, tea, coffee, biscotti, and of course... more dancing. A full complement conducive to a great night.

We extend our thanks to the staff and caterers of Pangallo Estate for their incredible hospitality and delicious food and our generous members who brought along nibblies, homemade salami, cakes, dips, and other treats.

Pangallo 2025 was a huge success—thank you, everyone.

Bendooley Estate

Sunday, 20th July Sixty-four IMSMC members and friends participated in our Southern Highlands Run to Bendooley Estate for wine tasting, followed by lunch at The Surveyor Inn.

On a crisp winter morning, we gathered at the Partridge VC rest area/truck stop. Within minutes, it was transformed into a typical AutoGrill from the Italian Autostrada—Italian cars everywhere! The only thing missing was the option to purchase cornetti, panini, or pasta... but we managed.

At exactly 9:15 AM, our stallions headed toward the Southern Highlands in a magnificent cavalcade, each vehicle purrrring down the Hume Highway. Upon arrival, 45 wine tasters moved into the cellar door, while others visited the bookshop and library—many opting to purchase a coffee and soak up the warm sun.

Soon after, our troops moved into formation and made their way to The Surveyor Inn for lunch. The staff at both venues deserve high praise for their excellent service and cooperation in accommodating such a large group.

A great event—one we’ll surely repeat in the future.

Annual General Meeting – Sunday, 6th July 2025

 A vibrant gathering of 76 members, including partners, came together for the Italian Made Social Motoring Club’s Annual General Meeting for the 2024–2025 term.

One key message echoed throughout the morning: the importance of reading club communications and providing timely RSVPs. With our events consistently reaching capacity before RSVP deadlines, prompt replies ensure smooth catering and effective planning—allowing us to accommodate everyone comfortably. Members were reminded that friends and family are always welcome, a sentiment reflected in the lively and cheerful atmosphere our gatherings are known for.

The club’s strong financial health was reaffirmed, with financial summaries presented to all eligible members. It was a moment of collective pride to see the club in such a stable and sustainable position.

Membership officer Leo Di Rocco shared an encouraging update on Historic Vehicle Scheme (HVS) and Classic Vehicle Scheme (CVS) registrations, with over 150 successfully processed—a testament to the club’s effective administration. Meanwhile, Rob Losinno is reigniting the spark for mid-month night runs, aiming to restore this beloved tradition. Mick and Cate Stivala continue to be pillars of support, generously offering their ideas, time, and dedication to the smooth operation of club affairs.

Members enthusiastically endorsed the reinstatement of the Monthly Sunday Breakfast Meet—a welcome chance to “take a drive for a Sunday morning breakfast.” We are currently exploring The Luddenham Village Cafè as the preferred location for future meet-ups.

Our sincere gratitude goes out to the staff and management of Club Marconi for their continued hospitality. The impeccable service, food, and presentation added to th

e enjoyment of the event.

Many heartfelt thanks were extended to individual members whose ongoing contributions make our club so special:

• Frances Mediati, Anna Mazzotta, Lena Zannello, and Nina Stillone for their delightful homemade cakes

• Giuseppe Lecce and Anthony Vecchio for their delicious condiments at morning teas

• The Roccisano Family for their beautifully supplied cakes

• Our generous prize donors—too many to name, but deeply appreciated

• Gerardo Mediati, Giovanni Melissari, Tony Albanese, and Nat Stillone, our go-to mechanics who are always ready to get under a classic on the roadside if needed

• The Cipri Brothers and Bruno Ferro for their fantastic contributions to our social media with videos and images that keep our memories alive

Behind the scenes, many contribute in quiet but meaningful ways. To each and every one of you—thank you.

Committee updates include just one change: while Corey Hoskin remains on the committee, Elissa Losinno has stepped into the role of Club Secretary. We’re grateful for her willingness to serve and bring fresh energy to the role.

Finally, President John Di Rocco expressed his appreciation: “I thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to another wonderful year together!”

Alfa Romeo 115th anniversary Lunch

On a bright Sunday morning, the car park of Ottimo House transformed into a stunning showcase of Alfa Romeo heritage. One by one, the Spiders, Coupés, and Sedans rolled in—historic, veteran, and modern models alike—each carrying the legacy of Italian motoring excellence.

As Club President of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia (AROCA), Eddy Failla, humorously remarked, “70 Alfas squeezed into a space meant for 50—only Italians could pull that off!”

Following the visual spectacle, attendees were formally welcomed by President Failla, who then paid tribute to two legendary figures of Alfa Romeo’s racing history: Colin Bond and Brian Foley. With distinguished careers and class victories at Bathurst and beyond, their presence added a touch of racing royalty to the occasion.

The afternoon unfolded in true Italian style—with heartfelt connections, shared stories, and new friendships forged. A special shout-out to the Italian Made Social Motoring Club (IMSMC), whose enthusiastic members, affiliated with both clubs, made up the majority of attendees. The passion for Alfa is clearly alive and thriving.

A warm thanks to Tony Portelli and Elissa Losinno, whose efforts were instrumental in orchestrating this memorable event.

Bravo to IMSMC, congratulations to AROCA, and a heartfelt buon compleanno to Alfa Romeo on its incredible 115-year journey!