Red dream meets reality: Ferrari offers tours of Fiorano track

Pista di Fiorano--three words that in any language conjure images of romanticism and speed. And now the general public can get a bit closer to the daily reality of life inside Ferrari.

The company is offering tours of its historic test track for visitors in a program that launched on Wednesday. The first tour kicked off at 1 p.m. Italian time and started from the in-house museum called Galleria Ferrari. A shuttle looped around the track with stops at historic markers. Starting Aug. 17, the tours will run every day. They take about half an hour.

Until now, the site has been closed as to the wishes of Enzo Ferrari. It has its own television system and timing and telemetry equipment. The original layout is still used, but has been expanded to accommodate modern F1 cars.

The storied circuit was built in the early 1970s to test and shake down Ferraris. A favorite stop on the tour is Enzo Ferrari's original office. The tour also includes the buildings where the fabled Formula One cars are built for the Scuderia.

Another highlight of the tour is the fighter jet Gilles Villeneuve raced against in 1981--and beat--in an F1 car. For Tifosi, this is a definite addition to the bucket list.

By Greg Migliore