Naman Shrestha
Adapted from the 1991 biography titled ‘Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine’ by journalist Brock Yates, ‘Ferrari’ is a biographical sports drama movie that chronicles the struggles and rise of Enzo Ferrari, who is portrayed brilliantly by Adam Driver. Set in the summer of 1957, the titular character finds himself at his lowest after the untimely demise of his son Dino and his deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura.
Not only is his personal life in turmoil, but Enzo has a hard time on the professional front as well, with his company on the verge of bankruptcy. To turn his life around, he decides to try out his luck and roll the dice on one race — the 1957 Mille Miglia. Along with the iconic Ferrari symbol catching your eye, the picturesque Italian backdrops and the race courses are also bound to come to your notice, making you eager to learn all about the shooting sites of ‘Ferrari.’
Ferrari Was Filmed Across Italy
‘Ferrari’ was filmed in its entirety in Italy, particularly in Emilia-Romagna and Brescia. Originally, the shooting was scheduled to commence in July 2022. But after a month’s delay, it finally got underway in August 2022 and after three months of intense yet fun shooting, it got wrapped up in late October of the same year.
Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Setting up camp in the Emilia-Romagna region, the production team of ‘Ferrari’ was able to tape several pivotal sequences on location while also doubling some local sites as other sites, as per their accordance. The city of Modena served as the primary production location for the biopic, which is hinted at the very beginning of the movie when a scene shot in and around Stazione di Modena Piazza Manzoni appears.
Some important scenes for the biopic were also taped in and around Palazzo Ducale di Modena at Piazza Roma, 15, and Largo G. Garibaldi, with Fontana dei due fiumi in the backdrop. The latter was entirely transformed into a film set as the crew members added billboards and furniture of the 1950s. Moreover, the exterior scenes were also recorded outside the Teatro Storchi. As for the holy mass scene of Scuderia Ferrari, it was shot inside the Monastery and Church of San Pietro at Via S. Pietro, 7, in Modena.
Piazza Grande, the Cathedral, the Ghirlandina bell tower, and Cementerio de San Cataldo at Strada Cimitero S. Cataldo, were all turned into film sets where a large portion of scenes were taped. There are a few other Modena sites that feature in ‘Ferrari’ — Foro Boario, Modena at Via Bono Da Nonantola, 2, Massimo & Stefano at Corso Canalgrande, 73, and Pavarotti-Freni Theater at Via del Teatro, 8.
Since the production team was not able to shoot inside the actual Ferrari factory in Maranello, they resorted to reconstructing the entrance of the factory with the iconic Ferrari sign and gate in via Vito Bering, in the Madonnina district in Modena. A property in Via Emilia San Pietro 22, Reggio Emilia, doubled up as the apartment of Casa Ferrari. Also, Quattro Castella in Reggio Emilia served as yet another filming site for the movie.
Other parts of the Emilia-Romagna that make an appearance in various scenes are Autodromo di Morano Po at 15027 Pontestura, Province of Alessandria, which doubled for Autodromo di Modena Srl, Puianello, the hills between Castelvetro and Maranello, Novellara, the Imola Circuit at Piazza Ayrton Senna da Silva, 1, in Imola, Lagoons of Comacchio, and SP72 Argine Agosta in the Province of Ferrara.
In an interview with CN Traveller, Janice Polley, the supervising Location Manager of ‘Ferrari,’ opened up about the authenticity of the locations used in the movie. He stated, “They were very authentic, yes. I wanted everything to be as real as it was in 1957 including, luckily, some of the locations that are still there today. The barbershop is still there, the cemetery and its mausoleum are still there – we were very honored to be able to use that – Enzo’s house in Modena is still there (we could only shoot the outside of that one), and the opera house is also still there.”
Polley added further, “Enzo was very habitual, he would eat at the same place, go to the same barbershop, get in his car and just drive to the factory. Michael [Mann] wanted those. What was more difficult was the farmhouse, because that was a very specific request from Michael. He wanted the driveway to go downhill, to have Cypress Trees, and the geography of the house to work for when young Piero looks out the window. It was a long search to find that, and very old-fashioned; knocking on doors or leaving letters, and hoping that they would call back. But we found it, and Michael instantly loved it. He was barely there for 10 seconds and said, ‘This is perfect.'”
Other Locations in Italy
For the purpose of shooting, the filming unit of ‘Ferrari’ also traveled to a couple of other sites in Italy. For instance, in early October 2022, the cast and crew members were spotted lensing several key portions in and around Piazza della Vittoria in Brescia, which was transformed into an open-air film set. In addition, Lago Pietranzoni in L’Aquila also hosted the production of the Adam Driver starrer.
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