D’Annunzio Raid: Classic Cars Reenact Historic Vienna-Europa Cross
Faster than lightning. The “D’Annunzian Raid on Vienna” (about thirty vintage cars crossing the Alps) was scheduled to start Tuesday at 2 p.m. from Gardone Riviera. However, the drivers, so eager, turned on their engines at eleven thirty, setting off for the North. “Austria is far away, better to speed up the departure,” they said, with engines roaring. When some radio and TV reporters arrived to take note of the emotions, there was not even the smoke from the exhaust pipes left. As part of the “Week” dedicated to Gabriele D’Annunzio, the program included the Raid organized by the Club Mille Miglia in collaboration with the Vittoriale, the Municipality, the Aci, and under the patronage of the Province: a historical, cultural, and tourist reenactment of the famous propaganda flight carried out by the Vate on August 9, 1918. After a refreshment in the gardens, the twenty-seven cars lined up for the start.
The cars and the program
A Lancia Belna Pourtout, built on Augusta chassis in 1934, a Buick super-eight convertible, a Bristol 400, an Aston Martin DB4, Jaguar, Mercedes, Bmw, Porsche, Ferrari. Return to Gardone Riviera is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, with a gala dinner and awards at the Hotel Savoy. In the coming years, other rallies will take place to celebrate the poet’s locations.
In September 2002, the “flight” over Fiume; the following year, Arcachon, in France, on the Atlantic coast, where D’Annunzio lived for long periods; in 2004, the Capponcina and Versiliana, other residences of his; then Pescara, his hometown. A five-year program, in which history and culture guide tourism and revival, allowing classic car enthusiasts to relive the passion for engines that greatly influenced D’Annunzio’s life.
Evening and charitable activities
The other evening, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., the last games took place at the green tables. The “Experimental” Casino set up at Villa Alba offered the thrill of the forbidden with professional croupiers. Prizes were strictly in-kind. Profits will be donated to the Red Cross.
