Need Help Planning Atelier and Factory Tour

Everyone seems to recommend the Planet Hotel, but I am a big fan of the Maranello Palace. It's around the backside of the factory, opposite the front entrance (at least it was the last time I was there, a few years ago). Very modern, chic, and pretty inexpensive.

Make sure you have dinner at Il Cavallino (across the street from the front entrance) and Montana (down the street a mile or so). Montana is filled with racing memorabilia and has some great food!

GP

 

NOT the Planet. Go to Maranello Palace, get a Junior Suite. They are nice.
NOT the Cavallino, go to Ristorante Montana in Maranello (but book right now!), at the end of the Fiorano racetrack. Excellent food. Highly recommended. Super nice family which hosted dozens of Ferrari key people and drivers over the past 30 years. A real place of history. Shopping Formula One is the best store for serious Ferrari literature, models, memorabilia. No, I am not talking about the Ferrari Store. Shopping F1 is on the right side of the Cavallino restaurant, across the old factory gate, opposite the bus station.

www.ristorantemontana.it

Marcel Massini

 

The tour is amazing, I went last summer. The tour lasts about 90 minutes. One other thing you should do, you can rent a 458, or 599 or Cali right next door to the factory. Cost is about $185 US for a 30 minute drive with an instructor around the roads and local highways around Marranello. If you want to really get in the Ferrari spirit after or before the tour, rent the car. Most fun I had with my clothes on!

 

Agree with everything Marcel says here, but if you have time you really should have a long lunch at Cavallino. Montana for dinner is not to be missed under any circumstances.

If you have the budget (and I suspect that you do), do not miss Osteria Francescana right down the road in Modena. It has been named one of the 50 best restaurants in the world, using all locally sourced ingredients.

Enjoy your trip.

Jack

PS: Ask for a tour of the Classiche department.

 

What other recommendations do you guys have for things to see while in Maranello?

Cheers,

TomB

 

A MUST would be to visit Carrozzeria Egidio Brandoli in Montale (between Maranello and Modena). Father and son, hammering old bodies, father used to work at Scaglietti's for two decades, built all SWBs, Lussos, 275 GTBs and Daytonas. Still active today. Super nice people, a must see. Zanasi coachbuilders have a brand new and huge warehouse and workplace in the new industrial zone of Maranello. Probably closed for visitors I'd guess, they have always been very secretive. More food: Excellent fish at Ristorante William in downtown Maranello, behind the church near the center roundabout. Highly recommended. Across the old factory gate is Toni Franco and his workshop and if you ask REALLY REALLY nicely and become REALLY good friend with him he will take you to the upper level of his building (ramp on right side of building) where he stores large groups of superrare F engines, from several decades. His father (deceased) was working at the factory race department in the 1950s. Franco Toni also has another secret warehouse in Via Musso, near the delivery entrance of the factory. I would call that Aladdin's cave.

Marcel Massini

 

http://www.hosteriagiusti.it/template.php?pag=42663

 

Thank you Marcel-

TomB

 

If you are there already, maybe you have time to drive to Pagani (San Cesario sul Panaro) and Lambo (Sant'Agata).

 

Excellent advice.Both are definitely worth the effort.
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Tunes ...
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Guess you mean Milan Malpensa (there are several airports in Milan).
From Malpensa via Milan on the A1 (main direction Bologna) to Parma, on to Reggio Emilia and then Modena is at least 2 hours (watch out, there are brand new speed cameras that actually work and your rental car company will just charge your credit card later on........). In Modena, after the pay station, you take the Tangenziale (smaller highway, ring road) towards Abetone and Maranello and this needs another 25 minutes. Exit Fiorano or Maranello. All depending on traffic and weather. So all together I think it will need 2.5 hours. The Maranello area has dozens of manufacturers for ceramic tiles and thus there are tons of heavy and slow trucks in your way, many with plates from Poland, Romania, Turkey, The Netherlands, France, etc.

Marcel Massini

 

And don't miss your exits or it's a looong way back, not many exits per area.
Ed

 

Don't really know, but traffic around malpensa area gets very heavy.
Ed

 

I flew into Bologna when I went-- I recommend that.

I suspect you will get a personalized tour, and probably a better one than normal. They're very aware of who is a customer and who is not, and if you're there ordering a car, they'll give you the red carpet treatment.

 

Sounds a little short to me. But if you don't try you don't succeed..........but be prepared to pay (later) for very expensive speeding tickets............and weather and road conditions currently very bad (snow and ice).

Marcel Massini