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They call it theworld’s greatest road race, butwhat’s it like toactuallydrive the
route?We foundoutwhenwe tookon theMilleMiglia (minus the racers, of course)
H I G H O C TA N E
T
he ancient Italian city of Brescia has certainly seen
some action over past millennia. Founded by the
Gauls, before being captured by the Romans in
225BC, it was sacked by theHuns, besieged by
Charlemagne in theMiddleAges and has witnessed, at
one time or another, more armies of foreign emperors or
feuding local familiesmarching triumphantly up its grand
thoroughfares than prettymuch any other place on Earth.
But perhaps itsmost exciting recent invasion has taken
place on a tree-lined street calledViale Venezia. As any car
buff will tell you, since 1927 this innocuous-looking stretch
of road has been the starting point for amotoring endurance
contest that has achieved near-mythic status.
Ever since the day when 77 daring souls lined up for the
first time in high-octane, cigar-shaped automobiles, goggles
on, petrol and anticipation in the air, theMilleMiglia race has
captured the imagination of the nation.
Only 54 of those competitorsmanaged to complete the
1,500kmcourse that first year, so dangerous and haphazard
was it. Eager spectators turned out with fiery torches to
illuminate the way and 25,000 soldiers lined the road, as no
one had any idea what would happen if somany cars raced
through the Italian countryside at one time. Theywent from
Brescia to Rome and back again, in a figure of eight through
the villages of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. It
was a huge success – and it made household names of the
devilishly handsome drivers.
The first winner, GiuseppeMorandi, finished in just over
21 sleepless hours, averaging a speed of 77kph – nomean feat
given the state of many Italian roads at the time. Other
Words
ADRIANMOURBY
MILAN
TRAVELLER
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