For travel advisor Dan Colangelo, a self-planned FIT tour through Italy's Emilia-Romagna region turned a lifelong dream into a masterclass in what it truly means to experience a destination.
At a Glance
Maranello, a small town in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, is home to the Ferrari factory and serves as the birthplace of Scuderia Ferrari. Visitors experience the factory's historical significance, witness local pride in craftsmanship, and may see red Ferrari flags raised outside the factory walls when racing teams win—a tradition dating to the 1970s that marks victories in Formula 1, endurance racing, and Le Mans.
There are trips you plan, and then there are trips you've been planning in your heart for decades. For Dan Colangelo, a seasoned travel advisor with a passion for the road in every sense of the word, a self-guided FIT tour of Italy that wound through the storied towns of Maranello and Modena was unmistakably the latter. No group tour leader, no set itinerary handed down by a supplier. Just Colangelo, his family, and a destination he had been dreaming about since childhood.
Standing at the Gates of a Legend
The moment that crystallized the entire journey came early. Colangelo describes standing at the entrance of the Ferrari factory in Maranello as something he is still processing weeks later. "This was the place I grew up dreaming of visiting," he says, "and here I was with my family, leaning against the wall of this historic building." It is the kind of sentence that stops a conversation, because everyone in the room understands exactly what he means. The Ferrari factory is not just a manufacturing plant. It is a cathedral to speed, precision, and Italian identity, and for those who grew up with a poster of a Prancing Horse on their bedroom wall, arriving there in person carries a weight that no photograph can fully prepare you for.
Maranello is a small town in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, best known to the world as the birthplace and permanent home of Scuderia Ferrari. Colangelo paired it with nearby Modena, a city celebrated equally for its balsamic vinegar, its Romanesque cathedral, and its own deep ties to Italian automotive culture. Together, the two towns form a compelling itinerary for travelers willing to look beyond the well-worn tourist trails of Rome and Tuscany.
The Warmth Nobody Warned Him About
What surprised Colangelo most, however, had nothing to do with engines or racing trophies. It was the people. "How genuinely nice everyone here was," he recalls. "Always happy to help and share stories of the history of this historic town." For a travel advisor who has helped countless clients set expectations before a trip, this was a meaningful discovery. The warmth of the locals in Maranello was not the performative hospitality of a heavily touristed city. It felt earned, rooted in a shared pride that Colangelo found himself drawn into almost immediately.
That pride, he quickly learned, runs far deeper than merchandise and museum displays. Growing up, Colangelo had always been aware of the Tifosi, the famously passionate Italian fans of Ferrari in Formula 1 and endurance racing. But awareness, he now understands, is a pale shadow of witnessing it in person. "Being there," he explains, "you can see that pride in the craftsmanship of the cars and in the area that the people have." It is a distinction that matters enormously to him as an advisor. The difference between knowing a fact about a destination and feeling it is the difference between a recommendation and a story.
The Red Flags and a Tradition Decades in the Making
Colangelo came away from Maranello with an insider detail that few travelers ever learn, one that perfectly captures the living, breathing relationship between Ferrari and its hometown. The red Ferrari flags that hang outside the factory walls, flanking the iconic yellow Ferrari sign, are only raised when one of the racing teams wins a race. Formula 1, the World Endurance Championship, Le Mans. The tradition dates back to the 1970s during the Niki Lauda era and became deeply embedded in the town's culture through the dominant Schumacher years. For a visitor who happens to be present on a race weekend when Ferrari takes the victory, seeing those flags climb the poles outside the factory is a moment entirely unavailable in any guidebook.
It is precisely this kind of layered knowledge that Colangelo believes separates a thoughtful travel recommendation from a simple itinerary add-on. "The biggest lesson I took away," he reflects, "is that the right timing and context can completely change an experience. A destination or attraction might look like a simple stop on an itinerary, but knowing when to go, how much time to allow, and what to combine it with can make the difference between simply seeing something and actually experiencing it."
Who This Trip Is Really For
As much as Colangelo is now a passionate advocate for the Ferrari experience in Maranello, his enthusiasm comes with the measured honesty of someone who has thought carefully about fit. The trip, he says, is genuinely suited to anyone with an interest in cars, racing, engineering, Italian culture, or the story behind iconic brands. Crucially, he does not believe a visitor needs to be a hardcore Ferrari enthusiast to find it worthwhile. What makes it resonate, in his view, is the connection between the cars, the people, the history, and the town itself. That connection is something a curious traveler can appreciate regardless of whether they can name every Formula 1 champion.
But Colangelo is equally clear about who should look elsewhere. Travelers seeking a classic Italian sightseeing experience, or those for whom cars and motorsport hold no particular appeal, are unlikely to find the magic he discovered. Italy offers extraordinary alternatives in every direction, and part of his job, as he sees it, is helping clients understand when a famous attraction is right for them and when their time is better spent somewhere else entirely. "Experiencing it firsthand means I can recommend it with confidence and, just as importantly, know when it isn't the right fit for a client."
The Advisor Who Has Been There
The Maranello trip has quietly recalibrated how Colangelo thinks about this corner of Italy and, more broadly, about the role of firsthand experience in his work. He will recommend it more selectively now, armed not just with the highlights but with a genuine feel for the pacing, the emotional texture, and the kind of traveler who will leave transformed rather than merely ticked off a list. That is the professional dividend of going yourself.
As for what comes next, Colangelo is already looking ahead. Group cruises to Bermuda and the Greek Isles are on the horizon, two destinations with their own layers waiting to be uncovered. If Maranello is any indication, he will arrive not just as a traveler, but as someone listening carefully for the stories that most people never think to ask about.
