Ducati Museum & Factory

A few years back I was attending Ducati Week at the Misano circuit in Italy. I got to talking with an Italian (one of some ten thousand passionate fans wearing the famous Ducati colors that formed a human sea of red). With traditional Italian animated gestures he said, "In America; Harley-Davidson is patriotism. In Italy; Ducati is religion." I've never forgotten that. Well, if Ducati is religion in Italy, then the Ducati Museum is the Vatican.

Stepping through the doors of the Ducati Museum (located at the Ducati factory headquarters in Bologna, Italy) you are immediately swept up into the magic and legend of this iconic and revered brand. The 3,000 square foot museum artfully presents 50 years of racing heritage in a swirling, circular floor layout that sequentially takes the visitor through the brand's steady evolution with beautifully preserved championship-winning race bikes, from the post-World War II "Cucciolo," to Doug Polen's WSBK Championship-winning 888s, to Carl Fogerty's and Troy Bayliss' beautifully preserved number 1 plate Superbikes, to Casey Stoner's 2007-MotoGP-title winning Desmosedici.

Branching off from the main museum floor are seven themed rooms that provide additional, detailed information on the award-winning technological advances and race history of Ducati. "It (the museum) is a true product of our time," says Livio Lodi, current Curator of the Museum, "through which older generations of Ducatisti can relive the splendor of an age that seems to have disappeared, while the younger generations can discover the importance of Ducati's vast and rich history." Livio adds, "Finally, a huge dream has come true for all of those who love the ‘red' of Borgo Panigale."

In addition to the famed motorcycles, on entrance to the museum are reminders of where the Ducati brothers started in 1926, making transistor radios and various electric devices.

Guided Museum Tours (available in English and Italian) must generally be booked in advance. Combined Factory and Museum Tours are only available for Desmo Owners Clubs (DOC) - (minimum of 10 participants), and must be booked in advance.

Ducati Museum Tour Reservations

> Click here to fill out the Ducati Tour Form and wait for confirmation or
> Call +39 051-6413343 - from Monday to Friday 10.00 am - 11.00 am and 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm

Ducati Museum Address: Ducati Motor Holding, via Antonio Cavalieri Ducati 3, 40132 Bologna (Borgo Panigale) - Italy.