Photo Credit: Donna Franca
If driving across Italy in a Ferrari sounds like your dream trip, you’re in luck—it actually exists, making your dream a total reality.
So here’s what happens: when you book Donna Franca‘s Lady in Red experience, you’ll choose a Ferrari 458 Spider, Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari California or Ferrari 458 Speciale (upon request with surcharge) and prepare yourself for an epic four-day adventure that stretches from Milan to the Italian Lakes district, which you can also combine with a trip that includes Florence, the Val Di Chiana and Chianti.
You’ll experience a private car transfer in a Mercedes S-Class with English-speaking driver to/from Milan Malpensa or Linate Airport and check in to the five-star Four Seasons Hotel Milano. From there, you’ll spend a night in Stresa at five-star Villa Aminta and a night in Cernobbio at the five-star Villa D’Este. You’ll enjoy a private boat tour on Lake Maggiore, where you’ll explore the Isola Bella, Isola Madre, and Isola Pescatori.
Sounds awesome, right? You’ll also have your own “travel staff” and photography service to commemorate your tour.
Check out the full itinerary of this $10,000 trip below!
THE LADY IN RED FERRARI PACKAGE – MILAN/LAKE COMO/LAKE MAGGIORE/MILAN
DAY 1 – Milan
Welcome to Milan, the Italian capital of fashion and shopping. You will be met at Milan Malpensa (or Linate) International Airport and transferred by Mercedes S-Class to the five-star luxury Four Seasons Hotel in Milan. A dramatically reborn 15th-century convent with a mere 118 rooms and suites, the intimate Four Seasons is steps from Milan’s couture houses and financial district on the exclusive Via Gesù between Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga. Check-in and accommodation in a Junior Suite. You will have time at your disposal for shopping or for a guided tour of Milan (upon request). Milan, the financial heart of the country, has got an energetic pace that matches its skyscraper counterparts in the rest of the world, yet the Italian eye for beauty and style never dims. Milan, however, is not only about fashion and business. Art is also of outstanding relevance: during the Renaissance, the dynastic Visconti and Sforza families commissioned art that endured long beyond their political intrigues. Among many familiar art masterpieces, Milan is home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. Indeed, architecture is sldo relevant in Milan. Its 14th century gothic rose-marbled Il Duomo Cathedral is second in size only to Rome’s St. Peter’s, but exceeding it in grandeur. The adjacent, famed Galleria – probably the world’s most elegant shopping mall – leads into what is surely the world’s most illustrious Opera House, La Scala.
DAY 2 – Lake Maggiore
In the morning after breakfast, transfer bt private car to an exclusive location for the departure of your Ferrari Tour. Meet with your Red Travel Tour Director and enjoy a welcome coffee in the exclusive location followed by a dedicated Ferrari briefing, with your car scenically displayed in a reserved area. Our private Tour Director, an expert Ferrari driver, will introduce our guests to the world of Ferrari. He will clarify the finer details of the controls, explain the differences between the various models (Ferrari 488 Spider, Ferrari California T, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ferrari 458 Spider) and the engines (8-cylinder and new 8-cylinder turbo) and most importantly, give guidance on how to handle the F1 paddle-gear shifting behind the steering wheel. Your luggage will be transported separately. You will leave by Ferrari heading towards Lake Maggiore. Our Tour Director leads you at the wheel of his powerful Alfa Romeo Giulia and guides your Ferrari along the splendid scenarios offered by this beautiful Italian lake. During the whole journey, the Ferrari and the Tour Director’s car will constantly be in touch by mobile radio system. The roads carefully selected by Red Travel to ensure maximum driving pleasure while enjoying the beautiful landscape of Lake Maggiore and its surroundings. Drive your Ferrari to Stresa, which has been a popular retreat for Europe’s aristocrats, who have endowed the town with a number of villas. One famous visitor in 1948 was Ernest Hemingway, who set part of his novel “Farewell to Arms” in the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées. Arrival in Stresa and check-in at Villa Aminta.
