Upstate Art Exploring In A Maserati

The Second Annual Grand Tour

The Hudson Valley is lush in the summer. Long winding roads lined with red oak and hemlocks bend and weave against rocky ridges. Only one hour north of Manhattan, it’s a respite from the bustling city in summer months — an ideal setting for a proper grand tour for a caravan of Maseratis.

The Gran Turismo cars of the modern era — which inspired an entire gaming franchise — have origins in the European grand touring tradition. A typical grand tour dates back to the era of horse and carriage, and almost always included Italy and a visit to Turin and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. “You may have the universe if I may have Italy,” the composer Giuseppe Verdi once said. The pursuit of culture and art was core to the excursion. A cicerone, or a guide, would curate the experience travelers had along the way.

In a nod to generations past, Le Car curated the second annual Maserati Grand Tour for a dozen travelers through the lower parts of the Hudson Valley. At Le Car we strive to think about the intentional ways we use our vehicles to understand the world around us. We pay attention to how the make, model, and the set of embedded features on a vehicle influences the way we travel. These impressions originate in the vehicle’s design, from the way it looks on the outside, to how it feels on the inside. When given the opportunity to drive vehicles from the brand founded in 1914, we notice cues from the brand’s history, but also how the Italian legacy brand changes in subtle ways from model year to model year under the guidance of design chief Klaus Busse.

Finding beautiful roads helps to better appreciate each vehicle’s personality. In the summer season, the Hudson Valley region is a hub for exhibitions and for art making, as art studios pepper local communities. Upstate Art Weekend, held July 22 to July 24, underscores the upstate art scene and highlights over 100 open studios and art spaces, which are best accessed by car to easily traverse the expansive landscape.

Our group experienced a slice of this vibrant cultural scene. From New York City, we traveled in pairs of Maserati Quattroportes, Levantes, and Ghiblis, which make up much of the current vehicle lineup. The Quattroporte is the brand’s fullsize flagship sedan. The Ghibli is a sporty mid-size sedan. The Levante is a crossover, and the brand’s first SUV. The day also included a viewing of the Maserati Grecale, the brand’s newest small crossover SUV, just as it arrived stateside. Each of the vehicles was equipped with a unique trim and feature package from the powerful Trofeo infused with an extra bit of performance vigor to the F Tributo, an homage to the great Argentine race car driver Juan Manuel Fanzio.

Our first destination, was the JDJ Icehouse located in Garrison, New York. Gallerist Jayne Johnson welcomed guests and explained the region’s long history as a destination for art collectors in the early 20th century including the industrial barons who built beaux arts and Greek revival mansions during the gilded age. The gallery is a tucked away in a quiet nook and overlooks a green pond.

On view was the solo exhibition by Athena LaTocha. The artist made three new works on the site in response to the terrain of the region and the industrial process that have impacted the land over time. “Discovery of Slowness,” uses Shellac ink silt from a Garrison stream and Highlands mica and also incorporates paper, lead, and steel on paper.

Our next stop was Magazzino Italian Art Center in Cold Spring. Magazzino is dedicated to post war Italian art and arte povera, a radical and unconventional movement which translates to “poor art.” An exhibition of Piero Gilardi’s work highlighted his use of industrial materials, which were core to this practice in the late 1960s. Gilardi worked out of Turin, an automotive center in Italy that shares much in common with Detroit and Coventry, England.

Magazzino’s grounds are surrounded by wooded terrain that is also home to a herd of Italian Sardinian donkeys that are a favorite among visitors. The newly born baby donkey provided an extra bit of delight. Guests strolled around the Magazzino’s grounds, which is a part of the viewing experience.

The best part about the Grand Tour is the way driving as a community made the excursion feel like an occasion. At one point in the Grand Tour, the Maseratis lined up in formation before heading out onto Route 9, a winding country road full of twists and turns. The tight pack of cars turned heads on the road. Guests brought heels and props to model with their cars, soaking up the vibe of the occasion. Smiles were genuine. After a picnic lunch the guests set off to New York City for the last leg of the trip, and a fresh perspective on art motion.