The “Italian Job” hits the road

Although great road trips usually reference the great expanse of North America there is one road tip happening this October that you shouldn’t miss if A) you’re a fan of the 1969 film “Italian Job” and B) if you have £880 and a Mini Cooper.

The Mini Cooper road trip was first inspired by the film, “Italian Job” and is an annual event that succeeds in raising more than £2 million for various children’s charities. It all started with a Mini-obsessed Brighton man named Freddie St George more than twenty years ago and today the rally annually raises millions of Pounds!

Drivers don’t necessarily have to have a Mini Cooper but any type of car that made an appearance in the 1960’s film like Aston Martin DB4s, E-type Jaguars and even Alfa Giula police cars can be used.

Driver teams are given a set of clues and a map to follow for the route, solving the clues along the way to reach the next destination.

This year the rally starts in Imola near Bologna on October 29th and heads through Florence and Turin before entering into France to end in south-east England on November 6th. It’s a week-long road trip you definitely don’t want to miss out on.

Want to take your own “Italian Job” road trip? Explore London and Turin by car!

Italian Job film locations

• Wormwood Scrubs Prison (Ducane Road, London) – Used for exterior shots when Charlie Croker is released from prison. This facility was also used in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Frenzy and Karel Reisz’s Morgan- A Suitable Case for Treatment.

• Royal Lancaster Hotel (Bayswater) – The location where Charlie Croker is presented with a bunch of dolly birds.

• Charlie’s flat (18 Denbigh Close) – Just off the north part of Portobello Road (W11) you can visit Charlie’s 1960’s style bric-a-brac apartment.

• Robbery – Filmed in Turin, the robbery takes place during a massive traffic jam at Palazza Madama  near Piazza Castello.

• Fiat Factory (Turin) – The famous roof-top leap was made on top of the Fiat car factory, disguised as a street in Turin.

• Ceresole Reale (Turin) – The ending was filmed just 40 miles northwest of Turin above a reservoir at Ceresole Reale.

Not only are road trips a great way to explore countries at your own pace but they’re a real budget holiday option for groups of friends or family as well. Thinking about taking an all-American road trip? Choose your route, pack your bags and hit the road in a rental car!

For more information, check out A Mini Adventure.

What is your favourite country/region for a road trip?

Img: theitalianjob.com