The Intrepid Traveler
The Intrepid Traveler
The Ultimate Italian Road Trip: Explore Italy's Iconic Destinations in a Supercar
Welcome to another exciting episode of The Intrepid Traveler! In this episode, our host Robin Cline sits down with Andrea Benedetti, the founder of 100 Allora, a DMC company based in Rome, Italy. Andrea takes us into the world of luxury car travel in Italy, where they specialize in organizing bespoke tours with supercars. Imagine driving through the breathtaking landscapes of Italy in the latest models of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin, McLaren, or Porsche. But it doesn't stop there - Andrea and his team also offer premium car rentals, transfers, and a range of other car options, from sedans to electric cars. They ensure that every detail is taken care of, from delivering the car to your desired location to providing comprehensive assistance throughout your journey. Whether you're a car enthusiast looking for an exhilarating self-drive adventure or simply want to relax and enjoy the scenery while someone else takes the wheel, 100 Allora has you covered. Join us on this episode as we delve into the world of luxury car travel in Italy with Andrea Benedetti.
Today on The Intrepid Traveler:
· - Detailed explanation of the supercars available for rental, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Porsche
- Mention of specific models that can accommodate more passengers, including the Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari GTC4Lusso
- Discussion of the process of renting a car from 100 Allora, including the ability to choose a specific model and convenient delivery and collection options
- Highlight of the benefits of using 100 Allora's services, such as not having to worry about logistical concerns like parking and fueling the cars
- Explanation of the lead car and follow car system during the tours, ensuring safety and assistance for the clients
Connect with Andrea:
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PROJECT EXPEDITION
Robin Cline:
And okay. Well, today I am welcoming Andrea Benedetti of 100, allora based in Rome, Italy. And Andrea has a this is a DMC company, which I'll go into in a minute. We're not going to go down that rabbit hole yet. So first what I'd like to do is just to welcome you today. Thank you for joining me.
Andrea Benedetti:
Hello, Robin. Thank you for the invitation.
Robin Cline:
Well, and just to let everybody who's listening know, we did have the opportunity to meet in person this year. Well, last year it was in October, and we're recording this in February of 2022. So if anything doesn't seem accurate from when you're listening, know that that's when the recording took place. So tell us about 100 Allura. And I know that I'm not pronouncing that it doesn't sound as good when I pronounce it as when you do it. But anyway, tell us a little bit about the company and exactly what you do.
Andrea Benedetti:
Sure. So our funny name is pronounced Cinto Allora in Italian, and it means 100 km/hour. So this means that we are specialized in all sort of services related to cars, supercars and logistics all over Italy. So our most important service is the organization of bespoke tours with supercars all over the country. We go with the clients. We have a lead car so that the clients will have to follow us, and in this way they will never get lost. Once we reach every destination, we collect the keys of the car and the clients just go. So whether it's a restaurant, a museum, a hotel, we will then be in charge of the car in any moment. So we will park the car, we will put gasoline, we will wash the car, transport all the luggage so that the clients will not lose a single minute of their time doing all these things. So it's like having a car valet everywhere you go.
Robin Cline:
I'd like that every day at home, honestly. And then to elaborate a little bit on the kind of cars so when you say supercars, explain exactly what kind of cars we're talking about.
Andrea Benedetti:
So I'm talking about all the latest models of Ferrari and Lamborghini, but we also have other brands as well, like Maserati, Aston Martin, McLaren and Porsche.
Robin Cline:
Go ahead.
Andrea Benedetti:
So let's say that the majority of these cars have two seats, but only a few models can have four or five seats. So if we have families with children or clients willing to have two extra two, three extra passengers, beyond the normal two seats, we can have some cars such as the Lamborghini Urus, which is an SUV, but actually it drives like a normal supercar. Or the Ferrari GTC for Luso, a supercar that has four seats and has a V twelve engine. So it's extremely fun and exciting to drive.
