Discovering the Italian MotorValley: the best Italian private car and motorcycle collections (pt.2)

Today, the Nello Salsapariglia Collection is an extraordinary opportunity to admire authentic memorabilia such as motorcycles, bicycles, tractors and engines, radios and gramophones, from the end of the 19th century to the whole of the 20th century. Because of its ancient character and for the time span it embraces, the Nello Salsapariglia Collection can be considered a real museum and is the concrete testimony of the evolution of technology and human invention in the last century of history.<
The exhibition consists of fabulous unique pieces among 150 vintage motorcycles from 1898, 100 agricultural and industrial engines from 1900 and 100 gramophones, photographs and vintage radio since 1900, old bicycles, Lesa tractors, Sabart chainsaws.

Closely connected to the exhibition there then are some vintage photos, which will help visitors to contextualize objects as a further testimony of past centuries.

Location:

The Salsapariglia Collection is located in Pieve Rossa di Bagnolo in Piano, in the province of Reggio Emilia.

Opening time:

Open only on Sundays between 10.00 am-12.30 pm and 4.00 pm-6.30 pm.
On weekdays the Collection is open only by appointment, by contacting the +39 335 8430203.
Entrance fee (single ticket € 8, groups of 10 pax and then € 6) free for children up to 10 years.

Nello Salsapariglia Collection – Ph. MotorVallei.it/en

The Collection of Cars and Motorcycles owned by Mario Righini is kept in the suggestive Panzano Castle in Castelfranco Emilia, a manor once belonging to the Malvasia family, and today it collects the best and most important racing cars models of the last century. The strong ancient walls of the structure are a symbol of the great passion of Mario Righini for the recovery and restoration of old cars, cultivated since when he was a youth.

Today the collection is made up of about 350 examples, among which the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 from 1940, the first car built by Enzo Ferrari when its factory did not yet exist; the Alfa Romeo 2300 8C, which belonged to the legendary Tazio Nuvolari, who with it won the Targa Florio in 1933 and the Grand Prix of Monza; the singular Fiat Chiribiri of 1912, which looks like a cigar on four wheels, able to reach surprising speeds for the time. There are also other pieces that represent the best of motoring, such as Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Isotta Fraschini, Rolls Royce.

Location:

The headquarters of the Mario Righini Collection is in via Emilia 49 in Anzola dell’Emilia, Bologna.

Opening time:

The visit to the collection is only available by telephone booking at +39 051 733309 or by writing to info@righinimario.it
Visits are lead by Mario Righini himself, who lives right at the castle.

The history of Yamaha racing motorcycles concentrated in a single museum, a unique opportunity for motorcycling enthusiasts to discover the whole evolution of the racing bikes of one of the most famous and winning Japanese motorcycle manufacturers.

The collection has become a real Mecca for enthusiasts and Pierluigi Poggi, owner, curator, and custodian of the space has placed extreme care in maintaining the authenticity of all the bikes that house. All the specimens are “preserved” or restored faithfully to the original.
Industrial in the mechanical sector, Pierluigi Poggi has created a museum dedicated to Yamaha that is unparalleled in Europe in the small village of Villanova di Castenaso, in the Bologna province area.

The Moto Poggi Collection is developed today through 5 rooms and houses approximately 420 pieces of motorcycles and engines.

The First Hall, entirely dedicated to Yamaha racing motorcycles, is divided into two floors and there are some historical pieces on display such as the winning bikes of the world title of Biaggi, Rossi, and pilots like Carlos Checa, Gary Mccoy, Olivier Jacque. Other important pieces are the Yamaha of Carlos Lavado of 1986, winner of the world title, the “Pink Panther” by Guido Paci, the YZR 500 driven by Cadalora and the protagonist of the 200 miles of Daytona led by Giacomo Agostini.

The second Room can instead be considered the most historic area of the entire collection and collects models in perfect working order and well restored. From the Gilera Piuma to some MV, Bianchi, Ducati, down until models built in the early part of the 900s and motorized bikes. The Museum hosts also some fine pieces of Cucciolo Ducati, both models for the races and for tourism.

The Sala 3 is instead the place that gives visitors the greatest number of motorcycles, where you can admire historical pieces born in the golden period of the post-war period, when Bologna was the undisputed world queen in the production of motorcycles, both for racing and tourism and work, while Room 4 is dedicated entirely to the “Yamaha Superbike” and exhibits the motorcycles of legendary drivers such as Haga, Cal Crutchlow, and Marco Melandri.

Furthermore, it finds a place of honor in the exhibition the 2009 YZF-R1, the one with which Ben Spies won the World Title.

Not to miss is a visit the Sala Minarelli, a room entirely dedicated to the models and engines of the historic Bolognese house; here you can find the 125 cc world champion with Nieto, the 50 cc National Champion in the hill climbs of the 1974 season, the 75cc, the 100 cc and the 175 cc that from 1975 on several occasions have set world speed records . The collection is completed by two motocross bikes (125 and 175 cc) that have won the Italian title led by Arteno Venturi. The room was further embellished with a rack in which 40 engines of various displacements are displayed, illustrating the entire production of the Bolognese house.

