Historic walls, steeped in memories and poetry, the rooms where Enzo Ferrari ate meals and where he invited his guests. Of those rooms the Drake would recognize the spirit and, perhaps, the disposition. The rest is all new now. Mind you, the trattoria has remained a trattoria in terms of form and function, with its luminous sequence of arches. And the Ferrari soul hovers fully in the air, thanks to the photos, to the engines arranged like sculptures, to the original pieces and to the colours, from the Modena Yellow to the iconic Red. In short, there is a contemporary reinterpretation, you can see, but it does not betray the past.
A plastic representation of a slow food in the realm of speed.
The exteriors, needless to say, are fiery red. The classic “Rosso Ferrari”. Inside, the bright red that has been racing around the circuits for over 70 years lights up the chairs, which seem to be arranged at the tables as in the starting blocks, while the posters, the celebratory collections of photographs, souvenirs and memorabilia reveal the spirit of the place and the story of Ferrari's incredible industrial and sporting adventure.
The Cavallino Restaurant, symbolic place of Ferrari, inaugurates a new life in the historic Maranello headquarters in via Abetone Inferiore, thanks to the collaboration with heavyweights in catering and design: Massimo Bottura and India Mahdavi.
The Cavallino has been a protagonist of the Ferrari legend since 1942, the year in which the Engineer took over the land of the former Fondo Cavani also annexing to the transaction the small farmhouse which was first used as a canteen, dressing room and training center for Ferrari workforce and which was opened to the public in 1950 as the Cavallino Restaurant.
Enzo and Piero Ferrari with Giuseppe Neri.
It is within these walls, in his private room, that Enzo Ferrari loved to enjoy the Grand Prix. Here he received at lunch his collaborators, customers and closest friends such as Gioacchino Colombo who, in 1945, designed the first Ferrari 125S Sport car. Illustrious guests such as Prince Bernard of Holland, Princess Liliana de Rèthy and 3-time world champion Jackie Stewart sat around the tables of the past, as well as all the drivers and technicians who were part of the Ferrari Team during the course. of the different decades.
On the ground floor the Enzo Ferrari Room, with its poplar wood finishes, also draws on the history of the house. The engineer loved to spend his time here, in front of the fireplace, watching the races. India Mahdavi brings the intimacy of this room to life by creating a private dining room, with chairs upholstered in red leather, framed by a large bay window with movable wooden slats that open onto a sunny courtyard, as if the engineer had just parked his car.
Ristorante Cavallino, Maranello. Enzo Ferrari ate here, enough said really. Across the road from the main gates of Ferrari sits this very humble ristorante which has served the Ferrari team and its famous drivers for many years. It oozes atmosphere and history with Formula 1 memorabilia decorating the walls and on serving tables next to fresh bread rolls. Made all the more special knowing you are just metres from one of the most significant car makers in the world and brands in general, Ferrari. Photos taken on September 6 2012 by Paul from La Lente.
Maranello, 13 July 2021. The Ristorante Cavallino has officially begun a new era, hosting a lunch for Scuderia Ferrari people both past and present. They included Chairman John Elkann, Vice Chairman Piero Ferrari, the drivers currently flying the Prancing Horse colours in Formula 1 - Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz - and a whole host of past champions and other people who played their part in the history of the Maranello marque, from the management side, team partners and journalists who have chronicled the team’s journey in print and on television.
The Cavallino re-opened its doors on 15 June, having been completely renovated by the famous Franco-Iranian architect, India Mahdavi, who attended to every detail of the project. It can also count on the multi-award winning chef Massimo Bottura.
A photo at the Cavallino. It portrays Enzo Ferrari, Niki Lauda and Luca di Montezemolo in 1974.
The Cavallino holds a special place in the history of Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari would regularly lunch here with his colleagues and it was usually here that he would meet potential new drivers and engineers to recruit them to the team. The walls of this restaurant could tell the tale of handshakes that were then formalised as contracts, they witnessed discussions, often animated, during lunches with journalists at the end of or prior to the start of the racing season. At these meetings, Enzo would defend his Ferrari from criticisms that appeared in the daily and weekly papers. It was from here that Enzo also followed what was going on at the track, watching the races live on television in the restaurant’s private room which now bears his name.
