We love vintage races, be it by car or by bike; Mille Miglia & L’Eroica

La Mille Miglia, the most beautiful race in the world

The Mille Miglia (or “thousand mile”), the ‘most beautiful race in the world’ as Enzo Ferrari called it, is a 1000-mile car race lasting 4 days that began as a competitive race along Italy’s most beautiful roads in 1927. Today, the focus is less on winning and more on the pleasure of driving.

In June every year, elegance, travel, and an attitude beyond the ordinary emerge while the splendor of around 450 vintage and classic cars race along Italy’s most picturesque roads, through cities of art and breathtaking architecture and landscapes. While the intermediate stages have always been variable, the name of the race derives from the length of the first Brescia-Rome-Brescia route, which measures some 1600 kilometres, or 1000 miles.

With its rich heritage and prestigious status, the Mille Miglia attracts participants and spectators from around the globe, creating an unforgettable atmosphere of excitement and nostalgia. During the race,Tuscany comes alive as vintage cars parade through the winding country roads and ancient village streets.

Join the crowds lining the route, marveling at the beautifully restored vehicles as they pass by, and feel the passion and admiration shared among fellow vintage car enthusiasts. Or get a taste of driving under the Tuscan sun yourself in an iconic Fiat 500 or luxury sportscar. What better way to experience the countryside?

“The cars are fantastic, rare, and exotic. Enzo was right. It is a beautiful race”

For a deeper understanding of what it’s like to participate in the Mille Miglia, we enjoyed reading this year’s article featured on Classic Motorsport.

L’Eroica, the vintage-flavored bike ride to explore Tuscany

Every first Sunday in October, Gaiole, a picturesque village in Chianti, hosts “L’Eroica.” This traditional and unique ride of vintage bicycles winds through the Tuscan landscapes, from the Sienese Chianti to the Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia. Vintage outfits match the retro bicycles as racers speed over gravel roads to the cheers and toasts of onlookers.

L’Eroica was born in 1997 when creator Giancarlo Brocci, together with 92 ‘hunters of feelings and emotions’, as he called them, started the race. The event combines challenging routes, magnificent landscapes, and unforgettable refreshments.

The original aim was to advocate for the preservation of Tuscany’s “strade bianche” or “white roads,” the traditional unpaved county roads like the one leading to Villa Ardore, and prevent their replacement with asphalt. Today it has turned into an example of respect for the environment, sustainable lifestyle, and “clean” cycling as well as an international community, with “L’Eroica” style races replicated all over the world.

To participate, the bicycle used needs to be considered ‘vintage”, made before 1980, and have a metal frame with gears and cage pedals.

Not at all a competitive race, the participants and the volunteers along the route, who offer local food and wine products at the various stations, are dressed in historical outfits turning the whole event into something very picturesque.

The six different trails to choose from can be challenging in this hilly region, but they cover some of the most beautiful roads from Gaiole in Chianti up to Montalcino, passing by farmhouses and vineyards. And for those who can’t make it to Tuscany in October, the two hundred kilometer length of the L’Eroica long course has become a permanent route that can be traveled all year round.

For more info see: https://eroica.cc/en/gaiole