The Targa Florio: Sicily’s Legendary Mountain Race

So where is this circuit? It’s located in Sicily, in Madonie Mountains, Targa Florio was not just your average race.

It was very dangerous and one of the most beautiful that made drivers hold their breath, grit their teeth and nonstop pay that their cars would keep going.

However, it was not just about going fast, it was about surviving, this was not just a race it was a journey and most unpredictable and punishing circuit in history of motorsport.

So, how did it all begin?

More than a century, back in 1906, an Italian nobleman, named Vincenzo Florio had a vision, he wanted to do something special.

He wanted to put Sicily on the map, not with politics or business, but with speed, racing and emotions.

And not a simple race track but on public roads that twisted and climbed through sleepy mountains.

No ordinary track

What made Targa Florio so different was that it wasn’t built like a circuit at all. It was stitched together from tight village lanes, gravel mountain climbs, and blind bends with no safety rails. This wasn’t a place for mistakes. Drivers were up against not just the course but also animals, locals, dust, heat, fog — you name it.

The course evolved over time, but three main layouts stuck:

• Grande Circuito: 146 kilometers, almost 2000 corners
• Medio Circuito: 108 kilometers, around 1300 corners
• Piccolo Circuito: 72 kilometers, with nearly 900 corners

Even the shortest one was longer than most entire races today. And to be fast here, you had to memorize every twist. No second chances. There were no runoffs, no big crash barriers, and fans? They stood dangerously close to the action.

Legends were made here

This ground became for the bravest and most skilled in a short time, Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti also had their moments, but interesting fact is one name always echoed through the hills, and his name is Nino Vaccarella, a school teacher from Palermo, and he was not just fast, he was poetic on those roads.

But what about F1?

You might think this legendary race surely hosted Formula 1. The answer? Never.

If you look at the size of the circuit, it was impossible for F1 to compete in these roads, the shortest layout was still over 70 kilometers, far too long for a modern circuit.

So no, Formula 1 never raced at the Targa Florio — and that’s probably for the best.

The beginning of the end

What made the Targa Florio magical also made it lethal. Crashes were frequent. Fatalities, sadly, were not rare. In 1977, a crash killed two spectators and wounded several others. That was the final straw. The race was canceled mid-event and never returned in its original form.

But the spirit lives on

Since 1978, the Targa Florio has lived on as a rally — slower, safer, but still filled with heart. Classic cars now take the journey through those same Sicilian hills, honoring the event’s past without the risks that once defined it.

So why do we still talk about it?

Because the Targa Florio was different. It wasn’t about who had the fastest car or the most advanced tech. It was about nerve, precision, memory, and endurance. It was about knowing every rock and hairpin, about trusting your machine even when it rattled itself loose. It was about Sicilian passion, history, and a kind of racing that no longer exists.

Today, watching the Targa Florio Historic Rally is like opening a time capsule. The roads are still there, but the circuit to race no longer exist. The stories still echo. And for those who remember, the legend never really ended.

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