Today, seated in the Ristorante Cavallino, drivers, managers, marketing guests and journalists rediscovered the warmth of the place, but with a different vibe: a contemporary trattoria, but firmly rooted in its territory, just like Ferrari, which over the years has increasingly opened its doors to people from all over the world, while still remaining very much Italian and true to the Emilia Romagna region. Inside and out, every design detail and furnishing has been tailor made, taking its inspiration from the traditional Italian trattoria, at the same time exemplifying the world of Ferrari, which is why, to all intents and purposes, it is yet another example of the brand’s excellence.
This special reunion was a wonderful opportunity to relive tales of bygone days, revealing the importance of the Cavallino to the younger diners. There from the Seventies were Jacky Ickx, Arturo Merzario, René Arnoux and 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter, who found themselves explaining to Leclerc and Sainz what the place was like when Maranello was their home. And the veteran journalists had a tale or two to tell the present day TV reporters. Also present was Gerhard Berger who, along with Michele Alboreto, made up the last Scuderia driver pairing personally chosen by Enzo Ferrari prior to his death in 1988. Giancarlo Fisichella was also present, the last Italian to race for Scuderia Ferrari as well as Luca Badoer, the long time test driver during the golden Michael Schumacher era.
Where Enzo dined. 11 June, 2021. By Kevin M Buckley. The Cavallino restaurant, opposite the Ferrari factory gates, is reopening after an extensive renovation. Famed for hosting Enzo Ferrari on a daily basis, this is the story of how a former stable and farmhouse became intertwined in Prancing Horse folklore.
After morning discussing aerodynamics with car designers or being updated by engineers on the latest Formula 1 engine tests, Enzo Ferrari would stroll out of those famous factory gates.
To go for lunch.
A creature of habit, he never went far, crossing the road to make his way from number 4, Via Abetone Inferiore, along to number 1. There he would ensconce himself in his favourite eating place, the Ristorante Cavallino. This meant it was 12.30. On the dot. The furnishings were simple and rustic, while the menu specialised in the dishes and ingredients that makes Emilia-Romagna such a powerhouse of Italian cuisine. Fast cars met slow food. Over the years the restaurant became a culinary fixture, as much a part of Ferrari culture as Fiorano or Formula 1, while for Enzo it became his cucina personale – his personal kitchen, where he could eat his favourite food in a place where he felt at home.
A former farmhouse and stable, the Cavallino restaurant was simple and rustic, with high-backed wooden chairs at square tables, exposed wooden roof beams and whitewashed walls. Artcurial.
Soon a saletta was set aside for Enzo's private use. This small room would become an inner sanctum where the Ferrari founder customarily seated himself with his back to the wall, facing the narrow entrance that was curtained for privacy. On weekdays he would arrive with Ferrari managers and sometimes racing drivers. Translating mealtime chats was said to be frowned upon by the head of the table, so non-Italian guests – including Scuderia piloti – had to try to keep up with the conversation. On Saturdays car talk was strictly frowned upon. Instead it was a time reserved by Enzo for a group known as “gli amici del sabato” – the Saturday friends. Lunches with these half-dozen trusted associates were dedicated to enjoying the traditional food, talking of family and having animated discussions about life in general. The Italian way.
Enzo Ferrari (back corner) dines in the Cavallino in 1966 with his colleagues. This dinner was to give thanks to the extraordinary work of the team ahead of the trip to the 1000 km of the Nürburgring. Anti-clockwise from Enzo Ferrari: Ing. Giancarlo Bussi (responsible for engine testing), Walter Salvarani (responsible for gearbox), Giulio Borsari – and partially hidden (head of the mechanics), Franco Gozzi (head of the press office).
The Cavallino also soon established itself as the perfect location for wining and dining the marque’s most well-known clients. As early as 1953 Italian film director Roberto Rossellini was a guest when he arrived in Maranello to personally choose the Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé – with coachwork by Pinin Farina – he bought for his wife, Swedish film star Ingrid Bergman.
