Grand Hotel Palace Rome recently played host to the Mille Miglia, one of the most exclusive car races in the world. The hotel, which sits on Via Veneto – the street made famous by Federico Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita’ movie, was the best seat in the house to witness the convoy of vintage and classic cars that drove through the Italian city. Via Veneto was the arrival and end points for the Roman stage of the race.

For a second consecutive year, the world famous Via Veneto was the heart of the action. The area was restored for the occasion by “Associazione Commercianti di Via Veneto”. The Association funded the demolition of an old gazebo to create more space for a new sidewalk pavement.

"Via Veneto is an international brand, and the Association is committed in recovering and returning its 'ancient splendor'. After the success of last year, it is a great pleasure to be able to bring the Mille Miglia here again, in a unique and exciting setting" said Andrea Fiorentini, vice president of the Association of Via Veneto and director of the Grand Hotel Palace, which also hosted the press conference for the race and several delegations involved in the competition.

Known as 'the most beautiful race in the world', the Mille Miglia was conceived in 1927 by a group of passionate racing drivers in Brescia, a town in the foothills of the Alps. The Mille Miglia, or thousand miles, was an endurance race that grew into an annual event. Participants raced with their Gran Turismo cars over the open roads of northern Italy from Brescia to Rome and back on an 8-shaped route. The race was banned in 1957 due to frequent fatal car crashes but was revived in 1982 as a touring trip for old-timers. 2017 marks the 90th anniversary of the original event.