Audi 2014 Annual Report Download - page 131

MILAN
PHOTOS : Heike Kaufhold, Yvonne Zagermann, Angelika Schwa , AUDI AG
The journey is the reward – especially
when you have the chance to travel in a
new, but freshly run-in, Misano red Audi
S Sportback. So I was thrilled about
each one of the more than , kilo-
meters that I would drive during my
four-day trip to the Italian metropolis
of Milan and back.
I set o in the morning a little late,
so I stay on the highway for almost the
entire  kilometers, since both the
Gotthard Pass and the San Bernardino
Pass are already closed for the winter.
Experience the S only on the highway ?
That wouldn’t do justice to quattro ! So I
decide to look in advance for an interest-
ing alternative for the drive back. Just
before the border with Switzerland, I am
sort of forced to “adorn” the S with
a toll sticker, which is attracted almost
magnetically to the windshield. And
a tiny bit crooked as a result. Argh ! A
quick stop at beautiful Lake Lucerne
to take in the Alpine panorama as the
daylight slowly dwindles away.
Then it’s time to head back to the car
quickly and o I go again. I don’t get
through completely without tra c jams.
In the evening rush-hour tra c, I take my
place in the massive line of cars that creeps
through downtown Milan. At : p.m.
I drive up to the hotel, Townhouse ,
unload and park the little sportster safely
in the underground garage.
Milan is surely picturesque under a blue
sky, but I get to experience its gray yet
no less lovely side. Two days of nonstop
rain, and a strike by Milan’s municipal
public transport workers to boot. My de-
cision : perfect conditions for me to free
the S from the underground parking
garage and, with its help, or rather that
of the optional Audi connect system,
an additional SIM card and a pre-booked
Travelpass, to treat myself to a tour of
downtown.
The fascinating thing for me about
Milan is not only the many shops, bars
and restaurants, the crowds teeming
until late into the night and the old
canals in Navigli, but also the narrow,
winding alleyways and old houses that
give the city an imposing face.
On the way back I am able to take
the S to a place where it feels at home,
thanks to quattro. A good two hours
out of Milan, I drive past Lago Maggiore
via the Simplon Pass at an altitude of up
to , meters.
Peaceful
Stylish and comfortable :
the hotel Townhouse 31
Lunch
God Save The Food : a favorite
restaurant for locals
Fully connected
Audi connect o ers perfect navigation
with the help of Google Earth™ and
Google Street View™
Siesta
A short break in
the Tortona district
Delicacies
All kinds of vegetables and fresh fish
can be found at the Via Fauche market
Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report