Maranello steeds conquer the gates of Rome!

Ferrari Cavalcade 2015 in Rome

Rome, the Eternal City, built 753 BC ( before Christ), today more than 3.3 million occupants, the capital of two states - Italy, and the Vatican City. Terrific historical landmarks, like the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the St.Peter's Basilica are just a few to name. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest Roman Catholic Church in the world.  Internally it is around 186 metres in the length and 136.50 metres from the ground to the cross on top of the dome. It took more than 120 years to build this incredible edifice, and in 1980, it was joined together with the Vatican City, and the old town of Rome, to UNESCO world cultural heritage. The magical  Italien atmosphere and appeal attracted many brilliant minds and philosophers like Aristotle. And Goethe spent a significant amount of time in Rome, albeit under a false identity, he assumed the role of a painter to experience the soul and the lightness of being an Italien from Rome. Another very famous place is the Trevi Fountain, a late baroque sculptured masterpiece by  Nicola Salvi, which was also the location for Federico Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita (1960)", where actress Anita Ekberg played a key scene amid the water of the fountain.

So what better place to hold such an extraordinary event? Rome's history is very rich in power, beauty, quality, pride and achievement, just as Ferrari's history is full of the same.

View at the St. Peter's Basilica 

Both have taken on the world and won. They have left their marks on each and every one of us in a way that is unparalleled by any other city in the world or by any other exotic automobile maker. They are both shrouded in luxury and have gifted the whole planet with a unique sense of style. They are both what dreams are made of. So this fusion of the two makes this event a perfect marriage of "Car and City". They were made to be together like Verona's Romeo and Juliet, a true love story where one cannot exist without the other.

Ferrari's stallions on the rampage!

There are very few Ferrari events with as much prestige as the Ferrari Cavalcade. It is a special event for the brand's elite clients and the participants are selected personally by Ferrari, based on their Ferrari collections and their passion for the brand. Initiated in 2012, with the aim to reward these collectors from all over the world, with an extraordinary journey through Italy, to breath and feel the essence and spirit of the birthplace of the Ferrari brand.

Sicily island from the helicopter

The first portion of the event took place in Emilia Romagna in 2013, discovering the beauty of the Toscana region, and in 2014 the terrific landscapes on the island of Sicily. This particular event brings the most exclusive models of the brand the brand together, like the one-off Ferrari F12 TRS, priced around 4,2 million US dollars, that was spotted last year in Sicily. This year, Rome was besieged from the 25th Junge to 30th June 2015 by more than 15 examples of the Limited Series of LaFerrari and more than 100 clients from 37 countries attended. This 5-day programme was fully packed with lots of fun, driving action and track sessions, like at the Vallelunga Race Circuit and hillclimb to Mount Terminillo.

 The Vatican 

Also discovering the beautiful culture and surroundings of Rome, like Orvieto, Viterbo and Ronciglione, and of course a visit to the Vatican city state and much more. 

A big thank you to Roma

The real highlight was the parade on the last day through Rome and the gala dinner in the evening in the spectacular area of Trajan's Market.

There was an auction which raised more than 200.000 Euros. Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the money will be donated to the City of Rome for the restoration of some monuments; it was a true gesture of thanks to the City and its citizens for the warm welcome. 

A clever marketing idea

In fact many Ferrari and other supercar enthusiasts, are open-heartedly welcomed to join the Cavalcade, following all the action of the Ferraristas, and some very busy reporting back to their social media audience and fans about this particular gathering, mentioning which models took part, the specifications of these rare and eye-pleasing machines, which famous faces were present at the event, and very likely comparable to the red carpet entrance to the Cannes Film Festival. So like our Italien contributor and supercar enthusiast Gabriele Epifiani, living in Rome, here are some of his thoughts and experience from the event, having been so fortunate to have the Ferrari Cavalcade pass by his own doorstep.

Hunting horses in Roma!

Yesterday I saw a LaFerrari below my home. Oh, and today I saw two LaFerraris near my office. It was two days that I'd been hearing from friends and acquaintances who had sighted hypercars throughout the city. Something was awfully strange! It could not just be because of the heat? So, I set on the hunt too! And so I was right: The Cavalcade, the exclusive Gran Turismo event reserved for the most important customers of Maranello from all over the world, this year passed right below my house! What a better opportunity for a supercar enthusiast like myself. So, armed with my trusty smartphone and a lot of patience (since Rome that particular night was totally paralyzed due to a firework display event in Castel Sant'Angelo), I went out to hunt horses.

With considerable fortune, I easily found the area that was to be used for parking that night for the event, just behind the Ara Pacis, within a small passage with no name, between this and Piazza Augusto Imperatore, a night shelter almost too modest and casual for the merchandise it was to accommodate.

Positively, and without exaggeration, I personally counted nine LaFerraris, the value of which, calculator in hand, was probably little below the value of the Ara Pacis itself, give or take a euro!

My only regret, obviously not having known until quite late about this event, was that I was not able to follow the event during the daytime, highlighted moments of the event were the  speed tests on the nearby Vallelunga Circuit (where a silver grey LaFerrari, as I had heard, had a very close encounter with the armco railing) followed by the unmissable gala events around the capital. And what remains, despite everything, was the pleasure and the satisfaction of having been able to see up close all the top production models from the Maranello factory (over 100 cars and I assure you, the entry-level models were very few and far between), including, and besides the above mentioned nine (and I repeat nine) LaFerraris, was the fantastic 458 SA of the illustrious Josh Cartu.

So this might also be adopted as a clever marketing idea to spread wide and far exotic name of Ferrari. From the 10th to 14th August 2015, the Cavalcade took place for the first time in the USA, where 70 cars attended and discovered the beauty of California. However, the original event has always been held on Italian soil, so this must have been an unexpected but welcomed change to proceedings, and a chance for the American enthusiasts and collectors to savour this magnificent event in their own backyard.

 Source & Photo credits by Ferrari @Newspress.uk, Gabriele Epifiani, Narcy Cardia, S.Krabetz