Italy: The Mille Miglia car race

Milan: With nearly a century of competitions under its belt, the annual vintage car race Mille Miglia continues to thrill and amuse car enthusiasts from every corner of the world.

Classic luxury vehicles from world-renowned manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Fiat, Audi, Bmw, Bugatti, Maserati, and Aston Martin can be seen all throughout the four day extravaganza. It is in this time that drivers take the picturesque round-trip drive from Brescia to Rome, making pit stops in scenic Italian cities along the way.

Often regarded as the most beautiful car race in the world, the Mille Miglia continues to rank highly as one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year.

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It all began in March of 1927 when four routine racecar drivers, later referred to as the four Musketeers, decided to create a motor race of their own after feeling slighted by the Gran Premio d’Italia (Italian Grand Prix).

Ideally, they hoped this race would fully embody the imagination of the Italian people while aiding in the creation of more Italian sporting automobiles over time. The original circuit ran straight from Brescia to Rome but in the end it was decided that a return trip back to Brescia was necessary as they did not want to share the glory with Romans. The trip totaled out to be approximately 1600 kilometers or 1,000 miles in total.

In 1941, the competition was forced into a hiatus as World War II was underway. It resumed on 22 June, 1947 after nearly six years. The second suspension happened in 1957 after two fatal car accidents took the lives of one driver and ten spectators, five of which were children watching from the sidelines. Twenty more individuals had been injured.

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It was then that the Italian government declared that enough was enough and banned all motor racing on Italian public roads. It wasn’t until 1977 that the race made an official comeback, utilizing only classic and vintage cars produced before 1957.

The lengthy journey, as mentioned previously, makes twists and turn all throughout Italy. Though spectators may find amusement in watching the timeless cars makes their way through the town, the breathtaking panoramic views along the way would assumingly aid in keeping things interesting for the drivers as well.

The first day starts out in Brescia and then continues to the cities of Desenzano, Sirmione, Valeggio sul Mincio, Mantua, Ferrara, Comacchio and Ravenna, to ultimately end up in Cervia Milano Marittima before night fall.

Day two begins in Cesenatico and then proceeds to Gambettola, Urbino, Corinaldo, Senigallia, Fabriano, Assisi, Perugia, Terni and Rieti finishing up the day at Capital around dusk.

Day three will jump around from Lake Vico to Viterbo, Radicofani, Castiglione d’Orcia, Siena, Vinci, Montecatini, Pistoia and Firenze, crossing the historic Futa and Raticosa passes along the way. The day will conclude in Bologna.

The fourth and final day goes from Modena, Reggio Emilia, Langhirano, Parma, Busseto, Cremona, Carpenedolo, Montichiari and Travagliato, to of course end up back in Brescia at the Viale Venezia.