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heroes have also emerged over the years, such as Tazio
Nuvolari. In 1930, he kept his headlamps off so that the lead
car couldn’t see himgaining until the very last moment,
when he threwon his lights and accelerated to be first
across the finish line. It alsomade the name of companies
such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati andOM, the Brescia-based
manufacturer that won the first race. “This is the world’s
greatest road race,” declared Enzo Ferrari – and he should
know: between 1948 and 1957, his cars were first to cross the
finish line on the Viale Venezia on eight occasions.
And that’s where I findmyself on a warmsummer day: in
Brescia and preparing to take on the routemyself (or at least
the first leg down to Rome). It’s been a long-held dreamof
mine to follow theMilleMiglia and now seems a fitting time
to attempt it – on the 90th anniversary of the race’s inception.
In 1922, two ItalianCounts, Maggi andMazzotti, both racing
fans, discovered that their town of Brescia was to be dropped
as the location of the ItalianGrand Prix. Instead, Monza
would host it, as it has done ever since. So shockedwere they,
that they started to plot their revenge: a rival race to outdo the
Grand Prix. After five years of planning, theMiglia was born.
There is amuseumon the outskirts of this city that
bears testament to these early days, a huge, oldmonastery
emblazonedwith the famous red-and-whiteMilleMiglia
logo (
museomillemiglia.it
). Inside, you’ll find photos from
the early race days: men in flat caps lining the route, drivers
in leather helmets and goggles, lots of dust and no crash
barriers. There are also tributes to the race’s great driving
legends: AlbertoAscari, whose death at the wheel brought
his home city ofMilan to a standstill; Piero Taruffi, whowent
on towrite
TheTechnique ofMotor Racing
, a classic text;
andGianninoMarzotto, who competed – andwon – wearing
a double-breasted suit. Upstairs, in beautiful condition,
lives a collection of winning cars – a Lancia Spider, Ferrari
Berlinetta, Alfa Romeo 8Cand theOM665 from1927.
On the day of the race itself, all the cars crowd into the
delicate Renaissance Piazza della Loggia to be admired by
enthusiasts, before setting off at 6.45pmdownViale Venezia.
InMay, when the race normally takes place, this tree-lined,
residential street is full of cheering spectators. Its great
appeal is its 1.5km length, so bystanders get to see each and
every car. However, no one comes towatchme andmy little
hire car head off in the direction ofMantua.
It takes a while to shake off Brescia, but once I hit the
countryside, views of the wide, flat plain; bright green
fields of sweetcorn, and tall, old farmhouses flash by. At the
small terracotta town of Guidizzolo, I stop by a roadside
monument that commemorates a terrible crash in 1957, when
a 4.2l Ferrari overturned, taking the lives of nine spectators
and slicing the driver, Count Alfonso de Portago, and his
navigator in two. Thememorial praises “the hot, humble,
innocent life of heroes”. It was after this disaster that the race
was banned for the second time due to the danger posed to
spectators.
Yet, despite the obvious dangers, the attraction of the
event remains a strong one. “I have followed theMille
On the day of the race itself, all the cars crowd into delicate
Renaissance Piazza della Loggia to be admired
MILAN
The year of the first MilleMiglia
(ThousandMile) car race
Number of people killed in the race
between 1927 and 1957
Length in kilometres of the original
race, fromBrescia to Rome and back
STAY
DowntownMilan’s five-starHotel PrincipeDi Savoia has
classically designed, spacious rooms.
Book onlineat hotels.easyjet.com
easyJet
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from43 destinations. See our
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1,500
56
1927
MILAN
NEED TO KNOW
TRAVELLER
85