Robin Cline:
And so if wanted to come to Italy and bring my family, and I wanted to self drive myself, and I wanted to start in Rome and I wanted to take this fabulous Lamborghini and know wherever I wanted to go for two weeks or something. Then I arranged that through me, and I come to you and say, this is what we want to do. And I was fortunate enough to actually sit in that car that you're talking about when I was there, and it is absolutely lovely and my favorite color, which is yellow. But you can also do other cars as well. I mean, I know you have a nice Range Rover, you've got some other options, and you can also do transfers for people as well. If they don't want to drive themselves, let's say they just want to get from Florence to Rome. They want to have a beautiful day driving, but they don't want to worry about driving. They want to stop and have a nice lunch on the way or something. You provide those services as well, correct?
Andrea Benedetti:
Correct. So we also rent premium models all over Italy with delivery and collection everywhere. And at any time we have all sort of cars ranging from the small FIAs 500 or Mini Cooper S convertible up to RollsRoyce. And in between we have all sort of segments. So we have sedans, SUVs, supercars small cars or even the electric cars. So clients are able to choose a specific model. I'm not talking about a category, so a specific model. And once we meet the client for the delivery, we check the car altogether. The client will send the contract and in about two minutes it's done and the client is able to go. So we can deliver a car in a villa, in a hotel, in an airport.
Robin Cline:
That's that is a huge bonus too, because having to if you're staying in in let's say you're staying in Rome for a few days and then you want to go and you're going to do a self drive, you don't want to have to go back to the airport to get the car and then get out of town and then go back to the airport and all of that. So it's really convenient that you can do all that. And I want to go back to a minute, to the driving, when you do the driving, when you all do the lead car and the follow car and you might have a group of people doing this and there's several reasons for that. One, you know where you should go fast and where you shouldn't. You know where all those cameras are on the road. Correct?
Andrea Benedetti:
Correct.
Robin Cline:
Yeah.
Andrea Benedetti:
I have to be sincere. We never take unnecessary risks. So when we can go a little bit faster and when we are sure that the clients are able to follow, we can go a little bit faster. Otherwise, we are always careful. But being altogether means that it's way safer and way easier and probably more exciting also for the clients because we on all the roads as you just said, we have walkie talkies in the cars, so in case of necessity, we can talk to each other. We then assist the clients in any moment. So even if they have to stop somewhere, we can stop, even if it was not planned.
Robin Cline:
Right.
Andrea Benedetti:
If they need any kind of assistance, we are there. So, for example, how does it work, the bluetooth? This is probably question number one, right?
Robin Cline:
Yeah.
Andrea Benedetti:
Or if they are tired, we can drive for them. Just imagine that these cars are worth between 200 and €500,000 each.
Robin Cline:
Yeah. Wow.
Andrea Benedetti:
So I can imagine that when you drive in a foreign country, these kind of cars, if you are alone, you can lose easily the excitement, because you never know where to go, where to park right. How to transport all the luggage.
Robin Cline:
Yes.
Andrea Benedetti:
We try to solve to all these issues.
Robin Cline:
Yeah. Which is huge, because so often, like you said, it takes some of the pleasure out of the trip if you're not really sure where you're going and you get anxious about, oh, am I in the right place? Even with GPS these days, we still don't know in other countries about the speed limits all the time and all of that. So it really just makes it a very relaxing and that way you could just enjoy the drive and not have to worry about any of the other things. And I think you told me once that the name and I'll say it poorly, but cinka. Laura yes. Okay. But means that that's the perfect speed to go, to enjoy that it's not always just because it is a very powerful car and can go very fast, that that's not always the best way to enjoy it.
Andrea Benedetti:
Exactly. So sometimes you think that when you have a supercar, you have to go super fast, but actually it's not true. In my opinion. You can go on a highway. Even if you were allowed to reach a very high speed, you still go straight. And it's not fun, in my opinion. But if you drive in some, let's say, Tuscan countryside or in the Donamites, you have amazing roads, beautiful landscape, and you can accelerate, brake, turn right, left, you have hills. So you have all sorts of.