From then on the modest saletta attracted visits from a roll call of famous names in racing and beyond, including the likes of Paul Newman, the Shah of Persia and Peter Sellers. The list of visitors doesn’t end there either…
‘Many famous people have come to the Cavallino: actors, sports champions, nobles and royalty,’ recounts Piero Ferrari, Vice Chairman of Ferrari. ‘A lot of Formula 1 history has been created here too. For instance, in 1981 Bernie Ecclestone and Jean-Marie Balestre came to lay the foundations for the so-called Formula 1 ‘Concorde Agreement’ that was to be signed that year in Paris on the Place de la Concorde.’ At the end of the meeting they told him, “Engineer, you write the rules.”
Clientele also included piloti past and present, with the likes of Niki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve, Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher, all regularly tussling with a menu that challenged their rigid athlete diets to the guilty limit.
As for Enzo, he was known in these parts as “una buona forchetta” – literally 'a good fork'. Meaning he liked to eat.
And the Cavallino menu was replete with traditional dishes.
Modena-born Enzo favoured tortelli in burro e salvia (tortelli in butter and sage), followed by risotto with parmesan cheese, from nearby Parma. In winter there would be bollito misto – a mixed broth of boiled meats.
A collaboration with chef Massimo Bottura and architect India Mahdavi has restored the trattoria's modernity and infused it with a new identity. Foto Danilo Scarpati.
As the years passed the restaurant's walls became more and more embellished and, for enthusiasts, the place became a racing magnet to visit not just for the excellent food.
The interior decorations mushroomed to include original helmets from greats like Schumacher and V12 engines from Ferrari road and road cars alike.
Enzo Ferrari’s 90th birthday. Il Commendatore and Giuseppe Neri in front of a cake depicting the prancing horse. Artcurial.
When the Ferrari founder celebrated his ninetieth birthday with a huge factory lunch, well over fifteen hundred past and present employees attended – and the Cavallino did the catering. The entire production line of the eight-cylinder engines was suspended for a whole day in order to allow it to be decked out to resemble the restaurant. Following Enzo’s death in 1988 the private saletta was left intact but unused, in honour of its most revered buona forchetta.
Now, a new chapter in the story of the Cavallino is beginning, thanks to the collaboration between chef Massimo Bottura and architect India Mahdavi. Massimo Bottura, born and raised in Modena, describes the reinvigorated Cavallino as ‘a new vision and a new way of bringing Modenese cuisine to life’. As such, the history and identity of the area is revisited in a contemporary style to bring out the best of the past in the flavours of the present and the future.
With more affordable prices than haute-cuisine restaurants, the Cavallino aims to welcome not just super-rich Ferrari owners but also Ferrari fans and food lovers.
A new red façade adorns the old farmhouse building and inside India Mahdavi has played with the traditional decorative vocabulary of the Italian trattoria. The floor is covered with terracotta tiles, the walls are oak-panelled – and, of course, feature photographs, posters, souvenirs and memorabilia – but there is bespoke furniture and a pixelized interpretation of the Prancing House logo to create a unique identity for the restaurant. The Ristorante Cavallino embraces a vision of hospitality to offer everyone the possibility to be part of the Ferrari universe, to breathe in the same atmosphere and to celebrate the delights of an Italian way of life.
Cavallino has played a key part in Ferrari’s history. It is a symbol of the company’s deep bond with the region, through relationships and friendship made over time. It has witnessed celebrations and the most daring challenges undertaken by the Scuderia. The rooms of this historic building continue to inspire guests and have hosted an extraordinary range of memorable events and functions. They’re alive with the dreams and successes that inspired Enzo Ferrari’s forward-looking vision. They evoke nostalgia, but also offer a new dimension to banqueting and social functions…
Here, Ferrari engineers stopped by for a modest lunch with their guests.
At weekends, they’d enjoy a glass of wine in front of the screen while viewing Formula 1 Grands Prix.
Cavallino restaurant reinterprets the spirit of Ferrari within the walls of the original restaurant established by Enzo Ferrari. Totally transformed and revitalized, the restaurant is inspired by Ferrari’s values: the union of technology and craftsmanship, quality and performance. “Cavallino serves a hearty Emilian cuisine, where every dish tells a story. It is the kind of cuisine that you just can’t say no to.” Bottura said.
ll Cavallino will open across from Ferrari's headquarters. The restaurant, closed in 2019 by previous owners, is now a cornerstone of Ferrari's new brand enhancement strategy, aimed at offering affluent customers and new clients more than just supercars.
