September is the time of year when the type of tourism in Barga changes slightly.
The frenetic pace of August starts to slow down and people who arrive this month seem to mimic that change -- they too move around the city at a slower pace -- more leisurely -- which fits perfectly the idea of Barga as a slow city.
One of the visitors today to Aristo’s bar in Barga Vecchia was one such example as he and his wife sat down to watch the world go by but behind his sunglasses sat another person who once upon a time was anything but slow -- in fact he was a world class Indianapolis 500 racer until a terrible accident in 1987 resulted in a broken neck which ended his successful racing career.
Dennis Firestone (born 22 July 1944 in Townsville, Australia) is a former CART driver from 1979 to 1987. He was the Rookie of the year in CART 1980 season finishing in 12th in season points, his best season. His best finish in a CART race was a pair of 5th places that year. He made 5 starts in the Indianapolis 500 with a best finish of 10th in 1981, his next best finish being a 12th in 1984.
Since his driving days, he has run a California trucking company
Click on the interview at the end of this article to hear just what series of events brought him to Barga
Dennis Firestone speaking in Barga this morning