There are places where one doesn’t truly fall asleep. Instead, one stays awake, eyes wide open, contemplating the surroundings: gleaming red bodywork, silver trophies, the silence of a temple dedicated to speed. The Museo Ferrari in Maranello is one of those places that never quite sleeps. And since 2024, thanks to the Airbnb Icons programme, two privileged individuals can spend the night there.
The Sala delle Vittorie, an Exceptional Chamber
This extraordinary night takes place in the Sala delle Vittorie, the beating heart of the museum. The room gathers over 110 trophies won by Scuderia Ferrari since its competitive debut. For the occasion, a bed has been specially designed and installed in the centre of the room · upholstered in the same leather used in Ferrari cockpits, it alone embodies the brand’s philosophy, where every detail draws from the world of racing. The walls, adorned with 3,000 metres of brushed metal, symbolically evoke the length of the Fiorano circuit adjacent to the museum. To sleep here is to be encircled by the history of the Prancing Horse brand, from its first world championships to its most recent victories.
Marc Gené, Host of a Singular Evening
The experience is not limited to merely dropping off one’s bags in a museum closed to the public. Marc Gené, a former Formula 1 driver and long-standing ambassador for Scuderia Ferrari, welcomes the two guests and guides them through the collections. The following morning, he takes them for a lap of the iconic Fiorano track, aboard a Ferrari 296 GTB, as passengers. Since Enzo Ferrari drove his first prototypes there, this 3 km private circuit, nestled in the heart of Maranello, remains one of the world’s most exclusive playgrounds. Few can boast of having glimpsed its bends from the passenger seat of a current-range road sports car.
An Evening as a VIP Driver
Before retiring to the Sala delle Vittorie for the night, the fortunate winners dine at Ristorante Cavallino, the legendary establishment adjacent to the Maranello factory, which Enzo Ferrari frequented diligently. A true institution of Emilian gastronomy, this restaurant embodies the full flavour of an era when the founder would come here for lunch after testing his cars. The following day, a pair of VIP tickets with paddock access to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix completes a programme designed to offer total immersion in the Ferrari universe, from the track to behind the scenes. The experience was inaugurated in May 2024, directly linked to the Grand Prix event held at the Imola circuit.
Airbnb Icons: How to Access This Night
The Airbnb Icons programme does not operate like a conventional booking. There is no exorbitant fee to pay, the experiences are offered for free or at a symbolic price. Access is granted via online application on the Airbnb platform during limited-time registration windows. A prize draw then selects the two guests from all eligible applicants, making the experience as rare as it is coveted. Launched in spring 2024, the Icons programme brings together a collection of experiences, each as improbable as the next: a night in the house from Pixar’s film Up, an evening at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, or a stay in the X-Men ’97 house. The night at the Museo Ferrari is among the most requested, revealing the universal appeal of the Italian brand.
The Museo Ferrari in Maranello remains, apart from these few exceptional nights, one of Europe’s most visited automotive museums, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world each year. For applicants to the Icons experience, the stakes are different: not merely admiring cars behind glass, but being alongside them in the silence of the night, alone in the world with a century of victories. A unique way to understand why Maranello remains, for millions of enthusiasts, far more than a provincial town in Emilia-Romagna.
