Ferrari & Gelato: a trip to Bologna

'NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED' we are firmly told, as I, and other fans from as far afield as Brisbane and Kyoto, climb aboard the luxury shuttle bus. Behind these gates hides top secret information worth billions of Euros, and once through the high-security portal, swarthy men in uniform red boiler suits displaying the famous prancing horse logo stalk the futuristic grounds. It could only be Italy - the designer stubble and mirrored sunglasses reflect the sharp-angled buildings of this Formula 1 HQ. The whiff of testosterone is palpable from behind the bus windows, and the charming (female) tour leader points out the enormous wind tunnel where aerodynamics are tested and the 'car parks' where Ferraris, in various stages of development and worth up to $3 million each, casually wait.

How did I get here? My first experience of Travel Counsellors was as a customer. My son had just completed his A Levels and was taking a year off before university. I wanted to use this opportunity to plan a bonding mother-son trip; the stuff of memories. I had 2 rules: 1) to go somewhere that neither of us had been to before. 2) to keep to a very modest budget. I didn't want him to develop a taste for luxury quite yet!

My son had never visited Italy, and I had only been to Rome. After investigation, the usual hotspots of Florence, Venice and Naples were prohibitively expensive; my son, however, was a huge fan of the Ferrari Formula 1 Team so I chose to focus our trip around a visit to their base just outside Bologna.

My Travel Counsellor found us some well-timed low cost flights, a clean and central small hotel, and was able to advise on how best to visit the Ferrari factory and museums in Modena and Maranello by train. This is an easy day trip from Bologna, using the fantastic and cheap Italian rail system to get to Modena. At Modena train station, you are met by a Ferrari shuttle bus and even I, not a fan of Formula 1, got goose bumps in anticipation of the day ahead.

Whilst you could spend a couple of days exploring Bologna's heritage - this is a vibrant university town with a rich cultural history - we chose to focus on gastronomy. Known as 'La Grassa' ('The Fat One'), this erudite town is all about its excellent cuisine. I was travelling with a bottomless pit (aka the stomach of a 19-year old young man), after all. We ate, and we ate a lot - from melt-in-your-mouth mortadella and cured meats, tortellini and pasta all' ragu, incredible game and fish, local cheeses, as well as seasonal fresh vegetables. The local produce is said to be of such high quality and variety due to the location of Emilia Romagna, sheltered on low land between the Alps and the Appenines, and near the coast. I'm also not ashamed to say that we visited the same gelateria, just by our hotel, 3 times over 48 hours. When in Italy...

Back to Ferrari, there are two museums, one in Maranello where the focus is on the cars and where you can also visit the factory, and one in Modena which is where the legendary Enzo Ferrari was born and brought up. I would advise booking all tours in advance online, as well as the train travel and transfers. Once you have visited Maranello, the shuttle will take you back to the museum in Modena, then do wander the porticoed streets of this provincial town and try the glossy sweetness of the local Balsamic vinegar.

At the end of the day, sitting outside a cafe in glorious autumn sunshine with a cold Moretti, my son and I confirmed that we were 100% happy with our little mother-son break. This was a fantastic Italian city jaunt and my son was bitten by the travel bug. He's in Australia as I type this, and I couldn't be happier for him. As for me, a new career was being launched.