Italy is a country renowned for its style and love of fashion, nowhere is this truer than in the car industry. The designers of Italy have produced some of the most sumptuously styled cars ever made and with patrons such as Lamborghini and Ferrari this is not surprising. An ideal tour for any car nut is to use a hire car to tour the wealth of museums that Italy has to offer the motoring enthusiast.



Turin is where the majority of the museums are situated, the Museo Dell' Automobile (Car Museum) is one of the oldest and has an eclectic collection of cars not only from Italy but from all over Europe. With plenty of parking it makes an ideal excursion in a hire car when staying in Turin. Models contained in the collection include Bugattis, Austins, Citroens and Bentleys as well as Italian cars such as Alfa Romeos and Autobianchis.

What would be a tour of car museums in Italy without seeing a Ferrari? Modena is a short and pleasant drive in your hire car and will take to you into the motherland of Ferrari. The Galleria Ferrari is the officially sanctioned museum and allows visitors to get close to cars they have dreamed of since childhood. Not just road cars are exhibited with Scuderia showing off their racing credentials to full effect, enthusiasts will be enthralled by the engines and other parts.

The road cars on display offer a chance to see some of the most famous cars Italy has ever produced. Cars like the legendary 250 GT are in the collection and are the closest the average car enthusiast will get to them considering their extortionate price. Coming through to modern times the F50 and Enzo are also present, although seeing them action is not always possible. The only downside to visiting this museum is facing the realisation that you must climb back into your hire car to drive home.

It is not just Ferrari that makes the car industry in Italy so stylish, when on your hire car holiday be sure to visit the Pininfarina Collection. This design house has designed some of the most gorgeous cars in history and its name is synonymous with grace and fine lines. The company has designed cars for a diverse selection of car manufacturers.

Past clients have included Maseratti, Honda, Cadillac and of course Ferrari. In fact the majority of seminal Ferrari's have been penned by Pininfarina, the collection and accompanying museum gives and idea how this company has shaped the styling of cars throughout the world.

Your hire car tour however should not purely be limited to car museums however; the towns and villages of Italy are full of culture and history. The coastline is strikingly beautiful and gives bathers the chance to dip onto the warm waters of the Mediterranean.

The fine cuisine of Italy is heralded as some of the finest in the world and includes more than just pasta and spaghetti. Varying much from region to region there is a full array of rice dishes, fine red meats and of course pizza. The penchant for fresh herbs and olives runs throughout the cuisine and complements the wines perfectly.

Touring the vineyards would make up a brilliant hire car trip alone with fine reds and mellow whites it offers the wine enthusiast much. Again regions have their own specialities to suit the local cuisine. Chianti and Asti are two of the most famous varieties of wines in Italy but there is far more to the Italian wine making industry than these two classics.

Touring Italy in a hire car is an ideal trip for those who want to sample the country. Of course car enthusiasts will be attracted by the long tradition of car manufacture and elegant styling, but Italy offers much more than this. As a romantic destination it is unparalleled while those who love the finer things in life will be spoilt for choice by the sumptuous cuisine and wine.