The official opening of the fifth edition of the Motor Valley Fest, Emilia Romagna’s great open-air festival celebrating the Land of Motors, is one month away. From May 11 to 14, 2023 the festival will take place in the capital of the most famous Motor Valley in the world, the city of Modena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“The Motor Valley Fest is an event that turns the spotlight on an area rich in motoring excellence known all over the world,” said the president of the Region, Stefano Bonaccini. “It has become an international point of reference for the motor world, thanks to the collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency’s Made in Italy initiative and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.”
“This year, there are also three important anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of Lamborghini, a car manufacturer that needs no introduction; the 70th anniversary of the birth of the Enzo and Dino Ferrari of Imola, which a permanent host of Formula 1 racing; and the 100th anniversary of the Circuito del Savio, the great historic event known for igniting automotive passions throughout Romagna and site of the first race won by Enzo Ferrari,” Bonaccini continued. “These anniversaries remind us of the link between the world of motor vehicles and this land.”
Technological change; updates on electrification; high-impact hybrid solutions; full electric; and the development of the highly interesting world of synthetic fuels, both in the road products market and in the world of sport, are just some of the topics that will be addressed during the event.
The Motor Valley Fest will open on Thursday May 11, at 9:00am with the now customary inaugural conference at the Pavarotti Theater in Modena. After the institutional greetings of the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region Stefano Bonaccini, the Mayor Gian Carlo Muzzarelli, and the president of Unioncamere Andrea Prete, representatives of the Italian and international automotive elite will discuss issues in the world of engines. Following the conference, a ribbon cutting will be held in the courtyard of the Military Academy of Modena to officially start the festival.
Other happenings throughout the festival include conferences and roundtable discussions with representatives of the Motor Valley’s top brands, as well as cultural and food and wine events.
Some highlights of the Motor Valley Fest schedule will include:
- Innovation and Talents: A networking area dedicated to talents, start-ups, and universities will host events the first two days of the festival, on Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12, at the San Carlo Foundation.
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- Twelve universities will exhibit their SAE Formulas in the Piazza Grande;
- Over 40 national and international startups, including a delegation from Hungary, will be on the ‘track’ of the MUNER Motor Vehicle University of Emilia-Romagna and the Italian Racing Teams at the Military Academy;
- The San Carlo Foundation will host the twelve Talent Talks where representatives from the top Motor Valley brands, including Lamborghini, Maserati, Dallara, Ducati, and others, will share their insights into the necessary skills future professionals will need to succeed in the automotive sector.
- Exhibitions: Prototypes, memorabilia, artwork, photographs, and films are among the exhibits presented throughout the event.
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- In the Cortile Giulio Cesare of the Military Academy of Palazzo Ducale in Modena, the exhibition entitled “L’altra storia dell’Ing. Mauro Forghieri,” set up by Vision Up, will be on display. The exhibition will display prototypes of the G.P.800 cc motorcycle, 2- and 4- cylinder diesel engines for the military and civil sector along with the new military and civil 2WD-4WD electric vehicles, created by Oral Engineering in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and followed by Ing. Forghieri;
- In the Torretta area of the former Aerautodromo di Modena, “The great Modenese motorcyclists” exhibition, created in collaboration with Moto Club Modena, will feature static motorcycles and rallies. Photographs and films will tell the story and the adventures of important Modenese figures: Francesco Villa, Walter Villa, Claudio Lusuardi, Gianfranco Bursi, Franco Cottafavi, Gabriele Debbia, Luca Cadalora. There will also be a special tribute to two great motorcyclists who tragically died: Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini;
- During the weekend of the festival, the Motor Valley Auction House of Giusti and Battaglia will be open to the public, along with the private car collection of the Giusti family. For the occasion, a special exhibition of pedal cars, helmets of famous pilots and watches of great value will be set up, along with the memorabilia and objects that belonged to Forghieri;
- From Thursday, May 11 to Sunday, June 25, the exhibition “Manualmente” will be held in the San Carlo Church in Modena showcasing pieces from the world of ceramics, fashion, and motor vehicles.
- The Expo in the City: A series of expositions will be on display for the public and festival attendees throughout Modena.
