Holiday on Mille Miglia route and Pecara GP circuit!!!
Discussion
Although I was born more than 20 years after the last running of the Mille Miglia, I have always been fascinated by it and, in search of a honeymoon destination (!!) we decided on Italy with the idea of driving the Mille Miglia route (and stopping off at some touristy places (Rome, Venice, Verona etc. along the way).
For those who aren't familiar withthe concept, the Mille Miglia was a 1,000 mile raod race from town to town around Italy, starting in Brescia and going up to Rome, before returning to Brescia bya different route. It was a time trial with cars leaving Brescia at one minute intervals(the slowest before midnight, the quickest a couple of hours after dawn). The first race was held in 1927 and the last race took place in 1957.
Having made the decision to do it, we did have to compromise slightly. practicalities of airline routes (Easyjet from Bristol to Rome)(and wanting to spend a couple of days in Rome without a car) meant that our route started and finished in Rome (with Brescia in the middle). However, as far as possible we followed the 1955 route on which Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson triumphed for Mercedes(so vividly described by DSJ in Motorsport). We avoided motorways and completed the route (at a fairly lesirely pace) in 6 1/2 days driving (stopping off to see the sites along the way). In contrast Moss and Jenks finished the route in just over 10 hours at an average of just under 98mph.
Driving the route was amazing, particularly the sections into, and out of Rome. Into Rome, via Popoli, L'Aquila and Rieti was so atmospheric as we wound up into the Abruzzi mountains in our asthmatic Golf 1.6 hire car. Similarly, winding out of Rome, to Siena and through Florence before charging the Raticosa and Futa Passes was equally amazing. Moss managed the winding 65 miles from Florence to Bologna in 1 hour and 1 minute. It took us more than 3 hours of pretty hard driving and completing it 3 times as quickly (even with 300bhp) is almost unimagineable.
Being familiar wiht Cheddar Gorge and Zig Zag Hill here in the south west, the roads all the way from Popoli, into Rome and back out via Siena, Florence and Bologna were like an almost unending combination of the two. Mile after mile of sweeping up and downhill turns and tight hairpin bends , all perfectly cambered (although often badly surfaced). This section of the route probably accounts for about 400 miles of driving.
Strangely, while the traffic flows quickly in the mountains, on the ordinary main roads, progress was often painfully slow and the roads from Bologna, all the way up to Brescia, Verona and Venice (where we spent a couple of nights) and back down to Rimini and Pescara were, frankly quite boring and avery croded with commercial vehicles avoiding paying the tolls onthe motorways ( a lesson there for the UK re. road pricing)
However, the trek down to Pescara was worth it for two reasons. Firstly, it provided the starting point for the charge across the Abruzzi mountains to Rome, but second, and more importantly, it was the location for the Pescara Grand Prix circuit.
The circuit, measuring some 16 miles over public roads, is all still there to be driven by the enthusiastic tourist. Taking in a 4 mile plus straight along the seafront, where the start finish line was situated and where cars would rattlebetween houses and trees at over 170mph, the circuit then turns sharp right before winding up hill out of the town and into the mountains, climbing and twisting almost constantly to the little village of Spoltore, where again, drvers like Moss, Nuvolari and Rosmeyer would have threaded 200mph Grand Prix cars up narrow streets, Monaco style). From Sppoltore, the road winds down, through a sequence of sweepers and hairpins, to the village of Capelle. At Capelle, the road turns right again and there is a long straight back down to the sea. This straight is another 4 miles in length and includes the 'flying kilometre' where Fangio was timed at 192mph in his 1.5 litre supercharged Alfa Romeo 158 in 1951. At the end of the straight the circuit turns right again and after 16 miles of driving you are back to the 15mph crawl of Pescara's central 'strip'.
The circuit was last used in 1961 and hosted only one World Championship Grand Prix (in 1957 - won again by Moss). The story of this race is brilliantly recounted by Richard williams in his book 'The Last Road Race' and the circuit itself was reviewed by Motorsport in November 2001. If you do get to go and visist there is a memorial to the circuit and the drivers who raced there (on the road between Spoltore and Capelle)
The whole trip took 10 days (with 2 nights stay in Rome and 2 in Venice in order to see all the sights). Overall, though I don't think I would do it again, there were bits that I'd definitely like to have another go at and its the sort of pilgimage that all true Pistonheaders should make just once.
