Motor Valley & the Imola Grand Prix
The countryside around Bologna builds the fastest cars in the world. This is Italy's Motor Valley, and once a year Formula 1 comes home to Imola.
Within an hour of Bologna you'll find the factories and museums of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati, Maserati and Pagani. Petrolheads call this stretch of Emilia-Romagna the "Motor Valley," and it's a genuine reason to time a trip, especially around the Imola Grand Prix. Here's what's worth seeing and when to come.
The Imola Grand Prix
The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola has hosted Formula 1 on and off for decades, and in recent years the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix has been a fixture of the calendar (race weekends are typically scheduled in spring, though the F1 schedule changes year to year, so confirm the current date before booking). It's one of the sport's old-school tracks, fast and tree-lined, and a short train ride from Bologna makes the city an easy base for a race weekend.
Booking a race weekend
Hotels in and around Imola sell out months ahead for the Grand Prix, and prices jump. Basing yourself in Bologna and taking the train to Imola each day is often cheaper and easier, see where to stay and getting around the region by train.
The car museums
You don't need a race ticket to enjoy the Motor Valley. The big draw is Maranello, home of the Museo Ferrari, paired with the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, an easy combined day from the city (the Modena day trip covers it). Lamborghini's museum sits at Sant'Agata Bolognese, and Ducati's factory museum is right on Bologna's edge at Borgo Panigale. Most run guided factory tours that need booking ahead.
How to do it
Maranello and Sant'Agata are easiest with a car or an organised tour, while Imola and Modena are quick train hops. Guided "Motor Valley" day tours from Bologna bundle the museums and the logistics if you'd rather be driven.
See the Motor Valley from Bologna
Guided tours cover the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums and the factory towns without the rental-car hassle.
Browse Motor Valley toursFor the rest of the year's highlights, see the Bologna events calendar, summer in Bologna, and the best day trips from the city.