Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The article covers the artifacts and items of interest at the Ferrari Museum. Click here to read about “California Dreaming” at the Ferrari Museum

There’s one, then a few minutes later, there’s one, oh there is another one. So goes the conversation between my wife and I whilst sightseeing on foot around Maranello. The ‘ones’ in question? Ferrari’s of course. Not just new ones coming out of the factory, but ones belonging to the various companies within the town where you can book a test run, and also many owned by visiting owners on pilgrimage. You do become a bit blasé, though a “La Ferrari” on its first test run from the factory will stop you in your tracks. If we had got to the pedestrian crossing five seconds earlier it would have had to stop to let us cross- probably something its non-smiling, sunglass wearing, cool-looking Italian test driver, may not have been used to.

It is possible to cover the Modena and Maranello museums in one day; they do, after all run a bus every 45 minutes between each site, but when on pilgrimage one needs to be become fully immersed in the experience. We stayed at the Hotel Planet which is built above the Ferrari Factory Store which is virtually opposite the old main entrance. Each morning my wife would look out of our window and watch a conga line of red race-suited Ferrari workers form while waiting to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing in front of the gates. (By the way, the crossing beeper telling you to cross is the loudest I have ever heard but then modern Ferraris are a bit loud so adjusted accordingly). We would take coffee mid-morning in the bar in the hotel and would normally be joined by a throng of workers in their red suits, and managers in their beautifully tailored suits.

In front of the “Municipio” -Town Hall – one will find a large bronze sculpture by Marino Quartieri which was given to the town by Piero Ferrari in 1998 as a tribute to his father. It is great fun trying to identify the figures depicted. Food is very important in Italy and yes we did eat in the Cavallino Restaurant in which the food was good but the service so- so. We did however rave over the Ristorante Drake (Enzo was often called the Drake) which is further up the Via Abetone Inferiore. There, outside, one could enjoy a drink with some of the red-suited workers, or go inside and fall in love with a bowl of tortellini in a sour cream sauce, enjoyed with an excellent bottle of Lambrusco which is quite unlike the fizzy red stuff my supermarket sells.