Car parked in same spot for almost 50 years becomes tourist drawcard

Car parked in same spot for almost 50 years becomes tourist drawcard

A car that was left outside a news agency in Conegliano, Italy, 47 years ago has become an unexpected tourism attraction.

Now, the town is paying homage to the vehicle by turning it into a local monument.

According to Il Gazzettino, the car’s owner, 94-year-old, Angelo Fregolent, ran the news agency for 40 years with his wife Bertilla Modolo. He used the prime spot in front of his business to aid him in unloading newspapers from the trunk of his car into his store. 

“The car is from 1970 and is an heirloom,” he told the Italian newspaper.

The two left the car in the spot it had frequented over the years after they retired.

It has since become a town icon, attracting residents and tourists alike after photos of the car went viral on social media.

The car, a grey Lancia Fulvia, has recently created a media frenzy after rumours of its removal began to spread.

Commander of the local police, Claudio Mallamace, confirmed the rumours, explaining to Il Gazzettino that the road the car is parked on has become busy and parking has become difficult.

It was Mallamace who proposed moving the car and turning it into a monument.

“The parking lots, as they are now arranged, only allow parking with two wheels on the sidewalk and the other two on the road,” he said.

“This, in addition to creating problems for the pedestrian flow of students who go to Cerletti, is detrimental.”

On 20 October, the Fulvia was moved and shown at the Auto e Moto d’Epoca Motorshow in Padua before being fully restored and placed out the front of a nearby school, just next to Fregolent’s home. 

Conegliano, which is about 45 minutes north of Venice, is home to numerous tourist attractions like the ruins of a 10th-century castle, wineries, the historical Convent of San Francesco and the beautiful Palazzo Sarcinelli.

But locals told Il Gazzettino the car is the real monument of the city.


Featured image source: Il Gazzettino

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