Bellissima! The Italian Automotive Renaissance inside Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Nashville might not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re thinking about fine Italian automobiles, but that’s just what’s on display in the Frist Center for the Visual Arts during their current exhibit, “Bellissima! The Italian Automotive Renaissance, 1945–1975”. This is an art museum, so the cars are presented as art. That makes sense, because most of these coachbuilt automobiles have transcended the term “vehicles” and moved right into the “works of art” category. There are 19 cars and two motorcycles on display, and each one is among the most valuable and exclusive cars in the world. This ain’t your normal Friday night car cruise.

2013 Fiat 500C Abarth test drive review. Indy 500, here we come!

Last week, we hit the Barrywoods 24 for a digital showing of Turbo, an animated movie about a little snail who dreamed of becoming fast.  Everyone told him it couldn’t be done, but when he is accidentally sucked into the blower of a street racer and doused with nitrous, he is infused with otherworldly speed so great that he qualifies for the Indianapolis 500.  Turbo even gets a new spoiler and some racing graphics to complete the package.

Exotic cars and chicken spiedini at the Fiesta Italiano Car Show in Zona Rosa

It’s not too often that I go to a car show and know virtually nothing about any of the cars that are on display there, but I stepped outside my wheelhouse a bit for the Fiesta Italiana Car Show at the Zona Rosa shopping center over the weekend.  The car show was part of Fiesta Italiana, which was a celebration of all things Italian.  They had everything from wine experts to spaghetti eating contests.  Oh, and the food—lots and lots of food.  I know the Hovers all left the event pretty stuffed after sampling several of the vendors’ offerings.

Fiesta Italiana Car Show. That's amore!

The smell of fried ravioli was in the air during the Fiesta Italiana at the Zona Rosa shopping area. And although most people were there for the live music, the street vendors, and the cannoli eating contest, there was, in fact, an Italian car show tucked quietly in one of the side streets.

I actually didn’t even know about this one until I saw a poster hanging in an Italian restaurant the night before. That’s why it wasn’t in my weekly calendar. And I didn’t really know what to expect.