April 19, 2024: After the initial checks and the welcome dinner at Twiga on Thursday, the participants of Terre di Canossa 2024 set off for three days of unique experiences. This morning, Luigi Orlandini, president of Canossa, waved the Italian flag, and the racing cars, cheered on by the children from the Carducci and Canossa primary schools and introduced by Gianni Bellandi took off, tackling passes and challenging ascents to discover historic cities like Lucca and picturesque inland towns such as Collodi and Montecarlo. Highlights of the day included the traditional flag wavers, now a signature of the epic procession along the historic walls of Lucca of the iconic vintage cars of Terre di Canossa. Today’s itinerary included a real ford, as well as more classic routes like the “Ponte del Diavolo” and the “Passo Del Vestito”. Terre di Canossa 2024 pays tribute to the centenary of Giacomo Puccini’s death, with skill trials inspired by this historic anniversary. The arrival at the Carnival Citadel of Viareggio, featuring the exhibition of the 2024 winning float, was the setting for one of these skill trials, which began earlier today at the Massa-Cinquale Municipal Airport. The evening’s entertainment at the Principino in Viareggio was orchestrated in partnership with the Puccini Festival Foundation. The dinner guests enjoyed performances by artists from Torre del Lago’s Puccini Festival (soprano Katerina Kotsou, tenor Carlo Eugenio Raffelli, accompanied by pianist Massimo Salotti), who set the mood with timeless pieces such as “Nessun Dorma,” “O Sole Mio,” and Puccini’s own unfinished “Turandot,” which he composed in Viareggio. Taking the podium on the first day as the winners of the skill trials were Fabio Vergamini and Anna Maria Fabrizi, who received their awards from Luigi Orlandini and Alessandro Meciani, the Councillor for Economic Development and Territorial Marketing of Viareggio, in the presence of Deputy Mayor Valter Alberici and Councilor Marina Carla Gridelli.
