It was a great plan. Italian Grand Prix, family holiday, leisurely drive down. The choice of transport was easy. My sister and I in the Alfa, my parents in their Ferrari 308 GT4. There were bets on which car would break down first, the modern Alfa Romeo, or the 30 year old Ferrari. Would you believe it, neither missed a beat (except the air conditioning in the 308!).

The trip let me really get to know the GTA, and it surprised me with a few hidden talents, the main one being the excellent mile-munching ability of the car. Not once did we get out at the end of the days driving feeling pained or drained. The seats proved very comfortable for long periods, the size of the fuel tank was no problem and the cruise control helped ease the right foot on the long and monotonous Autoroutes on the return leg.

The other talent to come out of hiding was the entertaining handling high up on the small mountain roads. The drive up the mountain to the Col de Joux, just south of Aosta, was really special, with the V6 on song, and the suspension revelling in the smooth road surface.

I’d be lying if I said all was perfect for the trip though. Milan, especially, threw a few small spanners into the works. The poorly cobbled streets, with an overabundance of rutted tram tracks, highlighted the “sporty” suspension set up, making it almost impossible to read the map when moving (from the passenger seat of course), and the turning circle made itself known again in the hotel’s own little three foot wide cul-de-sac of a road. Luckily, the noise of the 308 doing the same drew most of the heat off me as I attempted my Austin Powers style eighty point turn. Overall though, I can’t think of a more appropriate and entertaining hot hatch to take to Italy and back. It was a shame we couldn’t get to see any of the Alfa sites in and around Milan, but it did get a few appreciative looks outside a certain factory in Maranello!

Just before the Italy trip, I got the tracking checked and adjusted at a local garage after being told all 4 of my tyres were knackered in various places and needed replacing. Apparently it’s a known thing for Alfas to come out of the factory without the geometry being set up; most helpful of them! Anyway, I took the opportunity to try some different size tyres, so I replaced the 235 35 18s with some Pirelli P Zero Neros in 225 40 18. The Alfaowner.com forums had told me that the jarring ride was smoothed out a bit with the higher profile 40s. They weren’t lying; the ride, although still bumpy (see above), is much better, with the harsh crashes now a little more muffled and smaller bumps being soaked up nicely.

The car had its second service at just under 24,000 miles, soon after getting back from Italy, the cost of which was £240.

They told me that the front anti-roll bar was getting loose and would need replacing soon. Other things that need attention are the offside side repeater, of which the mounting has snapped (so it now lives outside the car, held on by the wires, flapping about with a most Italian authenticity), and the mouse that lives in the right front wheel that seems to take a very vocal objection to manoeuvring in car parks.

I’ve got my first ever trackday coming soon too, so I’m going to get the car checked over beforehand by an independent specialist, just to make sure everything is all good for the circuit.