Robin Cline:
That'S more to me, that feels like more like how the car responds to those things and how differently driving a car like that in those situations is from maybe your everyday car. Like, I drive a Honda. It wouldn't be the same experience at all in my Honda as it is in a Ferrari to do the same roads at the same speed.
Andrea Benedetti:
Correct. And for those guests willing to drive at a very high speed, we organize racetrack driving experiences. So in these cases, clients will be able to drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini made for racetrack only. So extreme supercars. So they will drive with a professional pilot seated next to them, so that the pilot can give all the hints like accelerate, now turn right, go left, so that you can improve lap after lap. And then they are able to switch so the pilot will drive so that he will show you that it's the perfect lap.
Robin Cline:
Yes. For people that really want that kind of experience, that's the best way to do it. And then, in addition to arranging that, you can also arrange tours at the factories where these cars are made privately. And you have quite a history with these car companies. And tell us a little bit about how this became such a passion for you and how you got involved in this, because it's such a unique niche, it's very rare, and I think it's really exciting and special. So tell us how that happened.
Andrea Benedetti:
Since my childhood, I was always attracted by cars, fast cars, beautiful cars. And I then studied Economics in Rome. And when I had to do a thesis at the university, I decided to do a thesis about the relaunch of Maserati under the Ferrari management. So analyze what Ferrari done since 1997, when they started to be responsible for the Maserati brand till 2005. So it was a very interesting thesis, and this thesis gave me the chance to start working in the automotive industry. So I started working in Rome for General Motors. I then worked for Maserati in the network development department, right in the headquarters of Maserati in Modena. Following this experience, I worked for a consulting company in Milan, where I was in charge of a group during the merger between Fiat and Chrysler Jeep in the European Cold Center department. Then, following this experience, I worked for an event company. I was in charge of the events of Dolce Gabbana. And I also followed all the requests of many foreign clients, mainly Russian oligarchs. And then I worked for a consulting company, an engineering company in Rome, and I was the executive assistant of the CEO. And then I created Gentleora with some friends. I have to say that all these experiences, automotive and high end services, gave me the chance to learn a lot, to have a wide network of excellent providers. Because, as you can imagine, it's not only a matter of having a big know how passion, but you need the right people, the right partners.
Robin Cline:
Absolutely. When you're providing that level of service to clients, you really have to know who you're dealing with. You don't just go out and find somebody that says they can drive or says they can do whatever. And I know my clients that have spent time with you in Rome have just raved about the guys that they've had and the drivers. And of course, when I was there, we just had a fabulous time. And we had a ride one night in one of the vintage luxury cars and the vintage luxury Bentley. And we talked a bit about how you do have to be really careful of the drivers for those cars and make sure that they are excellent at what they do, not only at driving the car, but handling your customers, your clients as well, but that those cars are not necessarily easy to drive. And especially in a city like Rome. So tell us just a little bit about the service with the vintage cars as well.
Andrea Benedetti:
One of our most original services are probably the tours with luxury vintage cars. So we have a wide fleet of models built between the 1950s and 1970s. I'm talking about RollsRoyce, Bentley, Cadillac, Excalibur or even Italian vintage cars that are quite difficult to drive, mainly in the town because of course, they did not have the technology that we have nowadays. So you have to brake well in advance sometimes you need to be strong.
Robin Cline:
In order to yes, no power steering.
