FOR THOSE WHO DARE

Learn all about the Trident and the Prancing Horse and experience the thrill of driving a Ferrari on this full-day sortie into the world of two well-known Italian automotive brands.

Your chauffeur will pick you up at 8:00 AM at your accommodation and drive you to the Umberto Panini museum of vintage cars and motorcycles, where the most complete collection of Maserati vehicles in the world is on display. Strange as it may seem, the models are housed inside an organic cheese farm which has been producing Parmigiano Reggiano since the mid-1980s. Before admiring the extraordinary fleet, accompanied by a member of staff, you will have the opportunity to visit the dairy and ageing warehouse. Here, learn all about the age-old art of cheese making and get to know the strict rules that regulate the production of Italy’s king of cheeses. Believe it or not, Parmigiano Reggiano has delighted the palates of Italians for some eight hundred years. Its extraordinary fragrance, distinctive flavour and processing methods have hardly altered over the centuries, thanks to the skill of local cheese artisans and their efforts to preserve regional gastronomic traditions. As you will have the chance to see and savour, only this unique territory could reward us with such a tempting treat, born of an abundance of water, extensive grazing grounds and, most important of all, prime quality milk.

Now it’s time to admire the wondrous automobile collection featuring rare Maserati creations, including the A6GCS Berlinetta Pininfarina (of which only four models were ever made), and Tazio Nuvolari’s prize-winning 6C 34. Ducati motorcycles, vintage bicycles and tractors are also exhibited. You will have time to examine these masterpieces of engineering and design and find out how this peculiar collection was first assembled.

A short drive will then bring you to Maranello. Here, on a private tour of the Ferrari Museum, you will get to know the backstory of this famous sports car brand, starting in 1947, when the 125 S was first test driven up to the recent victories of its Formula One racing cars. You will also hear about the life of Ferrari’s founder, the automotive visionary Enzo Ferrari. Born in Modena in 1898, Mr Ferrari devoted his entire life to designing and creating sports cars. He discovered his passion for racing at the age of 10, when his father took him to watch a competition at a motor racing circuit in Bologna. Rejected as an employee by FIAT, Enzo Ferrari did not admit defeat and ended up developing his very own racing cars which would become one of the world’s most sought after sports car brands, a symbol of affluence and style for generations of drivers.

On view are exclusive creations for track and road together with engines, trophies, photographs and memorabilia relating to the motor racing industry. The museum also hosts a Ferrari store selling official merchandise, including clothing for men, women and children, model cars, mugs and caps.

Next, it’s time to slip into the driver’s seat of a Ferrari, buckle your belt and realise your long-wished-for Italian dream. After a technical briefing with an instructor, you will have the exciting opportunity to test drive a Ferrari. Who could forget the famous 1980s Ferrari slogan – Only those who dare, truly live. Enjoy the thrilling sensation of driving through the streets of Maranello behind the steering wheel of this iconic, epoch-making motorsport legend. Your instructor will sit next to you on the passenger seat throughout the test drive so as to ensure a safe, smooth experience.

After some free time for lunch, set off for Modena. Here, join a guided group tour of the Maserati plant and find out about the creation of one of the world’s most revered sports cars. Motor lovers will visit the showroom, follow the stages in the factory’s assembly line and see how Maserati cars are made. They will also learn about the origins and history of Maserati, founded in 1914 by Alfieri Maserati as a car repair workshop and today at the forefront of the luxury automotive sector. Twelve years after the company was established, the first original Maserati car was born, the Tipo 26, proudly displaying the soon-to-be-famous Trident logo. Since then the pioneering creations of this trend-setting manufacturer have been galvanizing the world of super sports cars with their innovative features and exquisite craftsmanship, becoming a timeless icon of Italian lifestyle stretching from the 1960s Dolce Vita to the latest contemporary roadsters.

Return to your accommodation in Bologna and wind down after an exhilarating day of discovery.