| VITAL INFORMATION | |
| Population | 15,000 |
| Language spoken | Italian |
| Currency | Euro (EUR); 1 Euro = (appr.) 1.219 USD |
| Average temperature | Summer: 64°-86°F; Winter: 29°-41°F |
| High season | May to August |
Every man has a dream vacation, his own fantasy of the perfect blend of relaxation, adventure and culture. For most, this dream does not simply consist of chilling out on a secluded tropical island in the Caribbean or the South Pacific, but is something much more substantial. A dream vacation should provide an experience, not just a retreat.
Thanks to some ingenious travel agents and tour guides, many men's dreams can now be satisfied. With the right planning, you can find yourself behind the wheel of a Ferrari driven route to the Italian town of Maranello to tour Ferrari's famous factory.
This double-whammy of experiencing the power of a Ferrari and seeing first-hand where the famous Prancing Horse cars are made is sure to be an unforgettable experience. The small, northern Italian town of Maranello, home to Ferrari's plant as well as an awesome Ferrari museum, will serve as a great host to your vacation.
All amounts listed are in USD.
organize your ferrari tour
There are a handful of vacation packages that offer speed-loving travelers a chance to drive through Italy in a Ferrari, but very few incorporate a stop in Maranello. Even fewer set aside a day to tour Ferrari's factory, since it is an exclusive, unique event that is difficult to book.In order to ensure that a tour is waiting for you once you park your Ferrari in Maranello, you'll likely have to talk to your local Ferrari dealership. The carmaker's brass often restricts factory tours to dealers and their guests, which means that you'll have to have a good relationship with your dealer in order to convince him to arrange a visit and let you tag along.
If you're not a Ferrari owner, you're not necessarily out of the loop. The company does accept direct calls to its Maranello plant, and can be surprisingly accommodating while still keeping visits to a minimum. Whether you're an owner or not, you'll have to be cordial and patient as you go about scheduling a tour of the awesome Ferrari facilities.
Once you've smooth-talked your way into a tour and penciled in a date to visit, it's time to set up the driving portion of your adventure. There are a few travel agencies that can help you do so.
TheBigDay Travel
TheBigDay Travel company offers a two-night, three-day package, which puts you in the driver's seat of a Ferrari F355 for a tour through Maranello, nearby Modena and all the twisting, hilly roads in between.The beauty of this tour lies in its customizability, as TheBigDay is willing to accommodate your schedule and can cater to your needs. You can customize your itinerary so as to incorporate your factory tour, as well as stipulate your hotel needs. Whether you customize or not, this tour is an expensive one; the three-day trip runs in at more than $2,000. Add on an additional $700 if you wish to upgrade to a Ferrari 360 Modena.
Select Italy Tours
Select Italy Tours offers an even more lavish nine-day trip through Rome, Florence and back to Rome while aboard the Ferrari of your choice. The $11,770 trip is incredible and visits some great Italian countryside, but it is missing one key element: It does not pass through Maranello.European Villa Rentals
A similar tour hosted by European Villa Rentals gives you the opportunity to drive a Ferrari F 430 F1, a 575 F1 Maranello and a 360 Modena F1 Spider over an eight-day tour for roughly $11,000. Alternatively, you can spend just under $10,000 for the week-long trip if you downgrade (and I use the term loosely) to a Ferrari 360 Modena F1 and a 550 Maranello. Again, no route through Maranello is planned, so you'd have to make a request to change the itinerary. Given the high level of exclusivity in these packages, it is very likely that most tour companies will heed such requests.TheBigDay, Select Italy and European Villa Rentals packages all include accommodation, Ferrari rental, some meals, and entrance to certain points of interest (museums, for example). Note that they do not include airfare to and from your Italian point of entry.
what to do in maranello
With your factory tour confirmed and your customized driving adventure booked, it's time to look into what goes on in Maranello, known as the Mecca of the automotive industry. This small town in the north of Italy is within agreeable driving distance from Milan to the northwest and is an even closer cruise from Bologna, located to the southeast.Maranello and the nearby town of Modena (birthplace of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari) are quaint, bustling and extremely fun to explore. The Ferrari factory, race track, museum and shop are the highlights of what to see in Maranello, but Modena also offers cool shopping and some points of interest for Ferrari-history enthusiasts.
