In Brescia, the Museum celebrates the “most beautiful race in the world”, as Enzo Ferrari defined it, a historic car competition that from 1927 to 1957 saw competing cars that have become legends today, from Mercedes 300 SL to Porsche 356.
The Mille Miglia was a speed race that took place for 24 editions with start and finish in Brescia, crossing central-northern Italy to Rome and back.
The Mille Miglia route wound along a “figure eight” shaped track for a total of about 1,000 miles, hence the name, passing through breathtaking landscapes, villages and countryside.
A unique and fascinating travelling museum, set up in an extraordinary setting of a cheering public.
(Enzo Ferrari)
A competition that has become legendary throughout the world because it was born in the golden age of the Italian automotive industry, just think that Ferrari was born in 1947, among drivers as famous as movie stars, the thrill of danger, and dream cars.
The initiative to create a Museum dedicated to the Red Arrow, one of the symbols of the race, was desired and made concrete by the Associazione Museo della Mille Miglia Città di Brescia, established by Brescian entrepreneurs “friends of the Mille Miglia” in December 1996.
The Museum opened to the public in 2004 inside the fascinating monastic complex of Sant’Eufemia, located at the gates of the city center, and houses, thanks to the commitment of private collectors and the collaboration with other historic car museums including the Mercedes-Benz Museum, various jewels on four wheels.
From the Mercedes 300 SL ‘Ali di Gabbiano’ to the Porsche 356, from the OM 665 known as the “superb” to the Lancia Aurelia B20.
The Monastery, in addition to hosting the museum route, also offers visitors an excellent bar restaurant with typical dishes of Brescia cuisine and a shop where you can buy many objects related to the myth of the Mille Miglia.
In 1977, the Mille Miglia was reborn as a regularity race for historic cars, maintaining the charm and tradition of the original race. Only vehicles built before December 31, 1957 and belonging to a car model that took part in at least one edition of the 1000 Miglia from 1927 to 1957 can enter the event.
An event made even more famous by many illustrious participants, including legendary former drivers such as Jacky Ickx, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and international celebrities such as actor Jeremy Irons and Nick Mason, drummer of the Pink Floyd band.
The Mille Miglia Museum is a unique opportunity to admire some of the most beautiful cars in the world and enter the legend of a race that is absolutely one of a kind.
The Secret
The Mille Miglia was cancelled in 1957 following the tragic accident in Guidizzolo in which 11 spectators, the driver Alfonso de Portago and the navigator Edmund Gurner Nelson at the wheel of a Ferrari 335 S lost their lives; an episode also recounted in the film Ferrari by Michael Mann dedicated to the life of Enzo Ferrari.
Useful Info
Museo Mille Miglia
Viale della Bornata 123
25135 Sant’Eufemia della Fonte, Brescia
Tel. +39 030 3365631
Entrance: 10 euro, reduced 8 euro, for other promotions see the Museum website
