December 5, 2019
The one, the only… that leaning tower!
After our xSP Summit in Rome, we had some business in other parts of central-northern Italy, during which I managed to get to a very famous place I’d been wishing to get to for, like, my whole life: the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Curiously, if you take its photo from the south – it looks perfectly straight! ->
Just as much fun to observe are the tourists – who all just have to pretend to be pushing the tower to make it lean; from the side, these can get comical (see the girl in the third pic, above: really getting her back into it!) ->
But we took the photography to a higher, more discerning level – out came the wide-angler! With it you can also push the tower – back into its upright position! ->
Alternatively, the wido can push the tower over even further!…
Leaning tower of Kunst:
Eeeh. If you can’t beat ’em – join ’em! ->
It’s not only the Leaning Tower that’s worth a look…
Fallen angel?
Pisa Cathedral. Built using funds ‘earned’ in the fighting with the Muslims in 1063. There’s always some sordid history to such stately, refined things – if you care to look ).
But that’s about all that’s to be seen here; and anyway – it was starting to rain. Time to get going!…
Next up – just the opposite of a very old historical site: a relatively new… racetrack!
We have a ‘motivator’ here called KIDA (K International Driving Academy). It’s an event we regularly run at the Cremona Circuit, which is about an hour’s drive from Milan, here. We bring our most successful and treasured business partners here to spend the whole day fully immersed in motorsport! Well, if partners can have a go, why can’t I?!
First up – lessons from pro AF Corse drivers, including former F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella (who, coincidentally, DJed at our Christmas/New Year party in 2016!). AF Corse is a racing team that’s kinda the ‘nephew’ of Ferrari (and Maserati). Founded by former racing driver Amato Ferrari (no relation to the Ferrari you know well, just a (very happy) coincidence!). After be instructed on basic theory, it’s carting time; then – simulator time; and only then – into a very fast grand-tourer car for some very fast GT racing round the track!
The racetrack – incidentally in the middle of the Italian countryside – is quite compact: 3.5km long (to compare – Monza is almost 5.8km long), but still very interesting – with sharp bends and a full kilometer straight stretch, on which you can get up to 250 km/h!
What can I say? A very interesting feeling: like being thrown backward into a wall! And the gears changing automatically – 5-6-7, then down again – 7-6-5-4-3 before the sharp turn… the roar of the engine and the banging of the exhaust. All pretty adrenaline-rushing…
Even with my rather good (including – fast aperture speed) lenses on my camera – the Ferraris go soooo fast – they’re still blurry! ->
Nice place. Must come here more often…
Here are some pics of the smiling faces of the guests last time:
And that’s all from Italy folks!…