Accommodation in Maranello is far from sparse, as the Hotel Domus serves Ferrari pilgrims well. Located right next to the city hall, the Domus is part of the Best Western chain and offers very good rooms at, on average, $110 per night. For something more luxurious, the Executive Hotel in the neighboring town of Fiorano is a great selection that truly does its four-star rating justice.
Maranello has many excellent Italian restaurants. Of note is Il Cavallino, located across the street from the Ferrari factory and famed as the spot where Enzo Ferrari would eat lunch when taking a break from building the world's most beautiful cars. Also worth visiting is Da William, another great Italian eatery where the service and the tortellini are both excellent.
your ferrari tour
The highlight of your trip, aside from zooming down winding Italian roads in your spectacular ride, will surely be the visit to the Ferrari factory. The center of attention in Maranello, the Ferrari factory is on the main road in the town and sits on a sprawling estate.The first thing you'll notice as you enter the factory and gaze at the huge map at the entrance is that the facility is impressively autonomous. Each Ferrari is crafted here from beginning to end, and a total of 3,700 cars are produced here every year. Ferrari could potentially make many more than that, but they wish to keep production low to ensure the brand's exclusivity.
As you walk through all the factory's stations, including the crankshaft manufacturing section, the interior station where seamstresses sew leather together and the wind tunnel, you'll be blown away by the amount of care and inspection that goes into the making one of these cars. Ferrari is not lying when they say their cars are virtually handcrafted and made with love, as experienced workers, not programmed robots, build each car every step of the way.
scuderia and galleria ferrari
Once a Ferrari is completed, it's road-tested to ensure perfect performance. At the end of your factory tour, you'll see cars being taken on their standard 93-mile test. Thankfully, your tour of Maranello is not over after you exit the plant. You can take a peek at the Scuderia Ferrari facilities, which is Ferrari's racing department and home to their famous Formula 1 team. You can also see Ferrari's race track, the Pista di Fiorano, where the F1 cars are tested and perfected.You'll top off your visit to Maranello with a trip to the Galleria Ferrari. This Ferrari museum is home to dozens of the carmaker's finest automobiles from yesteryear, today and the future, and is simply a must-see. After seeing automotive history first-hand, you can stroll over to Warm Up or Hors Ligne, both excellent Ferrari shops that sell original -- and expensive -- Prancing Horse gear.
Inspired by your trip through Ferrari's secret factory, it is recommended you hop into your own Ferrari and negotiate the winding roads that run from Maranello towards the mountains surrounding the town. These are the same roads that test-drivers took in the '50s when pushing the classic Ferraris to their limits.
zoom away in style
Most tours end where they started, in one of Italy's major cities. Remember, however, that if you're a real car and motorcycle lover and want more, the Lamborghini, Ducati and Maserati factories are located nearby in Sant'Agata, Borgo Pamigale and Viale Ciro Menotti, respectively.But if you've been satiated by your visit to the world of Ferrari, no one will blame you, since touring the famous factory and burning rubber in one of their sexy cars is certainly a vacation to remember.
Resources:
http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/factory.html
http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Events/Maranello.visit/Touring.Marnello.htm#The%20Galleria%20Ferrari
http://www.motorsportscenter.com/article_98.shtml
http://selectitaly.com/tours.php?parent_nav=9&tour_id=12
http://www.honeymoon-packages-europe.com/Travel/Package.asp?dest=9&pid=118&title=Ferrari+Fantasy+Tour&destname=Europe
http://www.fastdates.com/PitBoard2004DucatiMuseum01.HTM
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