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Welcome to our annual Italian road trip. In 2022, the event starts in a luxury hotel near Bologna, goes to Florence and Chianti, before heading to Portofino. After the Italian Riviera, we continue to two days on Garda Lake and finally over the mountains to Como Lake. Six days of driving and seven nights in absolutely spectacular hotels, like Splendido Portofino.
In total we have 1 500 kilometres of wonderful roads, divided into six driving days. It will be a mix of beautiful valleys in Tuscany, the Italian Riviera, and breathtaking mountain passes in the north.
All hotels en route are five stars except Palazzo di Varignana which is four-star. We stay two nights in Villa Cora in Florence and Hotel EALA by Garda Lake. Splendido Portofino is considered one of the top hotels in the world.
Palazzo di Varignana (Bologna) ****
Villa Cora (Florence) *****L (Two nights)
Splendido (Portofino) *****L
Hotel EALA (Limone sul Garda) *****L (Two nights)
Grand Hotel Tremezzo (Como Lake) *****L
Each day will be roughly five hours of driving. Sometimes less, sometimes a bit more. Besides driving we will do stops for special activities and events along the road, like vista points, photo opportunities and other things.
The time schedule for each day is: breakfast at 9.00, start driving at 10.00, lunch en route, coffee break during the afternoon, arrival to the hotel during the late afternoon, aperitivo at about 19:00 and dinner at 20.00.
The event starts on the 18th of September, where we meet in the beautiful resort Palazzo di Varignana, in the hills near Bologna.
The event check-in opens at 16:00. Please do not arrive later than 18:00. We will have a welcome mingle by the pool at 19.00, and dinner at 20:00.
16:00 - Check-in opens in Palazzo di Varignana ****
19:00 - Welcome mingle by the pool
20:00 - Dinner
This is the first driving day. After breakfast, we drive two famous mountain passes towards Florence: Passo della Raticosa and Passo della Futa.
Arriving in Florence, we check-in at Villa Cora, a hotel in the overwhelming luxury style that is typical for Italy. The hotel is situated on a hill just south of the city centre, near Piazzale Michelangelo.
09:00 - Breakfast in the hotel
10:00 - Driving begins
11:00 - Passo della Raticosa
11:30 - Passo della Futa
12:30 - Lunch on the peak of Futa Pass
14:30 - Driving continues
17:00 - Arrival at Villa Cora *****L (Florence)
19:30 - Aperitivo
20:00 - Dinner
Welcome to what is arguably the most beautiful place in the world, the famous Chianti district between Florence and Siena. Not only do they make some of the best wine in the world, also the roads are spectacular for a supercar.
Today, we drive the famous SR222 or Strada del Chianti from Florence to Siena. After lunch in the centre of Siena, we make our way north again and stop at an amazing winery near San Gimignano for a wine tasting before driving back to Florence.
09:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Leaving hotel
11:00 - SR222 Strada del Chianti
12:30 - Lunch in Siena
14:00 - Driving continues
14:30 - Wine tasting near San Gimignano
16:30 - Drive back to Florence
17:00 - Arrival back at Villa Cora *****L (Florence)
19:30 - Aperitivo in the hotel
20:00 - Dinner
Driving continues towards Liguria and the Riviera. Our first stop is in Portovenere where we have lunch in the best seafood restaurant in Italy, Ristorante ISEO. After lunch, we drive the extremely entertaining Passo del Bracco to Sestri Levante and then Portofino.
Tonight we stay in Splendido Portofino. Aperitivo will be in the harbour and later dinner on the terrace in the hotel with a view of the harbour below.
09:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Leaving hotel
12:30 - Lunch in Portovenere
14:00 - Driving continues
15:00 - Passo del Bracco
17:00 - Arrival at Splendido Portofino *****L
19:00 - Aperitivo in the harbour of Portofino
20:00 - Dinner on the terrace of Splendido Portofino
Good morning! You are in Portofino. No need to rush today, we stay in the hotel until noon so you can enjoy Splendido Portofino in a relaxed fashion.
After lunch in the hotel, we drive north towards Garda Lake. Our hotel for the next two nights is called EALA and is located near Limone sul Garda. It is a brand new hotel that looks like something from a James Bond movie.
12:00 - Lunch in Splendido Portofino
13:00 - Leaving hotel
14:00 - Autostrada towards Garda Lake
17:00 - Check in to EALA *****L (Limone sul Garda)
19:30 - Aperitivo on the hotel rooftop
20:00 - Dinner
Today we spend on Garda Lake, driving the beautiful Strada della Forra with lunch in Sirmione. After lunch, we continue on the eastern shore of the lake and complete a lap back to Limone sul Garda and our hotel.
09:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Leaving hotel
11:00 - Strada della Forra
12:30 - Lunch in Sirmione
14:00 - Driving continues
15:00 - Garda Lake eastern shore
16:30 - Arrival back to EALA *****L (Limone sul Garda)
20:00 - Dinner in Limone sul Garda
The final day of driving, some great mountain roads await us. First, we scale the road to Madonna di Campiglio and later Passo Tonale. After Passo Tonale, we follow the road downhill towards Sondrio, where we stop for lunch.
After lunch, we drive through the valley of Sondrio in the direction of Como Lake. Continuing our way on the western shore of Como Lake, we arrive at Grand Hotel Tremezzo. This final evening we will have aperitivo on the terrace of the hotel, before having dinner in their garden.
08:00 - Breakfast
09:00 - Leaving hotel
12:30 - Passo Tonale
13:30 - Lunch on Piazza Garibaldi in Sondrio
15:00 - Driving continues
16:30 - Arrival at Grand Hotel Tremezzo *****L
19:30 - Aperitivo on the terrace
20:00 - Dinner in the hotel garden
Thank you for joining us on Gran Turismo Italia 2021. Check-out time from the hotel is at noon. Please let us know if you want to stay longer.
Joining from the United States, South Africa or Asia? We have rental Ferrari and Lamborghini cars available for this event. Check the registration form below for all available cars and prices.
The event is 12 800 EUR and includes everything for a driver and co-driver sharing one car and hotel room:
Hotels: Seven hotel nights in luxury hotels along the road with breakfast and safe parking for your car.
Full hospitality: All dinners along the route, as well as lunches, coffee stops and aperitivo.
Also included: Professional photos taken from the event. Our famous event polos are also included, for both the driver and the co-driver. Welcome pack with, badges and stickers for your car. Access to map application. Follow-me truck to carry your excess luggage.
Trailer service option: We can transport your car from Scandinavia to Italy for the event and back.
Rental supercars: Joining from the United States, South Africa or Asia? We have rental supercars available for this event. Check the registration form for all available cars and prices.
For questions regarding registration, please contact us on registry@granturismo.org.
Beautiful road trips and famous racing tracks since 2002. Supercars only.
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For general enquiries, you can always use info@granturismo.org. For event registrations, please use registry@granturismo.org.