BalloonLife,November 1999

Imaginewakingupina900-year-old
former convent turned hotel, driving down
toalocalcoffeeshoptotalkaboutthe
morning’s weather with English, Germans
andItalians. Aftermakingadeci-
sion to fly, picture casually launch-
ing from a field surrounded by sun-
flowers,thencontourflyingupa
thousand foot hill over olive groves,
vineyards,andfinallyatthetop,
over a medieval town.Ifthis sounds
appealing,then the Italian Interna-
tionalBalloonGrandPrixmaybe
the rally for you.
Every year, around the middle
of July,thirtytoseventy-five bal-
loonsgrace the Italian countryside
justoutside thehilltownof Todi.
TheItalianInternationalBalloon
Grand Prix lasts for 10 days, and is
filled with events forpilots and crew.
TheItalianInternationalBal-
loonGrandPrixwasfoundedby
ItaliannativeRalphShaw.After
receivinganeducationinLondon,
RalphreturnedtoItalywherehe
became involved in aviation. Ralph
wasev entu al lyap proachedby
Buddy Bombard who asked him to
assist in the management of Buddy’s
Siennabasedballoo nco mpany .
Ralphrecalls,“Isaid—waithere,
I’veneverseenaballoonbefore,
butIstayedwithhima coupleof
monthsandreallyenjoyedit.Alotof
Sienna would absolutely standstill when
Buddy’sballoonswentpast.”Thatwas
backin 1979,now Ralphhas a commer-
cial ballooning business as well as promo-
tional contractwithLandRover.
Ralph started the Italian International
BalloonGrandPrixbackin1987.“We
startedoff with 5 balloons, it was a three
day event and took place inJune. After a
fewyearstherallywasmovedtomid
July.” Summer usually brings ideal flying
weather,andbymidJuly,thecornand
wheat fields have been cut providing lots
of landing spots.
TheGrandPrixwentfromeleven

participants to twenty-three and eventu-
ally shot up to around sixty-three bal-
loons, and now boasts being the largest
and only significant balloon rally in Italy.

Pilotsfromallovertheworldattend,
includingrepresentationfromCanada,
Norway, the United States, Great Britain,
Luxembourg, Belgium,Germany and Po-
land.Ofcourse,balloonistsalsocome
fromItalyandtheadjacentcountriesof
France, Austria andSwitzerland.
The GrandPrix iskickedoffwitha
night-glow inRome in front of the Coli-
seum and along the Via dei Fori Imperiali,
a roadthatparallelsthe heartofancient
Rome.Fromhere,youinflateastone’s
throw from the rostrumwhere Marc An-
thony eulogized Julius Caesar. The area is
filled with people from all nations and all
walksoflife.Onemomentyoumaybe

surroundedbyMiddleEasterntourists
andthenextmomentagroupofItalian
nuns.
Thenight-glowisfollowedbyan
officialrestday,allowingallthe
pilotstospendalateeveningin
Rome.Manyro manrestaurants
don’tevenbeginfillingupuntil
9:00 PM. Then after dinner you will
be temptedtostrollbyRome’s fa-
mous monuments and churches, or
rest and have a drink around apopu-
lar Plaza like the Campo de Fiori or
Piazza Navona.
Althoughthelocationofthe
night-glow isunique,whatmakes
the Grand Prix special is where you
fly. The Grand Prix is held at Todi,
asmallmedievaltownlocatedin
the Umbrian region ofItaly between
Rome and Florence, both of which
arelessthanatwo-hourdriveby
car. How many rallies allow you to
flyover picturesque countryside in
the morning and then view master-
pieceslikeMichelangelo’sDavid
inFlorenceorhisPietainRome
duringthe afternoon?
If a busycityisnotwhat you
are looking for,consider closer des-
tinations, such Assisi, once home to
St.Francisth efo und erofthe
Franciscanorder;Spoleto,siteof
Italy’sInternationalJazzFestival,
where musicis still performedinanan-
cientRomantheater;orOrvieto,acity
perchedonatabletopofvolcanicrock
whose sheer sides fall a thousand feet to a
vineyard covered valley floor. For a real
treat,spendtheafternooninthequiet
town of Civita di Bagnoregro, perched on
an 800-foot pillar of rock in the middle of
a valleythatlooksmoreliketheGrand
CanyonthanItaliancountryside.Civita
was founded by the Etruscans over 2,500
years,andhasbeenslowlycrumbling
away ever since.
EachflightnearToditakesplace
aroundrolling hills filledwithvineyards
andolivetrees.Whenthewindblows