- The Best of the Motor Valley, a public display of cars and motorcycles from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati, and more, will be hosted by the Cortile d’Onore of Palazzo Ducale, the seat of the Military Academy of Modena;
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- The Motor Valley Village, in Piazza Grande, will ignite visitors’ passion for engines with the help of professional pilots from the Portamiinpista School, affiliated with ASI and the Motor Valley;
- Making their Motor Valley Fest debut, the Municipality of Lugo (in the province of Ravenna), in collaboration with the Francesco Baracca Museum dedicated to the World War I-era Italian aviation ace and illustrious citizen of Lugo, together with the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack of Imola, will host drawing workshops for children dedicated to the figure of Baracca and the coat of arms that appeared on his plane, that of the prancing horse. This activity will highlight the centenary of the first edition of the Circuito del Savio, the event that ultimately unleashed Romagna’s passion for car and motorcycle racing, which will be celebrated in Ravenna on June 10, 2023.
- Parades: Displays of supercars, motorcycles, and motorbikes will take place throughout the weekend from the participating Motor Valley brands.
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- May 11-14: The “60th Lamborghini Anniversary & Supercars” event, a traveling gathering between Modena and the Romagna Riviera, with around thirty cars, mostly Lamborghinis. Davide Cironi, a new participant, will organize the decennial Drive Experience, Truck Day at the Modena Marzaglia Racetrack;
- May 12: A discussion with car repair companies on the future of the restoration sector
- May 12-14: The Cavallino Classic Modena returns, its third edition, with the parade of 25 excellent Ferraris. Chef Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara Gilmore will be the guests of honor at this year’s “Concorso d’Eleganza,” which will be held at their Casa Maria Luigia, and host an enchanting journey between culinary tradition and automotive research. This year, the cars will travel along a wonderful parade route through the center of Modena on the afternoon of Saturday, May 13.
- May 13: This parade of about 30 Ferraris, Maseratis, and Porsches, organized by Piero Capello of the Sport Rally Team, will start at the center of Modena and end at Piazza Sant’Agostino where the vehicles will remain on display until 19:00;
- May 13: The Made in Motor Valley Motorcycle and Supercars rallies will parade from the Riviera Romagnola along the Via Emilia and arrive in Modena around 20:00 with over 200 Ducati motorcycles and 100 Emilian supercars, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, and more;
- May 13-14: The 23rd Concours d’Elégance Salvarola Terme Trophy, created by the Terme della Salvarola in collaboration with the Ferrari Museums, the Emilia Romagna Region, the Municipalities of Modean, Sassuolo, Formigine, Fiorano Modenese and Maranello, Bper, Aci Modena and the Consortium for the Protection of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. On Saturday, this parade will travel through the streets of Modena to discover the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, the Righini Collection in Castelfranco Emilia, and the Reggia Ducale Estense in Sassuolo. Then on Sunday morning, the participating vehicles will line up along the “green carpet” of the Salvarola Terme park to be admired by the public, followed by an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon in PIazza Roma in Modena. The Special Guest of 2023 will be the Italian Alfa Romeo Register, which will bring a selection of the best Alfa Romeo cars, alongside classes open to prestigious cars of all brands. Cars produced up to 1992 can be entered to participate;
- May 13-14: In Piazza Mazzini, experience a virtual tour of a farm, in collaboration with Unimore, to discover a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy farm. Guided tastings of DOP and IGP products from the province of Modena while learning about the history, culture, and know-how that produced them;
- May 14: Parade of Energica electric motorbikes through the city center, beginning at 11:00, stopping in Piazza Roma and ending in Piazza Sant’Agostino
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- Events in the City: Other Motor Valley-related events will also be available to locals and visitors to Modena.
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- May 11-14: the Enzo Ferrari Museum (MEF) in Modena and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello will be open with special exhibitions featuring icon models during the festival;
- May 12: A conference entitled, “The professions: experiences and innovation. The history and culture of motoring, told by the professional orders and colleges of the province of Modena,” will be held at the SPAZIOF Palazzo Montecuccoli beginning at 14:30. The presentation is organized by the Commission for Equal Opportunities of the Committee of the Professional Orders and Colleges of the province of Modena (CUP), only Emilia-Romagna and Unimore in collaboration with the Smart city sector, demographic services and participation of the Municipality of Modena, and the Modena Foundation.
