The romance of the road – and of Italy itself – was in full effect at this year’s Venice Cavalcade…
While Ferrari’s exclusive driving events are well-known for their beautiful locations and extraordinarily scenic road routes, the most recent Ferrari Cavalcade truly pulled out all the stops, bringing a host of wonderfully diverse Prancing Horses – and their owners – together in Italy’s most romantic city, Venice.
Witness a selection of the highlights from this year's memorable Venice Cavalcade…
A glittering procession of 124 Ferrari cars, including an incredible 21 examples of the 812 Competizione A and two stunning one-offs – the SP-8 and the SP-38 – gathered at the Port of Venice for a spectacular display on the Sunday before the four-day driving programme began.
With the entirety of the event being based at Venice’s luxurious St Regis Hotel, the first day began with clients being transported by water shuttles from the hotel to the Port of Venice to meet their cars for an early morning departure.
From left: the Venice Cavalcade saw 124 cars gathering at the Port of Venice before exploring the verdant countryside, beautiful towns and perfectly preserved hilltop villages of Northern Italy
Heading off into the very best of Northern Italy, the first break of the day saw the Cavalcade heading into the majestic Dolomite Mountain range, stopping at Passo D’Aune at Alpina 1954, before heading north towards the beautiful town of Agordo and a lunch break at the exclusive PalaLuxottica. The procession then set off southwards through the wine-making region of Borgo Luce before circling back to Venice, completing an intense yet rewarding 390kms behind the wheel.
After a relaxing lie-in the next morning, the first cars left the Port of Venice and headed south for a stop-off at the imposing Abbazia di Pomposa, before threading westwards towards the beautiful Renaissance town of Ferrara for lunch. The afternoon was spent returning in a northerly direction through the characterful town of Rovigo and back to Venice.
From left: the third and fourth days of the event saw the procession of Prancing Horses heading west to Vicenza, taking in more beautiful driving roads, enjoying interesting stop-off points and finally heading back to Venice for the conclusion of the Cavalcade
Wednesday found the Cavalcade of Prancing Horses journeying westwards to the cosmopolitan city of Vicenza and onwards to Bassano de Grappa. A post-prandial sprint south-east then took the procession of cars to the Aeroporto di Istrana and the 51st Military Airforce Base, and then, once again, back to Venice ahead of a red and black themed dinner at the historic Arsenale Di Venezia.
A leisurely breakfast on the final day was followed by a pleasing jaunt into the lush countryside of Lower Padua. With a total journey distance of just 190kms, the Cavalcade cars travelled south-west to Padova, where they lined up in this historic city’s centre – allowing Ferrari fans and passersby alike the opportunity to witness a truly glorious collection of Prancing Horses. A short blast back to the Port of Venice rounded off the last segment of the driving programme, leaving guests the rest of the afternoon to explore Venice’s breathtaking marble palaces, enchanting squares and beautiful canals.
Time to rest and reflect on an unforgettable journey
A black tie gala dinner concluded the Cavalcade event, with a charity auction to support a new educational project in Maranello with global ambitions and a project in the Venetian area by Save the Children to combat educational poverty. All that was left to do the following day was for the Prancing Horses and Ferrari clienti to bid their final farewells and depart Venice, leaving with enduring memories of the fantastic roads, breathtaking vistas and exquisite cuisine that only Northern Italy can offer.