For those who aren't familiar withthe concept, the Mille Miglia was a 1,000 mile raod race from town to town around Italy, starting in Brescia and going up to Rome, before returning to Brescia bya different route. It was a time trial with cars leaving Brescia at one minute intervals(the slowest before midnight, the quickest a couple of hours after dawn). The first race was held in 1927 and the last race took place in 1957.
Having made the decision to do it, we did have to compromise slightly. practicalities of airline routes (Easyjet from Bristol to Rome)(and wanting to spend a couple of days in Rome without a car) meant that our route started and finished in Rome (with Brescia in the middle). However, as far as possible we followed the 1955 route on which Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson triumphed for Mercedes(so vividly described by DSJ in Motorsport). We avoided motorways and completed the route (at a fairly lesirely pace) in 6 1/2 days driving (stopping off to see the sites along the way). In contrast Moss and Jenks finished the route in just over 10 hours at an average of just under 98mph.
Driving the route was amazing, particularly the sections into, and out of Rome. Into Rome, via Popoli, L'Aquila and Rieti was so atmospheric as we wound up into the Abruzzi mountains in our asthmatic Golf 1.6 hire car. Similarly, winding out of Rome, to Siena and through Florence before charging the Raticosa and Futa Passes was equally amazing. Moss managed the winding 65 miles from Florence to Bologna in 1 hour and 1 minute. It took us more than 3 hours of pretty hard driving and completing it 3 times as quickly (even with 300bhp) is almost unimagineable.
Being familiar wiht Cheddar Gorge and Zig Zag Hill here in the south west, the roads all the way from Popoli, into Rome and back out via Siena, Florence and Bologna were like an almost unending combination of the two. Mile after mile of sweeping up and downhill turns and tight hairpin bends , all perfectly cambered (although often badly surfaced). This section of the route probably accounts for about 400 miles of driving.
Strangely, while the traffic flows quickly in the mountains, on the ordinary main roads, progress was often painfully slow and the roads from Bologna, all the way up to Brescia, Verona and Venice (where we spent a couple of nights) and back down to Rimini and Pescara were, frankly quite boring and avery croded with commercial vehicles avoiding paying the tolls onthe motorways ( a lesson there for the UK re. road pricing)
However, the trek down to Pescara was worth it for two reasons. Firstly, it provided the starting point for the charge across the Abruzzi mountains to Rome, but second, and more importantly, it was the location for the Pescara Grand Prix circuit.
The circuit, measuring some 16 miles over public roads, is all still there to be driven by the enthusiastic tourist. Taking in a 4 mile plus straight along the seafront, where the start finish line was situated and where cars would rattlebetween houses and trees at over 170mph, the circuit then turns sharp right before winding up hill out of the town and into the mountains, climbing and twisting almost constantly to the little village of Spoltore, where again, drvers like Moss, Nuvolari and Rosmeyer would have threaded 200mph Grand Prix cars up narrow streets, Monaco style). From Sppoltore, the road winds down, through a sequence of sweepers and hairpins, to the village of Capelle. At Capelle, the road turns right again and there is a long straight back down to the sea. This straight is another 4 miles in length and includes the 'flying kilometre' where Fangio was timed at 192mph in his 1.5 litre supercharged Alfa Romeo 158 in 1951. At the end of the straight the circuit turns right again and after 16 miles of driving you are back to the 15mph crawl of Pescara's central 'strip'.
The circuit was last used in 1961 and hosted only one World Championship Grand Prix (in 1957 - won again by Moss). The story of this race is brilliantly recounted by Richard williams in his book 'The Last Road Race' and the circuit itself was reviewed by Motorsport in November 2001. If you do get to go and visist there is a memorial to the circuit and the drivers who raced there (on the road between Spoltore and Capelle)
The whole trip took 10 days (with 2 nights stay in Rome and 2 in Venice in order to see all the sights). Overall, though I don't think I would do it again, there were bits that I'd definitely like to have another go at and its the sort of pilgimage that all true Pistonheaders should make just once.
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