10750 Avetrana circle

Leading on from my question regarding the circle around Bitonto, here is another one - although I suspect the answer will be much easier to find.

To the east of Avetrana, is another circular construction. This one is "only" 4 kms in diameter though and it looks much more of a recent construction that the Bitonto circle.

Is it a race track? a test circuit or something like that? I'm intrigued...

Category
Do & See

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 06:03

Looking more closely at the images, I can show a little more detail (as this part of Italy is actually much higher definition than, say, Bitonto) of the "track". It certainly looks like a road, complete with road markings. It is certainly pretty wide as well, but...

And no, I don't believe it is a landing pad for flying saucers, OK?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 06:53

Crop circles??? Just kidding Nardini. Very weird indeed.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 07:45

Is it a race track or motor manufacturer's test track? The wriggly one inside the circle looks like a hillclimb track.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 08:08

Yes, it is a testing circuit. Here is a rather nice bit of youtube showing a Lamborghini on the circular track. The 4km circle, so I am informed, effectively becomes a 'straight' at anything between 90 and 240 kph, so it is used for very high speed max velocity checks.(The Lambo is clocked at over 300, so maybe it thought it was on a curve!)

The other bits of track (mentioned by Steve) are, I think, the recently opened 'handling circuit', and there are youtube clips of lovely motors playing about on that, too. Any search on Pista Nardo, or youtube searches on Nardo, will trawl up a lot more information.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9pbSosXQ3Q&feature=related[/ame]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 08:13

Absolutely brilliant Charles, thank you. You would have thought with a name like "Nardo" I would have figured it out for myself, wouldn't you! Excellent. A whole 10litre box of wine from the Oltrepò is yours if you are passing!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/19/2009 - 12:57

Hi Nardini,
that's "Nardò Proving Ground", the biggest proving ground in europe, where all the most famous car brands go and test their new car. It also has attracted the attention of the Nasa Astronauts who have seen it from the space and added in their photogallery as one of the 20 most beautiful places seen from the space. Click the following link to get more ([url=http://sispropertyandtourism.blogspot.com/2008/06/nasa-astronauts-ad-nard-ring-in-their.html]Welcome to Puglia: NASA Astronauts ad Nardò Ring in their photo gallery[/url]). Nardò is a lovely baroque town on the Ionian west coast of Puglia region in the province of Lecce.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/19/2009 - 14:31

[quote=Nardini;100226]Absolutely brilliant Charles, thank you. You would have thought with a name like "Nardo" I would have figured it out for myself, wouldn't you! Excellent. A whole 10litre box of wine from the Oltrepò is yours if you are passing!![/quote]

If he's not, I'll pick it up for him - no prob honest!