Brescia and its great race: The places and people of the Mille Miglia

By AA. VV.

An original look at the great epic of the Mille Miglia, "the most beautiful race in the world", told here through the places that, in the city of Brescia, saw the unbridled passion for the racing cars of the "Freccia Rossa" born and developed, from the first edition of 1927 to the current, fascinating historical re-enactments. The stamping of the cars in corso Magenta and at the Foro Boario, then in piazza della Vittoria and piazza della Loggia; departures and arrivals in viale Venezia, via Duca degli Abruzzi, via Triumplina; the places of socialization and conviviality, such as the Taverna Mille Miglia in Corso Cavour. Faces, streets, squares of the race of yesterday and today come back alive and frenetic thanks to a synthetic chronological reconstruction, illustrated by many unpublished images and enriched by the biographies of the main protagonists of Brescia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grafo Edizioni
• Release date: Oct 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9791220204255

Book preview

Cover: Mille Miglia in Piazza Loggia - Brescia.

© Grafo – gestione IGB Group

june 2020

Photos:

Archivio Club Mille Miglia

Archivio Paolo Mazzetti

Archivio Grafo

Alberto Sorlini

BRESCIA

and its great race

The places and people of the Mille Miglia

edited by Paolo Mazzetti and Alberto Armanini

g r a f o

This brief guide to the places of the Mille Miglia and its key players got its start from what is now a precious special 1986 issue of the magazine AB Atlante Bresciano, which saw the collaboration of major writers known also for their connection to the most beautiful race in the world.

First and foremost comes Manuel Vigliani, Giornale di Brescia’s minstrel of the Mille Miglia, a nickname earned for having been among the most authoritative reporters of the events connected with the Red Arrow, after having worked in the press office of the race organised by the Brescia Automobile Club.

His text, supplemented by brief comments, are quoted in these pages, as does the text by Bruno Boni, chairman of the Province of Brescia that year, who is also remembered as the Mayor of the Mille Miglia.

The 1986 issue of AB also contained an article by Nico Ranzanici, the then chairman of the Brescia Automobile Club, in which he recounts what that epic event meant for the Brescian association. This book, published to mark the 2018 Mille Miglia, would not be complete without an update by its current chairman, Piergiorgio Vittorini.

In keeping with Grafo’s great publishing tradition with focus on Brescia, this book pays tribute to our city, with an unprecedented survey of the places linked to the Red Arrow, and with the memories of all the illustrious descendants of the Lioness of Italy who, in various ways and for various reasons, have written the most important chapters of the history of this race – the one and only race that can boast of being made in Brescia.

Paolo Mazzetti

The city of the Mille Miglia

Where the Brescia people brought a dream to life

Piergiorgio Vittorini

Chairman of the Brescia Automobile Club

We have to be grateful to Grafo because it gives us testimonies to the beauty of our city and province, with the undeniable strength of truth without rhetoric.

The current initiative to revisit locations connected with the Red Arrow and its protagonists is further proof of journalistic sensitivity and topicality. In reality there are easily identifiable ‘locations’ - a street, a square or a view. Then there are ‘locations’ marked by the understanding of those who experienced them, with the ability to intensify meanings that transcend mere topography. In this respect the Mille Miglia is a story of events and dates, apparently limited to sports reports, but the Mille Miglia is also a story about the people who created, wanted and designed it, and drew admiration from the whole world. In this respect the memory of our fellow citizens is regenerated in the memory of something to which we have been proud witnesses.

It will therefore be easy to rediscover never-forgotten creativity and resourcefulness in the images of those natives of Brescia with the physical distinctiveness of the places where the race passed through.

That enthusiasm and strong desire to create something beautiful to share must also belong to those who followed the adventure in a more modest manner. With its new publishing initiative, Grafo has documented the solid legacy of those protagonists, guiding us along the way to recognising them and where their dreams materialised, and enabling us to glimpse new ‘finish lines’, by combining the commitment of then with the plans of today.

A poster of the 1907 Florio Cup.

The long beginning of a great tradition

From the late 19th-century car races to the Mille miglia

by Alberto Armanini

Monza, Arese, Maranello, Imola, Misano, Borgo Panigale, Mugello. Usually when talking about the sport of Italian motor racing the names of the drivers, the most famous brands and the most well-known competitions are associated with these and a few other towns. Without due reference to the legend of the Mille Miglia and its historic revival, Brescia seems to occupy a marginal place in the minds of enthusiasts.

Yet the ‘Lioness of Italy’ can boast a glorious motoring tradition, a fascinating past, and a story so old it could almost seem legendary. The tone reflects the magnificence of the event and not the didactic aspect of the historiography. The names of the protagonists and the events seem to have been taken from fiction more than the reported facts.

What follows is a brief history of motor car racing in the Brescia region. A decision was made to reintroduce a piece written in 1986 for Grafo by the journalist Manuel Vigliani, one of the Mille Miglia storytellers who died in 1993¹, to prevent sources being corrupted and details being added, thus contributing to the legend.

Vigliani’s story starts with a date - 14 March 1899. It’s the day of the first motor racing competition ever to take place in the province of Brescia.

March 1899 was important for the history of cars in the Brescia region. On the 14th an exceptional car race took place on the Verona, Brescia, Mantua, Verona route.

This car race was a proper spectacle - the