Despite being the capital of the country which has produced more beautiful, desirable cars than any other, Rome has not hosted a concours d’elegance since 1960. The Anantara Concorso Roma planned to change that last year, but it was cancelled at short notice as the Eternal City mourned the passing of Pope Francis. But a year’s delay will make the inaugural event even bigger and better than was originally planned. It finally takes place on April 18 and 19, and Robb Report was given an exclusive preview of the new event and its venues.

Fittingly, the new concours will only feature Italian cars, with 68 on display in the gardens of the Villa Borghese, one of Rome’s most beautiful green spaces with views across the city. Restricting the entrants to domestic models doesn’t limit the quality or variety, given that they’re Italian. The concours’ 11 classes run from Zagato-bodied Alfas from the 1920s to the Ferrari 499P—the latter winning Le Mans three times a century later. Other standout cars include two more Le Mans–winning Prancing Horses, the 1963 Ferrari 275P Fantuzzi and the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM.

The stunning 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B is another star turn: it won this year’s prestigious Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Award, chosen annually from the cars which won the previous year’s most recognized concours events around the world. This new event will be aiming to join those ranks.

In addition to the headline cars, there will be a knowing selection of more left-field, rare-groove Italian makers represented, including vehicles from Bizzarrini, Siata, and Cisitalia. A 1993 Bugatti EB 110 GT sneaks in as the marque, French by origin, was made in Italy at the time. And there’s even a Fiat in the form of the one-off 1957 500 Spider Allemano.

The event is the brainchild of Bill Heinecke, founder of the Minor International hotel group and a longtime classic-car collector. The group’s gorgeous Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome is the event’s headquarters and main source of accommodations. Packages to stay at the Anantara or Minor International’s other Rome hotels sold out fast to collectors and concours regulars, but tickets to the event itself are still available at €95 (approximately $110) per day.

The names associated with the new concorso also suggest that it will be worth the entry fee. The chief judge is Dr. Adolfo Orsi, scion of the family which once controlled Maserati, assisted by honorary judges Lorenzo Ramaciotti—the legendary Pininfarina and Fiat designer—and Jean Todt, former Ferrari C.E.O. and president of the FIA. Exhibitors include Nicola Bulgari, who keeps part of his vast car collection in an underground garage in central Rome, and sponsors include Swiss bank UBS, Gulfstream, Richard Mille, and RM Sotheby’s.

Jeremy Jackson-Sytner, the event’s director and known as “Mr. Concours,” also helped establish the stateside exhibition ModaMiami and the “royal” concours, which was first held at Windsor Castle. “The appeal of this event is going to be Rome, at every level,” noted Jackson-Sytner, when asked how this concours will differ from the others he has curated. “It’s the magic of Rome, the Romans, their appreciation of Italian cars, their love of antiquity, the lifestyle of Rome— including the food—and having the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi as a base.”

What Jackson-Sytner also considers a key component to its success is the event’s accessibility and convenient location. “We’re also lucky because we’re right in the center of the city,” he mentions. “Very few events like this are held in the center of the capitol. People are going to come here for far more than just the cars.”

Click here for more photos previewing the Anantara Concorso Roma.