Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Imola is a picturesque town in the heart of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, home of my favourite cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano.

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an old-school track steeped in history and no trip to Imola is complete without a visit to the Senna memorial. It’s on the inside of the track at Tamburello, the section of the track that claimed the Brazilian driver’s life in 1994.

The track is surrounded by homes on most sides, and many of the multi storey apartment blocks have views into the track. If you book well in advance you could be lucky to snare one meaning you wouldn’t need to leave your apartment to watch the race.

The city centre is full of character, the locals are delightful to spend time with and there are plenty of dining options not far from the track.

Walking around the circuit you can easily see the track through the perimeter fence, however, come the weekend, police usher away any spectators who are hoping for a view of the action for free.

Imola has a population of around 70,000 and is lacking in quality hotels so many fans choose to stay in Bologna and drive the 40 kilometres to and from the track.

Ticket pricing for this race is at the lower end of the scale and interestingly, Imola is the birth town of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

In 2023, this race was cancelled due to flood waters just a couple of days prior to the start of the event. This was only the 3rd time in F1 history that a race was cancelled after team personnel had arrived.