Nestled between the kebab shops and knockoff purse stands across from Rome’s Termini station is a rather unassuming auto parts store. It seems like an oddball place for car parts: tourists getting their first glimpse of the Eternal City are looking for currency exchangers and shady Internet cafes rather than woodgrain Nardi three-spoke steering wheels for a ’68 Duetto. But if you’re one of the slightly deranged individuals that is, then proprietor Renato Straffi of Autoricambi d’Epoca Giolitti is your man.
Incidentally, Ricardo runs an automobile restoration company, Scuderia Automobile, which explains his fine collection—lesser men would shy away from such expensive machinery, but here was someone who routinely stared Italian repair bills in the face and laughed. And if you somehow find yourself in Rome, chasing down an Alfasud Sprint Quadrifoglio Verde (hey, it could happen) purchased in secret from a guy who knows a guy who worked at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant during the strike of ’79, then Giolitti is worth the visit, even for an Alfa Romeo keychain.