A trip to Ferrari town (Maranello, Italy)

Trip to Ferrari town (Maranello)
22nd December 2007

Ferrari's home town is a small village known as Maranello in Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. This is about 20km from Modena , a town which is well connected to all major Italian cities by train. Maranello has the Ferrari factory which you cannot visit with an invitation ; Ferrari Galleria - a museum that is open to all; and the Ferrari test track Fiorano - where sometimes, you can see cars being tested.

Our journey began in Milan, in northern Italy. There is a train almost every hour to Modena from Milan. Non-stop, this takes about 1hr 45minutes and costs between 15 and 20 Euros. There are a couple of trains that don't go non-stop; you would need to change trains in a place called Parma. This is not too bad, probably takes an extra 20 minutes. This 1-stop train costs about 10 Euros.

Modena Train Platform


Modena is a mid-sized town where very few people speak English. They get a lot of tourists here - mainly for Maranello. Right outside the train station is the bus stop and a bus ticket-office/booth. YOU NEED TO BUY A 2-WAY TICKET BEFORE BOARDING THE BUS. The ticket-office has a little note for 'Ferrari tourists' and the attendant will tell you what to do if you ask for Ferrari. This person spoke English - she gave a little note that says (in English and in Italian) , how to get to Maranello.

Modena Train station


Ticket booth at the station


From the Modean train station - there is no direct bus to Maranello - but thats no problem. From the train station, bus number 1 and 2 goes to the Modena main bus terminus (known as Autolinee I think). This costs 1 Euro and takes about 5 minutes. On the way, you might see a Ferrari shop or may be a Testarossa on the road.
Bus stop at the station


Main bus stop (Get down here to take Maranello bus)


From the main bus stand, look for buses to MARANELLO , the one we took was number 800 , there might be others. You can use the same ticket from the earlier bus, but ask the driver to tell you when you reach Ferrari Galleria.

The trip from Modena to Maranello takes about 40 minutes. Towards the end of the bus ride, there is an overpass, where on your right, you can see the Fiorano test track. This is the best view of the track that you can get to see. The Galleria bus stop where you need to get down is right after this over pass. The bus stop is across the street from the historic Ferrari HQ and square arch. From here, you can also see the Ferrari store, where you can ask for directions to the Ferrari Galleria. The Galleria is a 5 minutes walk from here.

Maranello : Galleria bus stop


Across the street from bus stop is the Ferrari office


Near the bust stop is the Ferrari store - stop here for directions to the Galleria. Its a 5 minutes walk to the Galleria from here.

Ferrari store : Directions to Galleria


Inside the Galleria - well, I am not going to spoil the fun. Have a look at some of the pictures , but you need to be there to enjoy the experience.There are a lot more cars on display - I've shown only a few.

Ferrari Galleria from far


Galleria Main entrance


Ferrari wind tunnel replica


Supercars (Enzo not in picture)


F1 engines evolution


599 Fiorano


Circa


F1 2004


F1 cars


The cafeteria is not very expensive - you can have a sandwich and a drink for about 5 Eu.


After this, you can also visit the test track which is a 5 minute walk. (Ask for directions at the Galleria). You will walk past a statue/bust of Gilles Villenuve.


Fiorano Test track


To come back to Modena, you can go across the street from where you got down (right next to the Ferrari office main entrance). Or , you can also walk to Maranello main bus stand which is a 10 minute walk to the town center. This is a beautiful place, there is a small cafeteria where you can wait for the bus or have coffee.

Town Center


Maranello Bus stand


Enjoy your trip to Maranello. The whole experience is awesome. The Lamborghini museum is not too far away from Modena station (its near the adjacent town of Bologna, but this is less visited).