L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024 L'Italo-Americano over three days, ending on Sunday, October 13th. The 230 participants set off from Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, in front of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, heading toward the province of Trapani. For the first time ever, the route included the Cretto di Burri, before returning on Friday and Saturday to the tradi- tional circuit through the Madonie, where fans await- ed in Collesano, Cerda, Ter- mini Imerese, Caltavuturo, and other towns along the way. On Sunday morning, the route followed Bellolam- p o - P a s s o d i R i g a n o , t h e same path where the leg- endary Palermo driver Nino Vaccarella, also known as the "Flying Headmaster" due race even had its own news- paper! Over the years, the Targa changed, but it never died. Today, the historic Targa Florio is run with vintage cars. The circuit has been m o d i f i e d h e r e a n d t h e r e , and this year, it included the Monreale Trophy, which saw cars take on the "Bel- lolampo – Passo di Rigano" route. The trophy is named a f t e r t h e t o w n b o r d e r i n g P a l e r m o , f a m o u s f o r i t s cloister, cathedral with stun- ning mosaics, and an organ with around 10,000 pipes and six registers. Part of the Italian Cham- pionship for historic and modern cars, the 2024 Targa Florio Classica took place to his career in education, claimed his first victory. A m o n g t h e c o m p e t i n g cars were the ever-present Porsche, Mercedes, and a large group of Ferraris (70 in t o t a l ) . O f t h e d r i v e r s , w e must mention a female par- ticipant, Roberta Pasero from Vanity Fair (driving a Porsche 992.2), chef Carlo Cracco (in a Mercedes 300 SL), and the President of the A u t o m o b i l e C l u b M i l a n , Geronimo La Russa (in a Mercedes Pagoda 250 SL). The event drew drivers from about twenty different coun- tries, including Europe, the U n i t e d S t a t e s , A u s t r a l i a , Japan, Egypt, and Thailand, who competed in the Regu- l a r i t y R a c e : t h e I t a l i a n Championship for Historic and Modern Events. As the President of the I t a l i a n A u t o m o b i l e C l u b reminded us, Sicily is the birthplace of ACI, and the Targa Florio is a treasure to be preserved for the future. Thanks to the Automobile C l u b o f P a l e r m o a n d t h e support of the Italian Auto- mobile Club and Club Aci Storico, the world's most fascinating car race takes place every year, allowing e n t h u s i a s t s , d r i v e r s , a n d everyone involved in the rac- ing world to experience this ancient route, captivating those who see it for the first t i m e o r a r e r e t u r n i n g f o r another thrilling run. The winners of this edi- tion of the Targa Florio Clas- s i c a w e r e F r a n c e s c o a n d Giuseppe Di Pietra, father a n d s o n , d r i v i n g a F I A T 508C from the Franciacorta Motori team, based in Cam- pobello di Mazara, in the p r o v i n c e o f T r a p a n i . T h e " M o n r e a l e T r o p h y " w a s a w a r d e d t o t h e c r e w o f a 1937 Lancia Aprilia. While the 2024 edition of this spectacular competition, known worldwide, was tak- ing place, Polizzi Generosa, a town in the Madonie, hosted film shoots and a master- class with Giuseppe Torna- tore and Martin Scorsese. The mayor of Polizzi Gen- erosa granted Scorsese hon- orary citizenship. Proud of his origins—his grandpar- ents emigrated to America— Scorsese could not resist the opportunity to personally v i s i t t h e t o w n h i s f a m i l y came from. been waiting for hours along the straights, curves, and embankments of the route. A sea of people, ready to cheer on their favorites, and a l w a y s w i l l i n g t o l e n d a hand to anyone with a flat tire, a mechanical issue, or in need of a sip of water. T h i s w a s t h e l o c a l s p i r i t , w e l c o m i n g t o u r i s t s , mechanics, and drivers from all over Sicily, Italy, other c o u n t r i e s , a n d e v e n t h e United States. Locals even offered their garages to shel- ter the cars during breaks. Rapiditas, or speed, was the motto of the time, which Vincenzo Florio embraced so much that he even found- ed a magazine that bore the name on its masthead. The I n t h e e v e n i n g , w e w o u l d g e t i n t o t h e car and drive to the c u r v e o r s t r a i g h t stretch we had scout- ed out in the days before. Armed with blankets—the spring nights were still chilly, especially in those moun- tainous or hilly areas—we would park and lower the seats of the cars only some of u s o w n e d , s e t t l i n g i n t o sleep. But not before sinking our teeth into sandwiches stuffed with omelettes, ham, mortadella, salami, or cheese that our caring mothers had prepared. We brought bot- tles of fresh water and plenty o f e n t h u s i a s m . S o m e o n e always had a beer. At dawn, we would wake up groggy but eager to hear the first roar of engines as the cars zoomed by right before our eyes. We were on the Circuit of the Madonie, a moun- tain range in the province of P a l e r m o , a n d i t w a s t h e 1970s. This was the Targa Florio, the oldest and most iconic road race, held since 1906 on the streets of Sicily: it attracted the most famous and daring drivers from all over the world to each edi- tion. It was organized—one might say invented—by Vin- cenzo Florio. A visionary, ambitious, a great traveler, and a shrewd entrepreneur, Vincenzo Flo- rio, brother of Ignazio and b r o t h e r - i n - l a w o f D o n n a Franca Florio, was deter - mined to create what drivers who participated over the years would call the most beautiful, one of the tough- est, but certainly the most exciting of all car races. It w a s , a f t e r a l l , t h e e a r l y 1900s: the roads were little more than dirt tracks, there were numerous hairpin turns that could take your breath away, and the beauty and uniqueness of the landscape l e f t a l a s t i n g i m p r e s s i o n . T h o s e w h o d r o v e t h e s e r o a d s , t h i s o n e - o f - a - k i n d street circuit, never forgot it and couldn't help but fall in l o v e w i t h i t . U n d e r t h o s e conditions, the race was truly d a r i n g , a n d t h e d r i v e r s became heroes in the eyes of the public, who had already TERESA DI FRESCO Targa Florio: the oldest road race in the world A vintage car during the Targa Florio race (Photo: Shutterstock) Checking everything is in order before the race begins (Photo: Shutterstock) and, above right, an image from a 1907 edition of the Targa Florio's official magazine, Rapiditas, the Latin word for "speed" (Photo courtesy of Teresa DiFresco) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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