I luoghi della 1000 Miglia 2023 – LEG 2

LEG 2 – WEDNESDEY 14th JUNE

San Marino, Pesaro, Senigallia, Macerata, Fermo, Ascoli Piceno, Roma

On the second day the competing cars passed through San Marino, Senigallia, Macerata (a lunch stop), Fermo and Ascoli Piceno to end the leg with the final parade in Via Veneto in Rome.

San Marino

The Most Beautiful Race in the World in the Oldest Republic in the World

There’s one point in common between the 1000 Miglia and San Marino. Both have managed to preserve their history perfectly over the course of time. After the start in Cervia – Milano Marittima, during the second Leg on 14^th June, the race passed through the City State of San Marino.

More than one thousand seven hundred years of independence and freedom, between history and legend, are the distinguishing features of the oldest Republic in the world, a strip of land perched on Mount Titano in the heart of Italy.  Popes, generals and even Emperor Napoleon respected this land’s testimony of freedom over the centuries.

The cultural tradition and the values of authenticity, freedom and identity that have remained unchanged over the centuries are the reasons why UNESCO, in 2008, included the historic centre of San Marino, Borgo Maggiore and Mount Titano in its list of World Heritage Sites. The Heritage encompasses the entire visual panorama of the mountain, which juts out towards the Adriatic Sea from its 750-metre height, resembling the prow of a ship, as if it wanted to return to the sea where its rocks were formed millions of years ago,

The uniqueness of the oldest Republic in the world is waiting to be discovered, visiting it in every season and strolling through the charming streets of a unique village.

Pesaro

The 1000 Miglia in Gioachino Rossini’s hometown

Pesaro looks out over the Adriatic Sea. The town nestles in the area between the two main coastal hills: Colle Ardizio to the south-east and Colle San Bartolo to the north-west, the latter home to the Regional San Bartolo Natural Park. Within the Park is Fiorenzuola di Focara, recognised as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Since 2005, the town has been awarded the Blue Flag, an annual award conferred by the FEE to recognise municipalities that meet the criteria of excellent seawater quality and service. The birthplace of the great composer Gioachino Rossini, Pesaro has been a UNESCO Creative City of Music since 2017 and will be the Italian Capital of Culture 2024. It offers a varied programme of events, exhibitions and shows all year round, as well as major summer events of international appeal, such as the Rossini Opera Festival, the Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema, Lonely Planet’s UlisseFest and the CaterRaduno.

Senigallia

The 1000 Miglia in the centre of Marche’s tourism

An easily accessible seaside town due to its natural location, with its 14 km of beaches Senigallia is the main tourist resort in the Marche region.

The name Sena Gallica was given to the city by the Senon Gauls, later to become the first Roman settlement on the Adriatic Sea, capital of the Gauls and a Roman colony.

With its velvet beach and hills, it is an ideal setting for those who want to spend a few days’ holiday with family or friends while fully appreciating pleasant and “tasty” days of relaxation. Trying the specialities in the restaurants, which together give the city no less than five Michelin stars, is equivalent to living a true gastronomic sensory experience.

But Senigallia is also the City of Photography. It is the birthplace of Mario Giacomelli, one of the international masters of 20^th century photography, to whom it pays homage with a permanent exhibition of his works. The itinerary of the museum circuit allows visitors to discover the Rocca Roveresca, Palazzo del Duca, Palazzetto Baviera, the Archaeological Area and the Museum dedicated to the Mezzadria, Pius IX’s birthplace and the Diocesan Art Gallery.

Another worthy mention is the Rotonda a mare, a symbolic monument of seaside tourism suspended between sea and land, unique in its kind with its shell-shaped roof.

Macerata

1000 Miglia between tradition and dynamism

Macerata, a city of a thousand souls and home to one of the oldest universities in the world, is capable of combining a traditional yet dynamic lifestyle. Among the city’s treasures is the 18th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi, whose splendour reaches its peak in the Galleria dell’Eneide (Hall of the Aeneid). The palazzo, home to the Civic Museums, houses ancient and modern art collections and the Museo della Carrozza (carriage museum), which allows a virtual tour through the streets of the province, strictly by carriage. The Torre Civica with its astronomical clock every day hosts the Carousel of the Angel and the Magi at 12:00 and at 18:00, and next door is the 18th-century Lauro Rossi Theatre. A visit to the Mozzi Borgetti Library with its fascinating rooms decorated at the end of the 18th century is worthwhile as it is linked to the Jesuit and scientist Father Matteo Ricci.

