The 2024 Emilia-Romagna “Land of Motors” Tour is an escorted ground tour of northern Italy’s famous Motor Valley, where some of the world’s top car & motorcycle construction businesses were born. Stay in 4-star hotels with breakfast & dinner included and enjoy a full calendar of events—museums, private collections, factory tours, an Italian cooking class, a winery tour, shopping, outstanding sightseeing, and optional classic car rental.
Day 1: Sept. 10 Arrive at Malpensa Airport, Milan, and transfer by private coach to your hotel in Correggio for a 3-night stay, starting on Sep. 10th—check-in at the four-star Phi Hotel dei Medaglioni in the centre of historic Correggio. The hotel’s main building is Palazzo Canossi, which has noble origins dating back to the XVI century.
The hotel’s 53 tastefully furnished, elegant, practical rooms preserve original architectural elements, making them unique. Three palazzos form the hotel, which takes its name from the centuries-old medallions by Bonifazio Asioli and Antonio Alloegri, known as “Il Correggio,” which embellish the facade of the entrance. Unpack, relax and get to know your surroundings.
EVENING: Group Welcome Dinner with wine at the hotel.
Day 2: Sept. 11 MORNING: Group Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we transfer to Modena city centre, where we meet our English-speaking guide for a walking city tour of Modena. This city’s historical centre recalls the greatness of the House of Este, thanks to whom Modena became the State Capital from the end of the 16th century to 1959.
After the walking tour, you will enjoy some free time for lunch on your own in the city centre.
AFTERNOON: visit the Museo Enzo Ferrari (MEF) Museum in Modena. The MEF delivers a unique and enthralling museum experience that takes visitors back to the roots of the world’s most famous marque. It is an exhilarating experience in a futuristic 2,500-square-metre-plus pavilion with cars and an immersive video experience that tells the magical story of Enzo’s nine decades.
EVENING: Group dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: Sept. 12 MORNING: Group Breakfast at Phi Hotel del Medaglioni. After breakfast, transfer by coach to Maranello to tour the Ferrari Museum, the official exhibition of Ferrari. Spread over six main halls, this Museum, visited annually by more than 200,000 people worldwide, is not just a collection of cars and static objects but a dynamic exhibition that changes continuously over time. The Museum offers visitors nearly 40 models, chosen in rotation among all the cars of Ferrari’s history. The Museum includes a Ferarri Shop, Simulator & photo point.
Lunch on your own at the Museum’s cafeteria.
AFTERNOON: Board the coach and be transferred to Stanguellini Motor Museum. Modena’s most famous car constructors include the Stanguellini family, who have nurtured this passion over generations and helped to create the unique Italian automotive tradition. A trip to this “Workshop of Miracles,” where Vittorio Stanguellini tuned his cars to achieve lightning-fast performances on the racing circuits, is essential for insight into the true spirit of Italy’s Motor Valley. Return by coach to the hotel.
EVENING: Group dinner and last night at this hotel.
Day 4: Sept. 13 MORNING: Group Breakfast at Phi Hotel del Medaglioni. After breakfast, we transfer by coach for the second part of the tour to discover the beauty of Tuscany. Before reaching the Tuscan countryside, we have another insightful visit to the Motor Valley with a 
stop at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese. This Museum narrates the life of Ferruccio through his mechanical creations and archives of family photos, as well as vehicles from his personal car collection, including the Espada with seagull wing doors that inspired the car of the ‘Back to the Future’ movie.
After the visit, we proceed to the Hotel Le Terre Rosse in Tuscany to check in for a four-night stay. This hotel is styled as a typical countryside house, tucked away in nature and nestled in the Sienese Chianti area, with a 40,000 square-metre private park with an infinity pool that overlooks the San Gimignano hills. Perfect for food and wine lovers.
Lunch on your own at the hotel or in San Gimignano (five-minute walk).
EVENING: Group dinner at Hotel Le Terre Rosse.
