Exhibition "MILLE MIGLIA NON STOP"
28/6/2024 - 1/9/2024 10:00 a.m.
Lonato Castle
Lonato Castle
When in 1926 Giovanni Canestrini, Franco Mazzotti, Aymo Maggi and Renzo Castagneto
conceived the Mille Miglia, they probably did not expect that the event could be defined
“the most beautiful race in the world”. A competition which gradually would have become
more dangerous in the years with the advance of cars and roads, till the unavoidable stop
due to the tragic event of 1957.
The race in its 24 editions is usually divided into two periods: pre-war with editions from
1927 to 1938 and postwar from 1947 to 1957. Among these, one edition was competed in
1940 along the racetrack Brescia – Cremona – Mantova instead of the traditional Brescia –
Rome and return route, due to wartime events.
There were the best drivers and cars of the time to compete for the victory, contributing to
increase the fame and expectation for a race which gave an enormous impulse to the
advance of automobile, which saw an Italian car manufacturer excel most of the time,
starting from the triumph of the Brescian OM, with the conquest of the first three positions
in the first edition of 1927.
Also the availability of photographic documentation varies during the time and it is
particularly lacking for the first editions. Few were the professional photographers who
followed an event not easy to follow, also for the roads which were demanding for the
same competitors.
Often the photographers, coming from the crossing points, were those who took photos,
divided into a countless of small archives which not always were preserved up to
nowadays.
Ferruccio Testi makes exception, Tuscan photographer mainly busy in documenting car
races, whose rich archive was found and saved during Florence flood by Franco Zagari, it
is today in the hands of an English collector.
conceived the Mille Miglia, they probably did not expect that the event could be defined
“the most beautiful race in the world”. A competition which gradually would have become
more dangerous in the years with the advance of cars and roads, till the unavoidable stop
due to the tragic event of 1957.
The race in its 24 editions is usually divided into two periods: pre-war with editions from
1927 to 1938 and postwar from 1947 to 1957. Among these, one edition was competed in
1940 along the racetrack Brescia – Cremona – Mantova instead of the traditional Brescia –
Rome and return route, due to wartime events.
There were the best drivers and cars of the time to compete for the victory, contributing to
increase the fame and expectation for a race which gave an enormous impulse to the
advance of automobile, which saw an Italian car manufacturer excel most of the time,
starting from the triumph of the Brescian OM, with the conquest of the first three positions
in the first edition of 1927.
Also the availability of photographic documentation varies during the time and it is
particularly lacking for the first editions. Few were the professional photographers who
followed an event not easy to follow, also for the roads which were demanding for the
same competitors.
Often the photographers, coming from the crossing points, were those who took photos,
divided into a countless of small archives which not always were preserved up to
nowadays.
Ferruccio Testi makes exception, Tuscan photographer mainly busy in documenting car
races, whose rich archive was found and saved during Florence flood by Franco Zagari, it
is today in the hands of an English collector.
It is thanks to an agreement with Negri Foundation that a part of these photos is today
here exposed
here exposed
Open to the public: Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
Cost of admission to the Rocca
- free for residents in the municipality of Lonato del Garda
- 5 euros for the exhibition only and free visit of the Rocca
- 10 euros to visit the entire monumental complex of the Ugo Da Como Foundation (Rocca and Ugo Da Como House Museum)
For information and bookings
Via Rocca, 2 - Lonato del Garda (Brescia)
Tel. +39 0309130060 - prenotazioni@fondazioneugodacomo.it - www.fondazioneugodacomo.it
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