The 39th Edition of Carovana Romantica started from the Italian Levante Riviera in Camogli, one of the prettiest villages on the coast with it’s typical colourful buildings, surprisingly high for a small port.
The rally moved to Portofino, a postcard village, with facades of trompe-l'oeil villas, and the meeting place of the jet-set, for a special visit, including the motorboat tour of the Natural Park and a visit to the San Fruttuoso Abbey (a unique medieval monastery overlooking the sea hidden in a bay).
The next day we visided the “Cinque Terre” (UNESCO heritage) villages of medieval origin, timeless, suspended between sky and sea facing the blue of the Mediterranean.
Driving through the passes of the Tuscan-Emilian Appennines, the Rally reached to Castello di Compiano, to proceed to Salsomaggiore Terme.
The next stage was dedicated to discover the Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, and medieval villages as Vigoleno and Castell’Arquato.
A special evening was arranged in Busseto, birthplace of the musician Giuseppe Verdi, for a a special tribute concert.
A stage in the unique Parma, the most refined and elegant city in Emilia region, one of the European capitals of good food, geve us the chance to visit the Teatro Farnese and Palazzo della Pilotta.
Rally ended with a special visit to the “Motorvalley” the land of the world's leading car manufacturers, to the Maranello Ferrari Museum and Umberto Panini Maserati collection.
Rally 2023 Map
Highlights
Camogli- Portofino-Cinque Terre
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cinque Terre offer one of the most fascinating landscapes of the Ligurian Riviera, with their rugged and rugged hills, softened by the construction of terraces for the cultivation of citrus fruits and vines, which drop sheer down towards the sea. Hidden in the small fjords, there are the five villages ("Terre"): Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. Portofino is one of the most iconic places in Italy: a magnificent seaside village, set in the green promontory, with its tall pastel-colored houses arranged in a semicircle around the famous Piazzetta. Of very ancient origins, documented in the imperial age with the name of Portus Delphini, it preserves the Roman road layout, with orthogonal meshes. Not far away is Camogli, the most romantic village on the Riviera di Levante where we will stay at the Hotel Cenobio di Dogi. In the surrounding area we will visit the Abbey of San Fruttuoso: a unique medieval monastery overlooking the sea in a bay hidden in the greenery of the Portofino mountain.
Parma and Salsomaggiore Terme
But Emilia is also a land of culture and music. We will cross the Terre Verdiane (Busseto, Parma, Soragna, Fontanellato, Salsomaggiore Terme), the places where the artistic and musical life of the famous musician Giuseppe Verdi took place, and we will attend an exclusive show, a tribute to the great master. Not far from Parma, we will visit “Il Labirinto della Masone”, conceived and wanted by Franco Maria Ricci is the largest existing bamboo labyrinth, made up of about 200,000 plants up to 15 meters high, along a path of over 3km. It houses an impressive collection of unique art of its kind, spread over five thousand square meters, of about five hundred pieces from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. There will be tastings of the gastronomic excellence of which Italy is known throughout the planet: Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma Ham, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Reggio Emilia, culatello, tagliatelle, tortellini, accompanied by wines of tradition such as Sangiovese and Lambrusco.
Duchy of Parma and Piacenza
Dozens of castles, fascinating fortresses and crenellated towers dot the hills that rise in the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. For long centuries these stone sentries were witnesses of battles, invasions and sieges, today they are evidence of history, art, culture and food and wine. We will visit some of the best preserved and highly suggestive castles, such as the castles of Torrechiara, Tabiano Felino, Fontanellato and the fortified medieval villages of Vigoleno, and Castell'Arquato. A unique concentration in the world of car and motorcycle manufacturers (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Maserati, Dallara, Ducati), racetracks, museums and private collections. To fully experience the Motor Valley we will visit, in addition to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, also some highly prestigious private museums, such as the Umberto Panini Museum, with one of the most complete collections of Maserati cars in the world from 1926 onwards, housed in a building in Art Nouveau style.
The "Motorvalley"
A unique concentration in the world of car and motorcycle manufacturers (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Maserati, Dallara, Ducati), racetracks, museums and private collections. To fully experience the Motor Valley we will visit, in addition to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, also some highly prestigious private museums, such as the Umberto Panini Museum, with one of the most complete collections of Maserati cars in the world from 1926 onwards, housed in a building in Art Nouveau style.
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