Not just for F1 fans!

The Modena Grand Prix

Freshly polished cars like this green Lamborghini Aventador attract thousands of car fans from all over the world to the Motor Festival in Modena in May.

(Bild: FABRIZIO ANNOVI)

Italy's Emilia-Romagna really steps on the gas at the Motor Valley Fest. A round trip not just for Formula 1 fans.

Amore, motore, Italia! Whether Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati - Italian engines simply sound different. Because they radiate the attitude to life and the pride of an entire nation.

The home of all these luxury cars is Emilia-Romagna. However, the region not only has the proverbial gasoline in its blood, but also so much more to offer, both culturally and in terms of cuisine. So it's time to buckle up and hit the road.

The medieval metropolis of Bologna, with its leaning towers around Piazza Maggiore, is the perfect starting point for the tour circuit. In the winding alleyways, greengrocers sell apples and artichokes, while bars in the university quarter invite you to linger. You can also sample perhaps the best pizza in the city at Berberè. The atmosphere is casual, the waiting times long, but every minute is worth it. Especially for the Salsiccia e Friarielli pizza with Romagnola salami, wild broccoli and smoked ricotta.

View over Modena with its yellow and red houses

(Bild: ronnybas - stock.adobe.com)

Balsamic vinegar matured for 34 years in sherry barrels
First pit stop in Modena: nothing is left to chance at Maserati. The managing director in an azure blue suit with a freshly ironed pocket square gives a personal tour of the "hallowed halls". The luxury cars with Neptune's trident on the radiator grille stand for horsepower perfection. "Every car is a one-off", announces the boss, "every drive is an experience".

Speaking of experiences: a dinner at celebrity chef Massimo Bottura's Casa Maria Luigia is one without exaggeration. Frenetically adored by his followers, the top chef puts on a first-class show in his historic farmhouse just outside the city.

Massimo Bottura pours out ice-cold sweet wine in the restaurant.

(Bild: Gregor Brandl)

He doesn't seem to sit still for a minute. Signore Bottura sprints back and forth between the kitchen and the cellar, acrobatically pouring wine and praising his balsamic vinegar, which has been aged for 34 years in sherry barrels. Connoisseurs will detect notes of juniper and caramel in the finish, while connoisseurs will simply love it

Just like the oven-baked focaccia with pesto modenese as an antipasto and the branzino (sea bass) for the main course. For dessert, there is panna cotta "latte" and perhaps another Lambrusco from the Chiarli winegrowing family. The grapes for this ruby-red sparkling wine grow on vines in the hills around the village of Castelvetro.

INFO

JOURNEY:
Austrian offers direct flights from Vienna to Bologna.

ACCOMMODATION:
The Milano Palace Hotel is centrally located in Modena. The breakfast buffet is sumptuous.
www.mila nopalacehotel.it

CULINARY:
The Trattoria Tagliatella in Modena offers delicious food at reasonable prices. Nomen est omen!
www.trattoriatagliatella.it

GENERAL INFORMATION:
www.italia.it
www.moto rvalley.it/motorvalleyfest

One color clearly dominates the classic car parade on the final day: Rosso Corsa, loosely translated as racing red. Ferraristi from all over the world drive up with their freshly polished classic cars and are only too happy to be admired and photographed.

Ferrari red dominates the classic tour
Spring is the ideal time for a trip to Emilia-Romagna. From May 2 to 5, the Motor Valley Festival will take place for the sixth time this year. And it's not just Maserati that opens its doors. The whole of Modena becomes a kind of open-air stage complete with car show. Lamborghini prototypes gleam bright orange in the soft sunlight. Dallara presents its latest design creations, as does Pagani.

This prototype, an e-Maserati made entirely of aluminum, is "parked" on the Piazza Grande.

(Bild: frizio - stock.adobe.com)

Put the pedal to the metal on the race track with 670 hp
In the futuristic museum behind the factory halls, you can embark on a journey through time from Enzo Ferrari's beginnings as a young machinist to the Scuderia's current successes in Formula 1. Insider tip: Just around the corner is the Cavallino restaurant, where Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher once celebrated their Grand Prix victories and enjoyed unique pasta. Even today, the newly renovated restaurant with the rearing black stallion on the front door is still a meeting place for local mechanics, managers and motorsport enthusiasts.

At the Autodromo di Modena, you can try your hand at being a racing driver.

(Bild: Gregor Brandl )

The ultimate adrenaline adventure can be experienced on the home straight at the Autodromo di Modena. If you've always wanted to know what 670 horsepower feels like under your backside, this is the place for you. At the side of a

professional driver, you can test a Ferrari F 488 yourself and be impressed by the acceleration and braking forces on the track.

Of course, the whole thing is not for the faint-hearted and is a moving experience in the truest sense of the word. Just like the entire journey through Emilia-Romagna.

Buon viaggio!