Villa Recalcati, home of speed for a day. Sunday 30 JuneIn fact, the headquarters of the Province and Prefecture of Varese hosted the “History of Speed” exhibition dedicated to the past of Formula 1 and the evolution of transport in Lombardy.
In the courtyard of the villa, visitors were able to observe (and listen to) the cars on board which drivers such as Riccardo Patrese, Alan Jones and Graham Hill wrote the history of Formula 1, and which recently returned to the track at the 2024 Monte Carlo Historic Grand Prix.
The racing cars on display at Villa Recalcati
«As a Varese native – he said Biagio Maglientijournalist and commentator for Sky Sport – I am proud of our community, which, although small, has generated several important figures in Formula 1. Even today, I see many young people approaching this sport and developing a great passion for it».
«Formula 1 – he announced Joseph Redaellipresident of the Automobile Club Varese and of the Monza racetrack – today wants to be much more than what it was. The goal is to become the number one sport in the world and even surpass Superball, transforming Formula 1 into an all-round spectacle. With this perspective, we are working to strengthen our role on some important issues, such as sustainability and social issues.”
How the way of traveling has changed
The exhibition was also an opportunity to immerse yourself in the past and take a closer look at some of the historic distributors in the collection kept at the Fisogni Museum in Tradate, and discover through these relics how the way of getting around in Lombardy and Italy has changed.
A Sunday also dedicated to the Autostrada dei Laghi: the first toll road built on public land in the world. Designed by the Varese engineer Piero Puricelli (designer of the Monza racetrack, among other things), the first section of the road was inaugurated on 21 September 1924 and today it is made up of the three motorways A8, A9 and A8/A26. «Knowing that our predecessors – commented Francesco Munno, director of Aci Varese – were the first in the world to build a work of this kind is a source of pride. I hope that we can soon return to obtaining great results».
A distributor of the Fisogni Museum
Driving, but safely
The initiative at Villa Recalcati was also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of promoting the road safety.
«Road safety – he stressed Antonino Carrara of the Lombardy Region – it is above all a question of culture and responsibility for everyone who drives any vehicle. We have developed an agreement with the Lombardy school office and the Falcone Institute of Gallarate, from which a road safety awareness project dedicated to students was born, which we want to take as a model for other similar initiatives throughout Lombardy”.
«The number of road deaths among young people is worrying – he added Vito Ilacquaheadmaster of the Falcone Institute. It is our duty to protect young people and the school cannot avoid the duty to spread the culture of safety”.
