All roads lead to Rome, said the car guard, grinning. He was clearly North African, spoke with a delightful French inflection and was obviously amused at my not knowing how to find my way out of the confusing new shopping mall.
I laughed and followed his directions, piloting the divine Alfa MiTo towards the exit.
I thought, too, how much nicer it would've been had I really been following a road to Rome, breezing along the scenic route from Umbria, say, from Perugia perhaps, or maybe Assisi.
Instead, I was confined to the highways and byways of kwaZulu-Natal, but it was enough for the Mito to cast its spell over me.
The Italians have much to boast about. Think Italian cuisine. And opera. How about composers and artists?
Their clothes designers, architecture... and now this new, sporty little three-door super-mini.
Forget that it doesn't look like a traditional Alfa. It's small, it's unusual, it's way cleverer than many other cars around and then, the cherry on the top, it's an Alfa!
What you're getting is something radically different: unique styling and a premium three-door 1400cc compact with revolutionary handling DNA. At the flip of a switch on the centre console you can move from dynamic, to normal, to all-weather modes.
DNA, geddit?
What this does is affect your throttle response, brakes, gearbox and suspension. Essentially, you go from normal to "windgat" in a split second.
The all-weather mode is geared to conditions more severe than we experience in South Africa but I used it during a severe thunderstorm in Durban and certainly felt a whole lot more comfortable driving home.
I loved the car. With its surprised-looking face and those round headlights, stylish and frameless windows, 17" alloy rims, LED tail lights, two rear exhausts (so butch!), seven crash bags (the odd one protects the driver's knees), fully adjustable steering wheel with remote stereo controls, traction and stability control and hill hold, there's little missing from this package.
There's also an eye-catching carbon-fibre fascia.
STRANGELY FAMILIAR
It's the perfect size for a woman - any woman - and if that sounds gender-biased, tough takkie. It parks anywhere, the seats are fabulous, the six-speed gearbox is smooth and typically Alfa and, despite it being a small car, there's enough space for two adults in the rear.
It also felt strangely familiar: closing my eyes momentarily, it was like sitting in my Giulietta back in the 1980's. That same comfortable, made-for-me feeling with everything exactly in the right place, despite being aeons apart in technology.
A brilliant drive, despite the 1.4 engine, superb handling on KZN's notorious bends and sweeping curves, and an engine note impressive enough to keep even my junior petrol-head daughter happy.
Launch price R228 500, but it's just gone up to R241 000. The Mito is delivered with a six-year or 90 000km service plan.