Day 5: Sept 14 MORNING: Group Breakfast at Hotel Le Terre Rosse. After breakfast, we board the coach to Florence, where we meet with a local English-speaking guide for a private walking tour of the city centre. Florence is known as the city of art, the capital of the Renaissance and one of Italy’s most important centres of literary and scientific culture.
The city tour includes visiting the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral), typical of Italian Gothic architecture. The Piazza della Signoria has been the city’s political heart from the Middle Ages to the present day and is also a splendid open-air museum. And, close by, the oldest bridge from Roman times, the Ponte Vecchio. At the end of the guided tour, enjoy free time in Florence and lunch on your own before returning to the hotel.
EVENING: Group dinner at the hotel.
Panoramic view of Piazza della Signoria. Photo: – Own work
Day 6: Sept 15 MORNING: Group Breakfast at Hotel Le Terre Rosse. After breakfast, we transfer to the Galerie Peugeot of French classic cars & motorcycles in the surrounding area of San Gimignano. This gallery took root because of Daniele Bellucci, who created this museum with his collection of more than 30 cars with the support of the Peugeot Italia Historical Club.
At the end of the museum visit, we continue to San Gimignano, the Town of Fine Towers (medieval “skyscrapers”). The town is a gentrified walled city famous for its white Vernaccia wine and its Renaissance art. Once there, you will have time at leisure to stroll around and have lunch on your own.
After lunch, we return to the hotel for our afternoon free time before our evening activities.
EVENING: 4-COURSE GROUP DINNER WITH WINE PAIRING. We transfer to a beautiful local estate winery, the Tenuta Guicciardini Strozzi, amongst the green Tuscan hills in Cusona, which produces 22 varieties. Amongst the best-known labels is the Vernaccia di San Gimignano, first produced by the winery in 1200. Following the tour, we enjoy dinner.
After dinner, we return to the hotel.
Day 7: Sept 16 MORNING: Group Breakfast at Hotel Le Terre Rosse. After breakfast, we board the coach to Siena, often described as Italy’s best-preserved medieval city.
Once there, we attend a cooking school where you will enjoy a cooking class by Chef Lella. The only requirement for participating is a love of food, places and their inhabitants. 
The aim is for the “dish” to come alive for visitors eager to taste the local cuisine and learn the secrets of the basic recipes. The cooking school is only a few yards away from Piazza del Campo in the centre of Siena.
The Group will prepare a Tuscan luncheon menu with Chef Lella and enjoy the result, which will be served with wines. After lunch, you can stroll around Siena to explore this city with its narrow streets, steep alleys, stunning Gothic Duomo (cathedral) and the glorious Palazzo Pubblico overlooking its magnificent Campo (square).
EVENING: Group Dinner at the hotel.
Day 8: Sept 17 MORNING: Group breakfast at the hotel.
After breakfast, we transfer to the Square of Miracles, where we go for a walking tour with our English-speaking guide to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with skip-the-line entrance tickets to climb to the top of the tower and admire amazing views.
Free time in Pisa for lunch and exploration.
In the afternoon, we transfer from Pisa to Marina di Pietrasanta for a two-night stay at the Hotel Colluccini, five minutes from the popular seaside resort of Forte dei Marmi.
EVENING: Group Dinner at the hotel.
Day 9: Sept 18 MORNING: Group breakfast at Hotel Colluccini. Day 9 is a day of leisure, allowing you to relax, sightsee in Forte dei Marmi (Fort of the Marbles) or enjoy on-site beach time. Our tour escort will be on-site all day if you wish to book optional tours to Lucca, Cinque Terre, or a classic car rental (advance booking required).
EVENING: Special Seafood Group Farewell Dinner at the hotel.
Day 10: Sept 19 MORNING: Group breakfast at Hotel Colluccini. Hotel checkout and transfer to Florence Airport. TOUR ENDS, arrivederci.
Click 2024 Best Classic Italy Ground Package for single & double occupancy prices. Contact Joan Stewart @ jstewart@westerndriver.com
To book your flights on your preferred airline or using your points, please contact Christian Watton, Travel Consultant at Flight Centre, Kitsilano Branch, Vancouver, BC christian.watton@flightcentre.ca or call him at 604.235.6525.