A new women's and men's clothing collection, designed by Ferrari's creative director and former Armani designer Rocco Iannone and launched on Sunday, is also part of this new strategy. "It looks good, it looks beautiful," Bottura said of the restaurant. "I am looking at the past in a critical way, not in a nostalgic one, to bring the best of the past into the future, to renew tradition, exactly as Ferrari does every day," he told Reuters.
The historic interiors of the Il Cavallino restaurant.
The Cavallino features Formula One memorabilia, Ferrari engines and racing car components displayed as art pieces. The firm's Prancing Horse, or Cavallino Rampante, badge is prominent. "I am thinking about my grandmother, brought from the moon after two years and then let into the kitchen of the Cavallino," Bottura said. Known to cherish tradition with a modern twist, he will offer gourmet dishes featuring local ingredients. "You cannot touch the tortellini," Bottura said. "You can touch the way you present them." Bottura aims to give the restaurant "a lot of signature dishes" such as a creme caramel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and very old balsamic vinegar, another Modena ingredient. "So very traditional in the flavour, very contemporary in the presentation," he said. With more affordable prices than haute-cuisine restaurants, the Cavallino aims to welcome not just super-rich Ferrari owners but also Ferrari fans, enthusiasts, visitors and food lovers from around the world. "It's the essence of a restaurant, we have to take care of people, of travellers, people who want to spend some time in a restaurant and enjoy," Bottura said. "I think Enzo Ferrari would come, sit here and would eat tortellini as a historic compromise, not with chicken broth, not with cream, but with Parmigiano Reggiano sauce," he said. Meanwhile, preparing for Tuesday's launch, a waiter armed with a tape measure is making sure the tablecloths drop down exactly the right number of centimetres.
Ferrari restaurant souvenirs going to auction. January 25, 2021. No visit to Maranello is complete without a bowl of pasta at what is probably the world’s most famous and certainly the most charismatic car company restaurant: Il Ristorante Cavallino.
Over the decades this unpretentious restaurant has become a shrine to the gastronomy and the cars of the Modena region, an essential Maranello stopover for visitors to the Ferrari factory from Formula 1 drivers and rock gods to Hollywood legends and football superstars – all happily tucking lunch into alongside factory workers and visiting fans.
Enzo Ferrari and Giuseppe Neri.
Enzo Ferrari appointed his friend Giuseppe Neri to run Il Cavallino in 1984 and it quickly became Il Commendatore’s favourite restaurant. After Enzo’s death the restaurant was just as popular with Piero Ferrari and the current management.
Giuseppe Neri ran Il Cavallino for 36 years, until his death in 2020 and, as you might expect, he was able to collect quite a haul of Ferrari memorabilia with which to decorate his restaurant. Along with the Prancing Horse-logoed tablecloths, napkins and ashtrays – those that weren’t pinched as souvenirs anyway – it all ensured Il Cavallino was a uniquely Ferrari experience.
The promise is it still will be when it reopens after refurbishment under new chef patron, Massimo Bottura. He has said of the reborn Il Cavallino: “we will present a profoundly traditional cuisine, but without it ever being nostalgic: my dream is to see the employees at Ferrari come to Cavallino to celebrate their most important occasions.”
Doubtless the restaurant will continue to have a dominant Prancing Horse theme but with “Beppe” Neri’s death a lot of his Ferrari collection is being sold off. Here’s your chance to get that Ferrari souvenir from Il Cavallino without having to smuggle it out…
Lot images courtesy of Artcurial, restaurant image courtesy of Motorsport Images.
Up for grabs in the Artcurial auction on Saturday 6th February is a huge array of Ferrari road and racing automobilia to tempt the Tifosi: everything from flags, brochures and badges to books, helmets, models and car parts to a big assortment of signed pictures of F1 drivers and celebrities. Together it amounts to a big slice of life from the Ferrari “works” canteen as well as giving an insider’s view of Ferrari in F1 from the 1980s.
Guide prices starts at a few hundred euro and go up to €40,000 for one of the F1 engines mounted on a stand: a 056 motor from 2006-13.
Video
Comments
Authorize to comment