The Museum of Natural History in Palazzo Rossini-Lucangeli, the Helvia Ricina Archaeological Area and the Villa Ficana Ecomuseum with its earthen houses complete the city’s cultural-tourist offerings. Palazzo Ricci, with its splendid collection of 20th century Italian Art, also adds to the perspective.

The Sferisterio arena is one of the symbols of the city. Founded in 1829 to host the game of ball with the armband, thanks to its excellent acoustics it is now the venue for the Macerata Opera Festival, the Musicultura festival and Sferisterio Live, featuring big names in national and international music.

Fermo

The 1000 Miglia in Fermo, the pearl of Marche’s history, art and culture

Situated around the Girfalco hill, Fermo has the Adriatic Sea on one side, only eight kilometres away from the city centre, and on the other the evocative scenery of typical small towns that reach as far as the slopes of the Monti Azzurri of Leopardi’s memory: the Sibillini. From Piazza del Popolo, one can enjoy a Renaissance scenery rich in churches, noble residences and courtyards. Framed by the loggias of the square is the Palazzo dei Priori, built at the end of the 13th century. It is the oldest palazzo in the city, born from the aggregation of already existing buildings, where the famous late Gothic tablets with the Stories of St. Lucy by the Venetian Jacobello del Fiore and the famous Adoration of the Shepherds by Peter Paul Rubens are preserved. Also of rare interest is the underground area that houses one of the most important Roman cistern complexes from the Augustan period in the world. Not to be forgotten is the Cathedral with its imposing Romanesque-Gothic façade; the interior, modified in neoclassical style in the 18th century, still preserves precious works that testify to the importance of the city of Fermo over the centuries. The undisputed protagonist, in Fermo and its surroundings, is the sea: the city offers visitors and tourists splendid stretches of coastline for a total of about 8 kilometres, precious stretches of golden sand on one side and wide stretches of smooth white pebbles on the other.

Ascoli Piceno

The 1000 Miglia in the city of a hundred towers

Also known as the City of a Hundred Towers for its numerous noble towers and belfries, Ascoli Piceno has a historic centre built almost entirely of travertine. It has a favourable geographic position, allowing it to enjoy the Adriatic Sea, less than 30 kilometres away, and at the same time to easily reach Colle San Marco, the Monte dei Fiori, the Monte dell’Ascensione and the Monte Vettore.

The city’s centrepiece is the Renaissance Piazza del Popolo, where several important buildings are located, including the Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, the historic Art Nouveau-style Caffè Meletti and the Church of San Francesco, to which the Loggia dei Mercanti is attached. Another very elegant urban space is Piazza Arringo, where the Baptistery of San Giovanni and the Cathedral of Sant’Emidio stand, which contains a crypt also dedicated to the patron saint and the great Polyptych of Sant’Emidio by Carlo Crivelli, signed and dated 1473. Also in Piazza Arringo are the Bishop’s Palace, Palazzo dell’Arengo, home to the Civic Art Gallery, and Palazzo Panichi, home to the State Archaeological Museum.

Among the monuments worth mentioning are the Roman bridge of Solestà, the ruins of the Roman theatre, the Annunziata caves, the Pia Fortress, the Malatesta Fortress, and the 19th-century Ventidio Basso Theatre. Near the city is Castel Trosino, an ancient Longobard settlement near the Castellano stream.

Roma

The Timeless Race in the Eternal City

There cannot be the most beautiful Race in the world without the most beautiful City in the world. In the almost one hundred years of history of the 1000 Miglia, this combination has only suffered one interruption in one edition of the speed race, that of 1940, for reasons of force majeure due to the war. The arrival in Rome took place as always at the end of the second day of the race: the setting was Villa Borghese in all its splendour, after which the convoy of Ferraris of the Tribute to 1000 Miglia, the electric cars of the 1000 Miglia Green and, of course, the classic cars paraded on the traditional platform of Via Veneto, along which every year a large and festive crowd gathers.