Italy

The Ferrari 60 Relay arrived in Italy on the 30th May, 2007, for the final stretch of its global tour. By this point the Ferrari 60 Relay baton adorned with 60 symbols representing the Prancing Horse's most important events, had accompanied the Relay over five continents in celebration of Ferrari's 60th anniversary.

The first stage of the Italian leg began around the picturesque island of Sicily. While in Italy, many past and present legends of the Ferrari family participated in the events. Nino Vaccarella, the 1965 winner of the Targa Florio, the legendary open road endurance race, met the tour in Sicily with his Ferrari 275 P2.

The tour left Sicily and headed for the Marche region, passing through Tolentino and visiting the famous Ferrari Gran Turismo interior leather factory before driving the winding streets of the Republic of San Marino. Just two days later the tour was exploring the marvellous treasures of Umbria.

In San Sisto, Umbria, the tour collected a 1:5 scale Ferrari 612 Scaglietti made of chocolate. It was one of the many gifts the Relay has collected throughout its travels, all of which were auctioned off when they reached their final destination, Maranello.

Many of the drivers were incredibly excited about the next stage, as they headed toward Siena to drive on the renowned Magione circuit. The participants managed to fit in a few celebratory laps before heading to the gentle scenery of Tuscany.

The Ferraris relished the glorious setting and perfect weather that Tuscany provided. They headed towards fashionable Milan, where the cars became part of Italian city as they wound through tiny back alleys and along famous streets before stopping in Brescia. The participants toured the new Kilometro Rosso Technology and Science Park in Stezzano, in the province of Bergamo, where the endurance, performance and duration tests of Ferrari's Brembo braking systems take place.

The Ferrari 60 Relay baton was brought to Turin's Lingotto by helicopter from Agusta Westland in Vergiate. From there, the Ferrari cars, waiting on the track, departed in the direction of Langhe via Pralormo, Canale, Montà d'Alba and Guarene and eventually arrived in Barolo.

After leaving Turin, the Ferrari 60 Relay made its way to Genoa's old harbour, where the baton was be passed on and brought to Sardinia by a beautiful boat before proceeding to Italy's capital, Rome.

On the 16th of June the tour arrived in the capital and was greeted by many fans from around the world who had gathered to witness the historic event. The Relay stopped at the Vallelunga circuit to share the track with the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Italian series weekend.

After leaving the Italian capital, the cars moved in the direction of Lugo di Romagna to continue to the 60th anniversary celebrations before gathering at the famous canals of Venice for a fantastic photo shoot on the island of Lido.

The Ferrari 60 Relay eventually reached the Alps on Wednesday, 20th June 2007 meeting participating clients on Piazza del Municipio in Bolzano. From there the Tour left in the direction of Andalo, Fai della Paganella, Lake Molveno, before eventually arriving in Riva del Garda. The cars drove southbound along the spectacular lake, stopping at Brenzone Castle and arriving on Verona's Piazza Brà.

The last stage of the five-continent Relay took place between Bologna and Modena before the Ferraris finally arrived back at their birthplace and Ferrari's hometown, Maranello. An entire week of events took place beginning on the 21st of June with a series of "Ferrari workshops" after which the brand new 612 Scaglietti Sessanta was unveiled.

On the final day of the Ferrari 60 Relay, after 145 days of travelling, the baton arrived in Maranello accompanied by more than 1,000 Ferrari cars. The baton was escorted in a Ferrari 125S, the first Ferrari ever built, driven by Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

Ferrari CEO Jean Todt closed the event with a powerful speech highlighting Ferrari's historical importance and its value to the future, "For us, innovation is extremely important and in this company we are always working toward improvement, because for us, Enzo Ferrari's principle is still valid: our most beautiful car is the one we still have to build."

Shell supported the Ferrari 60 Relay Tour throughout the six month celebration, powering and protecting the cars throughout their global tour. This made the Innovation Award presented to Shell during the celebrations even more special.