The beginning is similar to last time, with a drive up to Peschiera del Garda. Then, instead of going north east, the convoy turns south east to Ferrara. The city of the Estenses won’t be an overnight stop in 2015, but just a milestone on the way to Ravenna and Rimini. This helps shorten the second day, which may be welcome given last year complaints about the 20 hours of driving. However it does mean that participants will miss the beautiful view from the hills of Romagna towards the end of the day. Many photographers will be very upset about that…
Another main difference concerns the traditional marking of the cars with lead tags – the “punzonatura”. Usually on a Thursday, this will now be on Wednesday to allow an early start, 14.45, the following day. This is a major, and very sad, breach with tradition. It will make one of the most characteristic components of the Mille Miglia much shorter, with far fewer onlookers likely to witness it.