The Villa, overlooking the Borromeo Gulf and beautiful islands of Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori, rises in a heaven of peace facing the Lake Maggiore and it is sunk into the thousand nuances of the azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons surrounded by the intense green of centuries old trees. Stresa has also an outstanding botanic garden, which is worth visiting.
Transfer by private boat to the Borromean Islands. Enjoy a scenic private guided tour of Lake Maggiore and discover the picturesque and breathtaking panorama offered by the Lake. Afternoon transfer by private boat to Stresa. Arrival at Arona, on the Piedmont side of Lake Maggiore, for a short walk in the famous location of the “Sancarlone”, a giant statue of Saint Charles Borromeo, which was the largest bronze standing statue in the world, second only to the Statue of Liberty. Departure by Ferrari for Villa Aminta. Arrival in Stresa at Villa Aminta and enjoy some free time to relax. Evening Dinner in Stresa – Restaurant suggestions: Le Isole at Villa Aminta, Il Piemontese. Le Isole: The restaurant of the Villa, overlooking the banks of beautiful Maggiore Lake, proposes a typical Italian regional menu, dedicated to lovers of Italian taste! Il Piemontese: Situated in the ancient heart of Stresa, it can be considered the true restaurant of Maggiore Lake: unsophisticated, intimate, with home atmosphere, different from the other restaurants. You can appreciate the excellent food in a unique and original environment and in the meantime you feel at home. Overnight at Villa Aminta 5* (Stresa, Maggiore Lake).
DAY 3 – Lake Como
After breakfast, meet with your Tour Director and start the second day of your Ferrari tour, which will take you to Lecco, Bellagio, Como, and Cernobbio. At the wheel of his car, the Red Travel Tour Director guides you through a vivid itinerary made of typical towns and villages, whose charming appeal expresses the very soul of Lake Como. Pleasant drive along the panoramic and enchanting roads of Lake Como. Whilst driving, our guests will be able to enjoy the outstanding scenery offered by the Lake, characterized for a beautiful natural landscape that offers an overwhelming feast for the eyes. The roads carefully selected by Red Travel ensure maximum driving pleasure while enjoying the beautiful landscape of Lake Como and its surroundings. Stop in Lecco for a short walk in this village, located at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como, which constitutes the famous scenery that inspired “The Betrothed” (I Promessi Sposi) composed by Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni. Following your visit to Lecco, departure by Ferrari for Bellagio. Arrive in Bellagio, with its many suburbs scattered on the hills overlooking both the southeastern and south-western branches of Lake Como. Lunch in Bellagio – Restaurant suggestions: La Goletta at Villa Serbelloni (1 Michelin star). Chef Ettore Bocchia presents a sequence of art expressions to excite your senses. Eyesight, touch, taste and smell are enchanted by products’ freshness and genuineness; a harmonious and balanced way that highlights the Chef passion in the preparation of these dishes. Afternoon Departure by Ferrari for Cernobbio.
Enjoy your driving along the splendid scenery that this beautiful northern Italian lake has to offer. Arrival in Cernobbio at Villa d’Este. Cernobbio is an elegant tourist village known worldwide for its villas, such as Villa Erba and Villa d’Este, which was once owned by very important Italian personalities. Set on the shores of Lake Como, Villa d’Este is located in one of the most important crossroads between Italy and Northern Europe. As Herb Caen stated about the Villa, “the precise location of heaven on earth has never been established, but it may very well be right here”. Evening Dinner in Cernobbio – Restaurant suggestion: Veranda (Villa d’Este). Overnight at Villa d’Este 5* (Cernobbio, Lake Como)
DAY 4 – ARRIVEDERCI!
Morning transfer to Milan for a private guided visit of the city’s architectonical beauties (upon request), as well as of its famous vogue boutiques. As an alternative, you will have time at your disposal for shopping or visiting in C in Cernobbio. Lunch in the center of Milan – Restaurant suggestion: Café Trussardi. Café Trussardi offers its guests a unique experience: the kitchen and bar offer a top-flight menu suited to the pace of contemporary life. After lunch, a Mercedes S-Class will take you to Milan – Linate (or Malpensa) International Airport for your return flight.
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