What was once a single-day event now spans five days. And the original 1,000 miles from Brescia to Roma and back now cover more than 2,000 kilometers. Change has come to the Mille Miglia, but the icons of man and machine endure.
The 2023 Mille Miglia began with a flyover up Brescia’s Viale Venezia from the Frecce Tricolore, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, with 417 historic automobiles each waiting for their own official start.
A little rain in Brescia couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds and the drivers in the opening kilometers.
The first-day parade through Brescia passed the landmark Piazza della Loggia. The Mille Miglia is the biggest annual event in Brescia, but a local man and his bicycle reminded everyone that he’ll be here long after the cars have gone.
The art and architecture of Ferrara give this UNESCO World Heritage city its character. The cars on the cobblestones added to the local color.
Looking down from above on these beautiful 1930s-vintage BMW 328s gives you a different perspective on the cars cruising through Ferrara.
On to Siena, where vintage Bugattis navigated the narrow, steep streets, leading to a breathtaking break at Piazza del Campo.
Even in the midst of the Mille Miglia, life went on in Siena. Shops and restaurants that lined the corsa did a brisk business on the day the cars cruised by.
Milan’s historic Piazza del Duomo was set up as a checkpoint for the cars of the Mille Miglia, as the autos arrived in the fading light of day, all lininup to be recognized and admired.
After the 2,200 kilometers had been covered, and the 34 Passage Controls, 23 Time Controls, 144 Time Trials and 8 Average Trials (with 25 secret detections) scored and stamped, the 1929 #50 Alfa Romeo 6C Zagato team of Andrea Vesco and Fabio Salvinelli were declared the winners of the 2023 Mille Miglia. For Vesco, it’s his fourth consecutive victory. And for Salvinelli, it’s his third.
There are more iconic images of the 2023 Mille Miglia in the following gallery.
Mille Miglia 2023 Gallery
