This mid-July (18th to 20th) was held in Francavilla of Sicily, and more specifically in the hotel Orange d’Alcantara (Savocca family owned Hotel) a new meeting of collectors of miniature bottles, which, apart from the Italian collectors we have assisted collectors of UK, Poland/Norway, France/Switzerland, France/Belgium, France, and Spain, in this case represented by Rubén Cammarata and myself.
The meeting began on Friday with a visit to the Coca Cola Sicily and some local museums, where the Spaniards did not attend, but were dedicated to visit Catania and enjoy typical Sicilian cuisine. After our return to the hotel, we enjoyed a dinner of pizza (I was on a diet) and that every time you had one, you had a different one…, and so up to seven different pizzas; when I thought I would be ready to explode, Ruben asked Can we get a cheese and onion one? Good, so, let’s go for it and keep aside in case of explosion.
The next day, right after breakfast started the auction with over 135 lots, including regular bottles of 70 cl. and even a mini, of solid gold and solid silver also. Interestingly they closed at affordable prices, even well below the target prices. Only reached higher prices some Italian minis with metal seals. The solid noble metals were closed without bids.
Table with miniatures and big bottles exposed for the auction and miniature of gold of limoncé
Two moments of the auction, as you can see, I was very well accompanied
Yo the left, the representation of Spain and drive, a photo of the lunch
After the auction (which lasted until lunchtime) we went to eat and then, Rubén, Arek and I went with Angelo Daidone to visit his collection, and after entertain us at home with a wonderful appetizer, we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant, where we tasted an excellent Italian dinner.
On Sunday, the said meeting was held, in which I noticed the absence of several collectors who had previously come to the auction. The sale went very well and between one thing and another I came fully loaded with sambucas (anis) and Italian anices, a good lot of minis of ships, and a number of ceramics that finally filled my suitcase, that weighed 23 kilos, the maximum weight allowed by the airline, so I had to bring my clothes on my bulging backpack.
To the left, Pili in front of the table of Guilles that sold ceramics; to the right, Joel, Sandro and Guilles, among others
To the left, a server in company of David Maund, that attended his table and to the right, a moment of the interview for the tv local
Ruben had to buy a suitcase and came home with about 400 minis, so this time can be considered that he was absolutely prudent.
In the afternoon, Rubén, Arek, David and I went to see the collection of Giuseppe to his house, where I discovered many Spanish 3 cl minis of brandy for the Italian market, which fortunately had all duplicated, and I could get my hands on one of each.
To the left, a server with Giuseppe and to the right a photo of the group that went to see his collection
Giuseppe took great care to have us prepared several tours to foreign visitors, so we were in Syracuse on Monday afternoon and Taormina, beautiful city where they exist and located on top of a mountain; luxury yachts of three decks were seen moored in the island. In the evening we attended the first concert of that year in Italy, offered by new group of two young baritones and a tenor, “Il Volo” that filled the Greco-Roman theater in Taormina, a unique place for such an event.
On Tuesday, an obliged tour to the volcano ETNA in a 4×4 vehicles, tour with lunch at a lodge in the area, accompanied by a soft, rich red wine of Etna; a superb end for a short holiday full of good food, many minis and several new friends, which I hope to see again in our Annual Meeting in Valencia.
In the first photo, visit to the Etna and in the second, a photo of group of big part of the assistants
The worst, definitely, was a trip with two flights and long airport waits (must be done via Roma, although I saw a plane of a Spanish Low Cost Company, probably departing from any small airport in Spain.. Oh !! and its winding roads, where driving is very risky because of the way of Italian driving (in Italy, the preference is always for the largest vehicle).
So I can only invite you to pay a visit to Sicily, next time you decide to combine vacations and mini bottle hunting.
Luis Campos Serna
Madrid July, 27 2014
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