MILLE MIGLIA

(Italian: Thousand Miles), the most famous of the Italian road races for automobiles. Although the course was changed 13 times in the 23 years the race was run, it often started and ended in Rome, winding through the mountains and smaller towns of Italy. The first Mille Miglia was run March 2627, 1927, starting in Brescia, with the winner returning just over 20 hours later and averaging 48 mph for the race. The race was banned by Mussolini in 1939 after several spectators were killed in a crash in the 1938 race. It was reinstated in 1947 but was discontinued after the 1957 race when a crash killed 2 drivers and 11 spectators.