Andrea Benedetti:
So our drivers are experienced drivers and of course we always start in advance the itinerary so that we know which roads we can go, where we can stop. But it's probably a unique service. We strongly suggest to do these tours in the evening and let's say that after 09:00 p.m., roads are empty and you can really enjoy the town, but also these beautiful cars. You are able to stop a few times, have a walk, take pictures while the driver will wait for you and then you continue the tour. And let's say from spring till October, we can also have and use some of our beautiful convertible vintage cars. And in these cases, when you have the rooftop open, you can admire all the buildings, fountains, monuments. So I think it's a unique experience. And when I can go with some guests, I'm happy to see their joy, their surprise, their happiness, because it's really important to see how happy they are because it's not a tour with a normal car, right? It's a tour with cars full of history. And they really appreciate because sometimes you think about the possibility to visit a city during the day in crowded streets with the sunshine, high temperatures, but in the evening everything is calm, everything is nicer. So I strongly suggest to do these tours with these luxury vintage cars in Rome.
Robin Cline:
Well, I know that my own experience was exactly as you described and that being in the car with the top down and seeing everything lit up and all the historical sites and everything was just magical. It really was. I was not prepared for just how special that was going to be. Then, on the flip side of the coin, the other thing that my clients have really enjoyed doing is their Vespa tours. So you also have vintage Vespas. And I've found that people really enjoy that. It's kind of fun and exciting and you can go some places that you can't in a car. And it's like a great way to have an overview of Rome and to ride around and have these stops. And then there are some places you can stop that you wouldn't be able to if you're having in a right, correct. Yeah, yeah.
Andrea Benedetti:
So this is probably the easiest and fastest way to visit historical center in a few hours because as you said, these Vespas are extremely flexible, fast. They can go everywhere, even in roads that are forbidden to cars. So it's probably the nicest way to go around Rome. And it's a safe experience because we have our experienced drivers. They will stop and wait with their vest as well. You can have a walk, take pictures and continue the tour. And of course, we will have one of the drivers who can talk and explain what they are looking and admiring at each stop.
Robin Cline:
Right. And I hope everybody caught that there that no, they are not putting you on a Vespa and turning you loose. In Rome, you do have a driver that knows where to go, what to do and the rules of the road. So you get to be just a passenger. You get to sit and enjoy and watch and listen. And so it's a great way to do it. The other thing that you do, I can't figure out what you don't do yet, but is help with finding villas, yachts, helicopters I mean, everything from skiing in the dolomites to a villa in Sardinia or Sicily or really anything in Italy. And even I know you even take cars into other countries sometimes for people as well.
Andrea Benedetti:
Yes, correct. Actually, we go all over. You know, we started a few years ago with cars, which is our expertise. But actually clients are coming back year after year and they are asking us for extra services. So we simply added several services, like you just said, rental of villas, yachts, tours with helicopters, tours or transfers, and also private jets. And being here, it's also much easier to check, to personally check everything because as we said before, it's so important to go and see everything so that you can sell it in the best way, so that you can also suggest the right service for each.
Robin Cline:
Exactly, exactly.
Andrea Benedetti:
As you know, Italy is a small country, so as we are based in Rome, in a few hours we can go from north to south without any problem, any day, anytime.
Robin Cline:
No, it's wonderful. And I was so glad to be back earlier this year. I keep saying this year, I forget that we're already into the next year, but I can't wait to come back again and having a partner like you for somebody like know, let's say I have somebody here in the United States. They call me and they say they want to arrange this trip to Italy. They tell me the cities they want to go to or the things that they want to do. And then you and I work together to create an itinerary for them, how we're going to do the transfers and everything so that there's as little stress as possible on the clients. We want to make it comfortable and seamless and fun, and having a partner like you, for me, is just worth its weight and gold. And I do appreciate you and appreciate you coming on here with me today and talking about this. And I know that people will really enjoy listening to what you do and dreaming about that, and hopefully we'll have some people give us a call about it, too.
Andrea Benedetti:
Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Robin Cline:
Yeah, absolutely. And if you want to follow Andrea on social media, he posts fabulous pictures, and that is on Instagram at 100, which is the number 10 zero allora A-L-L-O-R-A. So give him a follow on Instagram and give me a call or drop me a line if you're ready to go to Italy and drive a supercar. Thank you so much, Andrea. I appreciate it.
Andrea Benedetti:
Thank you so much, Robin, for this great opportunity.
