Italian News Headlines 05-12-2024: A museum dedicated to Lord Byron is set to open in a house in Ravenna, where the English poet conducted a love affair with the aristocratic owner's wife --- Via Montenapoleone, in Milan, has overtaken New York's Fifth Avenue, to become the most expensive retail destination in 2024, according to a report be real estate group, Cushman & Wakefield --- Matilde Lorenzi, 19 year old Italian junior ski champion, has died following a crash while training in northern Italy --- Italian doctors in Turin have saved the sight of a baby in a surgical procedure that used 3D technology in a world first --- Italian yacht, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, loses to Ineos Brittania in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup Challenger Series in Barcelona --- Salvatore (Totò) Schillaci, FIFA World Cup winner in 1990, has died at the age of 59. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022 --- Charles Leclerc wins at Monza for Ferrari in Italian F1 Grand Prix --- 7 dead as luxury, Italian-built superyacht sinks off the north coast of Sicily --- Controversy as tennis no.1, Jannik Sinner, is cleared of doping charges

Mille Miglia

Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia (‘Thousand Miles’) was an open-road, motorsport endurance race which ran from 1927 to 1957. Since 1977, the race has been unofficially reborn as the Rally 1000 Miglia, a race on asphalt roads for vintage cars no longer than 1957 who were registered to partake in the original race.

In December 1926, just after the end of the Second World War, young Counts Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotti decided to formulate a response to the decision to move the Italian Grand Prix from Brescia to Monza.

They joined forces with wealthy friends - motoring journalist Giovanni Canestrini and sports manager Renzo Castagneto - to bankroll a race. They chose a route from Brescia to Rome and back, a route roughly 1,600 km (1,000 miles), in a figure of eight.

In March 1927, they were already ready to start. Seventy-seven Italian men took part in the first race, of which fifty-one made it to the finishing line. The winner of the so-christened Cua della Mille Miglia (‘Cup of a Thousand Miles’) was Giuseppe Morandi who completed the course in 21 hours and 5 minutes, reaching a top speed of 78 km/h.

Famous Italian racing driver Tazio Nuvolari won the 1930 race in an Alfa Romeo, seeing off rival Achille Varzi at the last minute. Whilst the race began with solely Italian racers, foreign drivers and cars were introduced. The first foreign winner was in 1931 when famous German Grand Prix racer Rudolf Caracciola broke 100 km/h in the race for the first time.

The race was not without its controversies, however. In 1938, a car accident caused facilities in several spectators. This caused Benito Mussolini to halt the race for a year, before resuming in 1940 with a new route. The founders devised a circuit between Brescia, Cremona and Mantua, which participants had to complete nine times to reach the required one thousand miles. This gave birth to the Grand Prix Brescia des Mille Miglia.

After the Second World War, the route was changed again to one single route throughout Italy. However, between 1947 and 1949 the race was again halted for a variety of reasons ranging from broken roads to a pause in the production of new cars.

However, 1950 to 1957 was the race’s most prestigious era. Global manufacturers such as Porsche and Mercedez-Benz started to take the race seriously and sent over their best drivers to try and win.

Legendary British driver Stirling Moss took part in the 1955 race alongside Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio who would eventually set a world record for winning the World Championship of Drivers five times, a feat only to be beaten by Michael Schumacher decades later.

In 1956, Stirling Moss broke the speed record, clocking 157.65 km/h. However, the following year, two fatal car crashes saw the competition finish forever.

The Best Italian Handmade Gifts
Direct From Italy

Syringa Bracelet - An elegant, three strand bracelet

More Details

Other pages you might like
Newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive our free newsletter, 'I Love Italy'. It provides a captivating glimpse into the allure of 'The Bel Paese', containing extracts from our most recent articles, a window on Italian news, fashion, music and culture, useful information for visiting and living in Italy as well as our latest, delicious Italian recipes.

Subscribers are also entitled to a 10% discount on purchases from our sister-site, Italy Gifts Direct.

We will not use your email address for any other purpose or pass it on to any other organisation and you can unsubscribe from this service at any time.