- May 12: A conference on the world of food and motors, “Taste Stories and Engines,” is scheduled for 15:00-17:00 at the Chamber of Commerce of Modena, with speeches by representatives of great Modenese personalities like Pagani, Panini, Righini, who bridge the world of food and motors. The conference will be moderated by Sky journalist and commentator Leo Turrini, followed by a tasting of the PDO and PGI products from Modena;
- May 13: A presentation of the book “Motor Valley-Viaggio nella terra dei motori,” the story of the making of the first official docufilm of the Emilia-Romagna Motor Valley, will take place on the catwalk in Piazza Roma with the director and journalist Stefano Ferrari and screenwriter Miria Burani. The book contains 50 historical black and white photographs by Walter Breveglieri, another 50 contemporary images by Massimiliano Donati, the personal stories of 36 personalities of the Emilia-Romagna motor world, including the sons of Enzo Ferrari, of the founder of Lamborghini, of former Formula 1 driver Jody Scheckter, of the former Team Principal and CEO of Ferrari, Stfano Domenicali, of the founders of Pagani and Dallara, and managers of local motorsport companies;
- May 13: At the Teatro Storchi TEDxModena returns with 13 speakers focusing on the theme “SUSTAIN-ABILITY.” Held in partnership with Unimore and MUNER, the talks are also being held with the support of the Collegio San Carlo Foundation and the patronage of the Municipality of Modena, the Emilia-Romagna Region and Confindustria Emilia Area Centro;
- May 13: The European Night of Museums, the festival of museums and places of culture in the city, returns with dance-step performances, meetings, guided tours, installations, and workshops for a special evening that crosses the historic center from the Palazzo dei Musei at Palazzo Santa Margherita. Dance will once again be the focus of the evening with the participation of the Modena dance associations, professional companies and individual professionals of national and international caliber. That evening, the area around the city’s historic UNESCO center will be open to the public, including the Ghirlandina bell tower, the historic rooms of the Town Hall building, and the Municipal Acetaia.
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- Out of Town Events: The festival will extend beyond the borders of Modena to the neighboring town of Formigine:
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- May 13-14: the Pagani Roadster BC will be exhibited in Formigine’s Piazza Calcagnini; Local auto repair specialists Scuderia Belle Epoque, will exhibit its own car at the Castle;
- May 11-14: Children of all ages are invited to Piazza Italia to learn the basics of driving on a large carpet depicting vertical and horizontal signs, created in collaboration of local police officers and volunteers from the Family and Road Victims Association;
- May 11-14: The exhibition “Paolino and his friends. The Formiginesi della Formula 1”, features video-interviews and installations on the mechanics of the legend;
- May 11-14: In the Sala Loggia, there will be the exhibition “Don Sergio Mantovani, one of us,” which will highlight the figure of the Formiginese parish priest, a passionate fan of motor vehicles and a friend of many Formula One drivers, who died in 2018;
- May 11-14: On the same weekend in the center of Formigine, the second edition of Eutierra Green Fest will offer flower and nursery stands, gardening, agriculture, equipment and products for vegetable and flower gardens and countryside enthusiasts, businesses that deal with eco-homes, green building, ecological cars, electric bikes and bio-pools. The food area will be dedicated to farms that will sell local products that have traveled 0km to be there.
The Motor Valley Fest is organized by the Emilia-Romagna Region, APT Servizi Emilia Romagna, the Municipality of Modena, the Motor Valley Development Association, MUNER, and Meneghini & Associati. Support is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ICE Agency, the Chamber of Commerce of Modena, Modena Foundation, in partnership with Anfia, UNRAE industrial vehicles section, Autopromotec, ACI, Bologna Fiere – Motor Show.
The project is co-financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region with resources from the ERDF ROP 2014-2020, European Regional Development Fund.
The main sponsor is UniCredit, and the Wall Street Journal is an International Media Partner.