Toutes les Machines du Monde
Italy
Click on the photo for each museum to visit our photo page for that museum
Museums are arranged by rating
The Nicolis Museum, Villafranca di Verona, Italy ★★★★★
This museum is a real find, literally. It is a wonderful, wonderful collection displayed in a purpose built facility, and we just happened to see a billboard for it on our way to Verona. The museum shows off not only a wonderful group of automobiles, but also motorcycles, bicycles, photographic equipment and musical instruments. It is all the astonishing work of Italian tycoon Luciano Nicolis. The museum was opened in 2000 and should not be missed. As a visitor, the only drawback is that the new building isn’t nearly big enough to display these treasures to best advantage.
Museo Ferrari, Maranello, Italy ★★★★
One of two Ferrari museums in the Modena area, this one is adjacent to the factory in Maranello and is the original Ferrari Musem. Some of the cars on display are in temporary exhibits, but most of the ones I’ve shown I believe to be part of the permanent collection. I may have been to better museums, but I have never seen more beautiful automobiles. My passion is for the racing cars of the fifties and sixties and the photos reflect that, but if you like newer cars, there are plenty of them as well. The shark nosed 1961 1500 cc Grand Prix car pictured here is literally the first car I ever fell in love with as a fourteen year old holding the first copy of Road & Track magazine I’d ever seen. As museum visits go, it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you get to this area, be sure to see both of the Ferrari museums; you will not be disappointed.
Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, Modena, Italy ★★★★
The second of two Ferrari museums in the Modena area, this one tells the story of Enzo Ferrari’s life and the founding of Ferrari as a manufacturer. The cars on exhibit are shown as temporary exhibitions rather than as a permanent collection. The group of photos shown here are of Grand Prix cars between 1949 and 1994 said to have been selected on the basis of technical merit. The cars are gorgeous and the exhibit space is stunningly stylish, modern and well lit. Whatever cars might be on display during your visit, they will surely be well worth your time.
Ducati Motorcycle Museum, Bologna, Italy ★★★★
www.ducati.com/company/visit_us/index.do
This is a beautifully done museum featuring Ducati racing bikes from 1946 to the present. Ducati’s many trophies and World Championship winning bikes are displayed in all their glory. The museum can only be seen on a guided tour; tours are available in various languages and reservations are required. Monday thru Friday tours include a tour of the adjacent Ducati factory, while Saturday tours are of the museum only. If you get a chance to visit, do make every effort to see the factory as well as the museum. Not surprisingly, photography is not permitted in the factory, but the tour is very interesting. A Ducati store and dealer are located on the premises. The website states correctly that on site parking is only available for Ducati motorcycles, but there is a large public parking lot nearby.
Italian National Auto Museum, Turin, Italy ★★★★
Turin is the home of Fiat and qualifies as the Detroit of Italy. The museum is located in a modern building and has some very interesting display areas, particularly in the realm of providing background images for the cars. The vehicle collection itself is a bit spotty and might be considered less than stellar, given the magnificance of Italy’s automotive heritage, but there are some lovely cars and the overall experience is quite good and very informative.
Mille Miglia Museum, Brescia, Italy ★★★★
www.museomillemiglia.it/defaulten.aspx
The Mille Miglia, a thousand mile road race around Italy, was run for many years until being halted after a fatal accident in 1957. It was organized by the Auto Club of Brescia and this museum pays homage to the great history of the race. The museum is housed in an old Monastery whose buildings date from the 15th to the 17th century. The collections appear to consist of vehicles on loan but the presentation and ambience are first rate, including life size blow ups of period photographs on the walls along with posters and detailed information on each race.
Museo Tazio Nuvolari, Mantua, Italy ★★★
www.tazionuvolari.it/eng/index.html
Known as the “Flying Mantuan,” Nuvolari was almost certainly the greatest driver of the 20s and 30s; a time when brakes were ineffectual and sliding through the turns was the only way to both steer and slow the car. Today, this favorite son is remembered by a small but reverent museum in downtown Mantua, a town no traveller should miss. Stop in to celebrate “The Flying Mantuan” when you’re there. The sense of occasion when visiting this museum far outweighs what little there is to photograph.
