AUTODROMO NAZIONALE MONZA

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Some say ghosts haunt this ancient race track based in the parklands outside of Milan, Italy. In its 94-year existence, 52 racers and 35 spectators have been killed here. Created during the summer of 1922, Monza was Italy’s answer to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And even at the very beginning, Monza, with its brilliantly fast straights and turns, was equal parts exhilarating and perilous. In fact, so treacherous was the place that it’s been revised and reconfigured eight different times in an effort to make it both slower and safer. And the men who raced and risked it all here became legends. Industrialists Enzo Ferrari, Nicola Romeo and the Maserati brothers tested and developed their cars in the crucible of battle that is Monza. Iconic motorcycle and car racers such as Tazio Nuvolari, Mario Andretti, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini and Michael Schumacher all won here. Today, Monza still thrives as a cathedral to all things speed, but the darkness of the place still remains.