No track gets a Formula One fan’s pulse racing faster than Monza. It’s the quickest circuit on the calendar and also one of the most evocative: the old banking - last used in 1961 - is clearly visible, as are some of the old stands. When you combine the track’s merits with the cultural delights and shopping of nearby Milan, you are left with one of the most alluring races of the season. As well as the city and the circuit, the charms of Lake Como are just a short drive to the north and the Mediterranean coast is onlya couple of hours away.
There are two main airports in Milan: Linate and Malpensa, with the Orio Al Serio airport a 40 kilometre drive from the circuit. Malpensa handles the most international flights, but Linate is closest to the city centre and is the most convenient for the track. Milan has every kind of bar, club and museum you could wish for. The Duomo is the world’s fourthlargest church, the Pinacoteca di Brera is the city’s leading art gallery and take a look at the San Siro football stadium, home to both AC and Inter Milan. The way to start an evening out is with cocktails at the Piazza del Duomo in the centre of town before checking out the numerous nightspots.
Nearby Lake Como is the choice holiday destination of many celebrities. Actor George Clooney has a place there, and many Formula One VIPs stay there for the Italian Grand Prix, catching a helicopter to and from the track every day. If you like beauty, seclusion and good weather rolled into one, then join them. The delights of the south of France are not far away either. Many of the Monaco-based F1 fraternity drive to Monza, so you could follow them back after the race, stopping off en route in delightful haunts such as San Remo.