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Mille Miglia vintage car rally comes to Rome

By: Wanted in Rome

Date:

15 May, 2019

Annual vintage car rally arrives in Rome on 16 May 2019.

A fleet of 430 classic and vintage cars arrives in Rome on the evening of Thursday 16 May, in the 2019 edition of the Mille Miglia rally between the northern Italian city of Brescia and the capital.

One of the world’s oldest car rallies, the Mille Miglia began in 1927, taking place 24 times until 1957 and bringing international fame to luxury sports cars such as Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche.

The 1,743-km Mille Miglia has been a regularity race since 1977, meaning that it is more of a rally than a contest, with precise average speeds maintained throughout. It is designed exclusively for classic and vintage cars, 430 of which are expected to arrive in Rome on 16 May before departing again the next day.

Teams come from all over the world, and the race is only open to cars produced before 1957 and selected from the models which took part in the original race.

The round-trip route between Brescia and Rome is similar to that of the original race, with the cars leaving Brescia on 16 May. The cars are expected to arrive in Rome on 16 May at about 20.45 on Via Veneto - where automobile enthusiasts traditonally gather to admire the spectacle - before continuing the journey the following morning.

Commuters should note that the cars' arrival has resulted in the closure of Via Veneto and the re-routing of several bus services.

For those wishing to catch a glimpse of the cars passing through Rome after Via Veneto, here is their route: Piazza Barberini, Via del Tritone, Via del Corso, Piazza Venezia, Via del Teatro Marcello, Via Petroselli, Piazza Bocca della Verità, Via del Circo Massimo, Viale Aventino, Piazza di Porta Capena, Viale Terme di Caracalla, Via Cristoforo Colombo, Viale del Pattinaggio and the Viadotto della Magliana, until their arrival at the Sheraton Hotel.

For full programme details see the Mille Miglia website.