Not Your Grandma’s Bus Tour of Italy, Day VI

Cynthia Cunniff’s writing background spans magazine editorial, travel blogging, marketing and PR. She’s a graduate of the creative writing program at CSU Long Beach and went on to UCLA to further her writing skills. Growing up as a military dependent, she lived in several foreign countries and areas of the US. Post college she returned to international living and resided in London for close to a decade, where she took advantage of proximity to the rest of Europe and traveled extensively. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @localpathworld.

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Ferarri Museum - Modena — Ferarri Museum – Modena

This is the sixth installment in a seven-part series following JohnnyJet.com writer Cynthia Cunniff through her experience of touring Italy with Insight Vacations. Head back to the series home page for the full Italy experience—or jump straight over to Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 or Day 7 of the tour.

DAY 6

Ferarri Museum
On the way to Venice, we made a stop at the foot of the Apennine Mountains in Modena to check out the Museo Ferarri (Ferrari Museum). The entire town of Modena is dedicated to the brand, and the Ferarri colors of red, yellow and black are everywhere. An auto museum isn’t something I would normally pick out if I were creating an itinerary, but the visit was just long enough to get a peek at hardcore flamboyant swank.

And it was interesting—the museum emphasizes the relationship Ferarri has with Hollywood, for example, which was fun. The entry fee and a specialized museum tour guide are included in the Insight Vacations tour price, and the tour guide in particular gave perspective into the drama, science and history that is Ferarri. Other than that, if you want to try out the F1 Simulator it will cost you €25 and the items for sale in the souvenir shop are pricey.

Tip: You can only tour the Ferrari manufacturing plant if you actually own a Ferrari. All others are welcome to tour the museum.

Venice
This was my fifth trip to Venice, but the Floating City is a city that is forever enchanting. Our tour brought us by boat to the city at night. Pure magic. The lights bounced off the water as our boat taxi wound its way through the ancient canals. Most of the mansions lining our way had curtains pulled back, allowing us a peek into the chandeliered existence of frescoed walls and rich tapestries of what was once a flourishing social scene for the wealthy. Insight Vacations couldn’t have scripted a better introduction of this eye-candied city. I don’t think words can do it justice, you just have to go to understand the opulence and beauty of this completely unique setting.

We stayed in the “Beverly Hills” area off of St. Mark’s square. The streets around our lavish hotel, Bauer L’Hotel, house the top designer stores which makes for spectacular window shopping. That said, the ever-narrow passageways throughout Venice are all great opportunities to get lost and discover your own, less-pricey gems.

Ferarri and Venice (51) — Gondolas in Venice

Venice is flooded daily as the tide comes in, though it doesn’t disrupt the daily life or even the tourists. There are elevated walkways and many choose to purchase the colorful boat covers that are sold throughout the city.