Colonial Park Somerset NJ

Please don’t let me hear anyone from the NJ Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (NJ-AROC) complain that “the club doesn’t do a lot”; and yes, I still occasionally see such a comment crop up on some social media sites. For the second week in a row, after seeing each other at the Somerville, NJ, cruise night, our club conducted another highly successful gathering of Alfisti, this time in the form of an al fresco breakfast in Colonial Park in Somerset, NJ, billed as “Breakfast and Bocce.”

The turnout was great, and I was especially pleased to see many spouses join us. My wife accompanied me, and made some new friends among the ladies. Similar to last year, breakfast goodies included bagels, croissants, donuts, fresh fruit, and hot and cold beverages, courtesy of the club’s bank account. By my count, eleven Alfas were on hand, along with a delightful Lancia Fulvia Zagato (and a Porsche Cayman driven by a dedicated Alfista, so I’ll count it). Probably half the cars were Spiders, all with their tops down, as we caught a bit of a break with this crazy Jersey weekend weather.

Four Spiders sandwiched between a Lancia and a GT 1300 Junior

As we also did last year, we set up near the park’s bocce courts, but my wife and I departed just as the games were beginning. A huge thanks to Bill D., our Event Coordinator, who pulled all the details together to make our 2025 “Breakfast & Bocce” another ringing success.

Our club members enjoying the breakfast and each other’s company:

The Lancia Fulvia Zagato:

Lorenzo, the car’s owner, gave several of us a detailed walk-around which included some history of this car. As a Series I, it features an all-aluminum body, which we were told were manufactured in very limited numbers. The car was originally a medium blue, and someone prior to his ownership changed the color to yellow. Lorenzo delighted in pointing out numerous features which were lost on the Series II cars, including a separate door below the rear bumper for spare tire storage. He has started to strip some of the yellow paint, leaving the blue exposed and undamaged, as he would like to eventually return it to its original shade.