Here’s how the entire town of Maranello in Italy became a shrine to Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari was born in Modena, but he chose Maranello to set up shop, and now this small town in Italy has become something of a Ferrari shrine.

Maranello has a population of just 17,000, but it’s arguably the most important place in the world when it comes to cars.

Most petrolheads know that Maranello and Ferrari are often spoken in the same breath.

But what some people may not know is just how popular Ferrari is around these parts of Italy.

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Why Enzo Ferrari chose Maranello

Ferrari actually started life as Auto Avio Costruzioni in Enzo Ferrari’s hometown of Modena.

The timing was pretty unfortunate, though.

Auto Avio was founded during World War II, which is why Enzo decided to relocate to Maranello – it was much smaller and therefore, in his mind, potentially safer.

By 1947, when Auto Avio became Ferrari, the factory in Maranello had already grown considerably, so moving back to Modena never crossed Enzo’s mind.

Part of this story was told quite well in the movie Ferrari, with Adam Driver starring as Enzo Ferrari.

Fun fact, albeit probably a bit unrelated, Adam Driver was actually not allowed to drive a Ferrari on set.

How the whole town became a Ferrari shrine

Everything and anything in town has Ferrari written all over it, often literally.

As you drive into town, the first thing you’ll find is a large stainless steel statue of the Prancing Horse.

It’s massive, standing five feet tall, and heavy – weighing 800 kilograms.

There’s also another similar statue in the main public square in town, although this one is a bit smaller.

Then there’s the Ferrari factory, the Ferrari Museum, and Ristorante Cavallino, a Ferrari-themed eaterie where Enzo would dine quite often.

But even after checking all these boxes, you don’t have to go far to find even more Ferrari logos, flags, and references.

Because they are literally everywhere.

There’s a public park with life-size replicas of some famous Ferrari models, and then there’s the Enzo Ferrari Auditorium.

You’re starting to get the picture, aren’t you?

This Auditorium, an event hall and theater, is where the Tifosi – Ferrari fans – watch the F1 race every Sunday.

There are other places in the world we associate with car brands – Detroit and Ford, and Stuttgart with Porsche and Mercedes – spring to mind.

But nowhere compares to Maranello in Italy.