Ballooning Italian Style

by Larry Nelson

BalloonLife,November1999

from the south, all the balloonsfloat over
Todi. You can hear the bells of the local
churchesringout as youflyoverthe
town’smedievalwallsand centralpiazza,
the view is a snapshot in time from the
middle ages. If the winds come up from
the north, you will pass over at least one
castle,breathtakingfields ofblooming
sunflowers, and land near one of several
small hillcommunities.
The town of Todi is fascinating, and
many balloonistsspend a week justwalk-
ing alongits narrowstreets and stone
stairs. Tired crews lounge by one of the
many swimming pools perchedon the
hillsidelookingover milesof countryside
as they drink the excellent wines of the
region. Alocalwinery,CantinaTudernum
will fill your5 gallon jug with avery
decent white orredwinewitha“gas
station”like pump for about 5 U.S. Dol-
lars.Onenative was heard to boast in
broken English“in Italy there are always
twothingsyoucancounton, agood cupof
coffee and a great glass of wine!”
During the balloon festival, Todi is
alive with events includinglight and mu-
sic shows held in the local town hall and
central piazza.Therearealso special
events thrown exclusively for the spon-
sors, pilots and crews during the festival.
The firsteventisa cateredwelcomeparty.
Each pilot is given a pilot pack full of
unique local products. While other rallies
might give jackets or buttons as a wel-
come gift, here, each participant receives
five bottlesoflocalwine and handpainted
pottery. This year each group received a
16” diameter platterhand painted with
balloonsand a view of Todifrom the air -
made just for the rally. Next year a large
vase or urn ispromised. The qualityofthe
pottery is exceptional, reflecting the fact
thatthe worldfamouspottery of Deruta is
made about 20 miles north of Todi.
In the middle of the week,a local
businessmaninvitesallthepilotsandtheir
crewsto his‘villa’ for dinner. Uponarriv-
ing, a torch-lined walkway leads you to a
buffet of gourmet food, accompanied by
allthe wine youcan drink, live music and
dancing. What about the next morning?
No problem, the party is followed by an
official day of rest. Get up late and visit
Florence, Rome or just hang around the
pool.
The attitude of the residents of Todi
can best be described as nonchalant. So

far, therallyseemsto bemoreforballoon-
iststhan for locals, and you will only see
a handful of spectators in the mornings.
Localcrew is scarce, so bring your own if
possible.Ontheotherhand,therally
brags that it has zero forbidden landing
areas, i.e. “red zones,”andwhen youland
you are often greeted witha warm invita-
tionto join the family for a cup of coffee,
some wine and food. Pilotsare often in-
vited tocomebackandstaywith the
landowner on their next visit.
Althoughthe Italian Grand Prixdoes
have at least one “fly in competition”the
atmosphere is more like one big relaxing
event. Shaw remarks, “what’s been suc-
cessful at this rally is that it’s very laid
back, balloon teams come here and they
know they can do their own thing.”
AlthoughtheItalianInternational
Balloon Grand Prix might sound like the
perfect ballooning vacation, it’s not for
everyone. First, there is the cost of trans-
porting your balloon to Italy. If you’re a
European,then beready forexpensive
tolls and a long drive, but for an Ameri-
can,expect to pay costly unsubsidized
shippingfees. Although,the Italian Grand
Prix does pay for unlimited propane, it
does not reimburse for rooms or travel
expenses.Beware,thewinemaybe
cheaper thanthe gasoline! Also,Italy, like
every country, has it’s own standard of
organization, and that standard may be
different than what you would expect at
home. Finally,Italyin Julycan be hotand
humid, so be prepared to sweat and bring
lotsof suntan lotion.
So what’s instorefornextyear?

Since 2000 isalso the year of the Jubilee,
Ralph Shaw is currently in negotiations
with the V atican to setup a night glow in
front of Saint Peter’sCathedral. Thiswill
probably be the only time balloonistwill
begranted such an opportunity. Shaw
expectsatleasta hundred balloons for his
year 2000 Grand Prix. “I’ve already gota
lotofteamsinthe filesthatare sayingthey
are coming for 2000.”Ralphalsoplans on
gettingthelocalcommunitymoreinvolved
in the 2000 festival. “Next year we are
going to concentrate more on the public,
but this won’t beat the expense of the
pilots.”Ralphplansonhavingatleastfive
parties duringnext year’sevent, severalat
local villas.
Ifgreatlocalwineandweather,
coupled with seeing some of the world’s
finest art and architecture sound appeal-
ing, then the Italian International Balloon
Grand Prix might just be the ballooning
event for you. RalphShaw can be reached
by postatV iale PrimoMaggio, Todi - Pg
- Italy 23-06059 or by fax telephone at 39
(075)8444480.Formore informationvisit
theGrandePrixwebsiteathttp:/
www . a ssind. pe r ugia . it/ ba lloon /
balo_ing.htm.

Opposite pa ge:Balloons prepared for
launch near Todi, Italy.
Below:Balloons fly over the hilltop town
of Todi.
Inset:Night glow in Rome.