Location:

The Moto Collection of Pierluigi Poggi is located in via G. Vittorio in Villanova di Castenaso, Bologna

Opening time:

The collection is open every first Saturday of every month and every Thursday morning.
For extraordinary openings, consult the website or call +39 338 6924706

Moto Poggi Collection – Ph. MotorValley.it

Not everyone knows that, for a short period, the Maserati brand has also appeared on motorcycles. We were at the turn of the 50s and 60s and Maserati motorcycles, as well as cars, were among the bright symbols of a growing Italy. The private collection of Maserati motorcycles “Galleria Ascari“, born from the constant passion and prolonged over the years for the Moto Maserati, is kept in the stunning “Corte dei Sogni in Modena”.

The collection now houses models of mopeds and motorcycles of all types, from the ancestors of modern scooters to the historic racing models of the Trident brand.

Location:

The Ascari collection ‘Moto Maserati’ is located in Via Stradello Romano 8, Modena.

Opening time:

The collection can be visited by prior booking at the official website or by calling the number +39 348 5150777

The Collection Benito and Renzo Battilani today exposes many vintage motorcycles produced by Italian and foreign companies between the early twentieth century and 1945, in a path that ideally retraces the evolution of the two-wheeled engine, starting from the “evolved bicycle”.
An opportunity to discover the story of the characters who led these legendary motorcycles, from Vittorina Sambri, the first woman to participate in motorcycle competitions, to Umberto Faraglia who led in the twenties the Harley Davidson which set the record of 175 km/h on the Rome-Ostia road.

The Battilani collection is now a real journey into the history of motorcycle technology and hosts numerous Italian production bikes such as those of the Frera brand, the most important until the early ’30s, before the affirmation of Moto Guzzi and Gilera. Other less well-known motorcycles are also present in the guided tour, such as the Pennati, the Ollearo, the GC (Giovanni Corengia), the Condor with a sidecar of 1924, the Gardini of Forlì and many other unique models.

Location:

The Battilani collection is located in Imola, via Poiano 1 / b.

Opening time:

The Battilani Collection can only be visited by telephone appointment at +39 0542 640961 and is also available for group visits.
Admission is free and the guided tour is also available in languages: French, German and English.

Battilani Collection – Ph. Motorvalleu.it/en

The Motorcycles Collection of Pasquale Mesto can be considered the official collection of Italjet Brand and arises from the ashes of the exhibition of historical models of the 90s at the historic home of the motorcycle manufacturer in San Lazzaro di Savena.
Creator and curator of the exhibition were Pasquale Mesto who, at the closure of the factory, managed not to disperse what was exhibited and to integrate it with other representative examples of the history of the Italian company of the “winged jet”.

Today, the collection has over 30 models produced in the 50 years of Italjet’s life that tell the attitude of Leopoldo Tartarini to anticipate styles with masterly inventiveness. There are all the models of Italjet: sporting fifties, cross-country minimoto, folding, sports, trial, maxi bikes, funny bikes, racing bikes, and record-breaking motorcycles.

Given its almost official character, the collection also houses all the technical documentation produced by the house in its history, as well as the complete set of leaflets and catalogs of the spare parts published.

Location:

The Pasquale Mesto collection is located in Via Minarini 1 / F in San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna.

Opening time:

The visit to the Mesto collection is only possible upon prior appointment by telephone +39 0776 98703

The Bandini was an Italian car company whose business, which began in 1946, ended on 12 April 1992 with the disappearance of its founder, the engineer Ilario Bandini.
The characteristics of the company were those of a craft activity with the production of only 75 cars, all developed for competitions, which present considerable differences between one model and another, making them in most cases unique pieces. The heirs still keep the cars made by Ilario Bandini.

A part of the area is used as a workshop and soon the cars will be moved to the building adjacent to the current one, built for the specific purpose of hosting both cars and photographs, cups and trophies, articles, newspapers and wooden models of Bandini engines.

Location:

The Bandini collection is located in via del Braldo 80, Rovere (FC).

Opening time:

The Bandini Collection is open every morning (Saturday and Sunday included) by telephone appointment at +39 0543 67448.

Motorvalley Bandini Collection – Ph. MotorValley.it

The Parilla Collection represents the realization of Bruno Baccari’s passion for the Moto Parilla. Passion born in the ’70s with the research of the first Parilla 98 and developed over time with the expansion of his personal collection up to the achievement of about 50 pieces, often restored by the collector himself in his spare time and the desire to expose them to the public.

The single-brand collection also includes all the historical documentation attached, advertising signs, sports photographs, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, objects, clothes, and magazines.

Location:

The Parilla Collection owned by Bruno Baccari is located in Via Provinciale Faentina 21 in Modigliana (FC).

Opening time:

You need to book an appointment by phone to visit the collection by calling +39 0546 941215

A beautiful Moto Guzzi Collection, dedicated to the great Augusto Farnetti. The work done by Elio Brunelli, collector of Forlimpopoli and former chairman of the Italian motorcycle events committee, is a tribute to the works of the Casa di Mandello del Lario and to one of the greatest experts in vintage motorcycles.

In the 650 square meters of the museum, the visitor will be able to appreciate the motorcycles made by Moto Guzzi between 1930 and 1970, all restored and approved the Italian Historic AutoMotoClub, each of them filled with the model name and year of construction.

Location:

The collection is located in Forlimpopoli (FC) in Viale Roma 32

Opening time:

The Guzzi Brunelli Collection can be visited by reservation, by calling +39 335 1310902

Guzzi Brunelli Collection – Ph. Motorvalley.it