Detour Pit Stop #126: Ducati Museum, Bologna Italy
The home of Ducati offers an insight into Italy’s most famous motorcycle maker.
In Bologna, and the Emilia-Romagna region as a whole, driving lovers are spoilt for choice with great museums. But in the suburb of Borgo-Panigale, motorcycle enthusiasts will find the Ducati Museum a vital pit stop.
The exhibition shows the evolution of Ducati through the years, as the company went from a manufacturer of radio components, razors and cameras, to a motorcycling powerhouse and an iconic brand.
The motorcycles are laid out in this bright, modern, circular space, showcasing the development of the vehicles and allowing visitors to go around and around like bikes on a track.
Along with a display of the wonderfully maintained bikes, are helmets and leather jumpsuits worn by famous Ducati riders such as Carl Fogarty and Casey Stoner.
Additionally, you can also pay to have a tour of the Ducati Museum. There is an added joy of knowing you are in the very same place where the magic happens, and even better to see it for yourself.
The museum’s primary focus is Ducati’s history in Motorcycle racing, showing bikes from Ducati’s success in endurance racing, superbike racing and Isle of Man TT.
There is a great selection of motorcycles on display, including the Cucciolo, the first modern motorcycle assembled by Ducati, The Ducati 60, which became the first complete motorcycle made by the factory in Borgo-Panigale and the 916, the bike on which Carl Fogarty won his first of four titles, with the bike becoming the most successful and one of the most iconic members of the Ducati product line.
There are many others right up to 2022’s Panigale V4R, the bike that ended an 11-year wait for Ducati to return victory in the Superbike World Championship.
The exhibition is a fitting tribute to the legacy and future of Ducati. At the time of writing, a ticket for the museum costs €18 and €32 when included with a guided tour of the factory.
Words Robert Prendergast
ROADBOOK
CLASS: Motor Museum
NAME: Ducati Museum
ROUTE: Via Antonio Cavalieri Ducati, 3, 40132 Bologna
COUNTRY: Italy
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