KaneezM

Our family of 5, including our 17 year old son, will be visiting Italy (first time) end of June. My son would like to visit the Ferrari Museum and also do the simulator drive (which is apparently only in Maranello). Maranello also has a factory tour - my research (please correct me if I am wrong) indicates that it may not be worth the time since you do not get out of the bus and don't really see much. We will be renting a car from Venice, on our way to Florence, and intend to make this a stop on the way to Florence.

My question(s) to folks who may have done one or both:

- which one do you recommend (if you have done both) - Modena or Maranello?
- if you did the factory tour, would you recommend it?
- if you did do both (Modena and Maranello) - how much time would you allocate to the entire trip? We will be doing a one day car rental from Venice to Florence...

I gave each of our children one thing that they would like to do and my 17 year old chose Ferrari - so I would like to make that happen. But if the tour is a total dud, I would rather save the day.

Any advice would be much appreciated - thank you!!

Dukey1

The only way you are going to get an actual walk-around tour of the factory is by being a registered Ferrari owner (and even when you are, I think the museum is more interesting); otherwise you are stuck on that bus.

Otherwise, I would stick to the museum. Not knowing how fast you are planning to drive from Venice or how comfortable you are with a later arrival time in Florence it is somewhat difficult to recommend the amount of time to give to the museum. Also, if your son is REALLY interested in the cars as well as what is inside them, the various power plant configurations, etc, that will add even more time.

I am sure others will make helpful recommendations.

Jean

I think you're more likely to see Ferraris on the streets of Maranello. If this stop is for your son, have him research the museums in Maranello and Modena and choose which one he prefers to see.

If he waited a year, he could drive an F430. But on this trip, an adult could drive with him as a passenger in a California. This company also has an F1 simulator:

http://www.livitaly.com/en/tours/fer...rive-maranello

The bus tour wouldn't be worth the time or money to me. The only departures are at 12:30 and 1:30 at which time, I presume, most (if not all) of the factory workers are off the line eating lunch. But your son may not care that the assembly line is quiet.

The simulator experience at the museum is 7 minutes for 25 euros.

The drive from Venice to Florence is at least a half day without the detour and time in Modena/Maranello. If you're renting the car that morning and dropping it that same evening, you're limited somewhat by the opening and closing hours of the rental offices in both cities. Don't forget to allow time for meals and, if it's really hot, beverage and/or gelato stops. One thing working in your favor is that sunset won't be until 9:00p, so you likely won't have to find your way in the dark at the Florence end.

Modena has a ZTL (limited traffic zone), so follow the driving instructions provided on the museum websites and/or research the boundaries of the zone and figure out routes that won't violate the zone.

KaneezM

Thank you, Dukey1 - we are, unfortunately, not Ferrari owners (not yet, anyways) - thanks for the tips.

Thank you, Jean - love this option and thank you for the tips about the traffic zone and car rental. Gelato stops are a must . My son is busy studying for his SATS , but I will tell him to research and tell me what he finds more interesting - I suspect the museum visit coupled with the Livitaly drive. Appreciate the tips.