Published on Sep, 2018
Ricciardo (Ricci) was our tour guide. He picked me up in his large minivan from my accommodation and then we went to pick the others up. There were about 7-8 people on the tour on total.
Ricci was a really good guide - he is funny, chatty and very knowledgable about the cars and the local area.
The tour itself is a must for any car fan - we started at Lamborghini, then went to Pagani before going to a restaurant for some traditional Italian food (which Ricci explained what it all was and how it was made) before going to Maranello to visit Ferrari.
The tour started at 08:30 and we were back in Bologna for around 17:30.
Ricci speaks perfect English and takes an interest in everyone on the tour. He always asks if everyone is OK, and chats to us about our interests and hobbies (mainly football) back home. If there was any questions we had, he knew the answers straight away. I’ve been on tours before where he driver just drives and then drops you off, and isn’t interested in people. Ricci knows all the secret locations and points things out while on the road.
The Lamborghini factory is medium sized. We had 45 mins inside which is easily enough time to see the cars and get photos then visit the shop. Pagani’s is a lot smaller, but the cars are nicer. The factory section does not allow cameras or phones, so you must put these in a locker. The tour of the building comes with a tour guide, which the other 2 don’t.
In Maranello, the site is huge. The museum itself is over several floors and has lots of cars on display. The shop is expensive though, as you are paying for the Ferrari brand, so expect caps to be €45 and shirts even more expensive.
Ricci also shows you a small business just outside that allows you to pay €100+ to drive a Ferrari of choice on the public roads if you wish to do so.
After the tour, Ricci had one more surprise - he took us to Fiorano (the legendary test track of Ferrari). We saw the track from the distance, but he showed us the secret viewing point where car journalists and photographers go to photograph the new cars being tested. There were no cars on the track at the time, but it was still an amazing site.
Even the drive back was fun. The roads around Modena are where Lamborghini test their new cars until they have done 100km, so you always see ones driving around, some in camouflage because they’re exclusively new and not on sale yet! It’s really exciting!
The tour is expensive but you will enjoy it.
