Ristorante Montana — Restaurant in Unione dei comuni del Distretto Ceramico

I don’t want to sit here and completely slate Ristorante Montana, but I do think they really need to be far clearer especially on their website that a reservation is required. At the moment, the only line that even hints at it says:

“We would like to offer you a special welcome and impeccable service. To guarantee you a reserved table and ensure a memorable experience, we strongly recommend that you book in advance. We can’t wait to make you feel at home and delight you with our cuisine. Book now and get ready to live unforgettable moments with us!”

That wording doesn’t read like a strict condition. “Strongly recommend” suggests booking is a good idea but not essential, which can easily mislead. Lots of restaurants phrase it like that, and in most cases even where bookings are technically required if you turn up as one person or a couple, they’ll usually do their best to fit you in. Small tables are almost always the easiest to accommodate.

That wasn’t the case here. I travelled all the way from the UK, made the journey specifically to eat at Montana, and even took a three-hour train down from Milan, arriving early to give myself the best chance. After all that, I was told flat out that without a reservation I couldn’t be seated even though there were plenty of empty tables visible. That was disappointing and frustrating, especially after the effort I’d made.

To be fair, the lady at the entrance was polite. She invited me to come inside, look around, and even suggested I take some photos. But honestly, I hadn’t come all that way to take tourist pictures that hundreds of others have already taken. I came to eat, and being offered a look around instead didn’t make up for the wasted journey. So I politely declined.

Later, when I looked through the restaurant’s Instagram page, things made more sense. A huge amount of the content is about Ferrari-linked celebrities and influencers posing with the head chef, who herself is very much part of the Ferrari brand. That gave me the impression that Montana isn’t just a restaurant about food and hospitality it’s more of a hotspot for celebrity photo opportunities. And while that might suit some people, for me it left the feeling that ordinary diners come second.

It’s a shame, because I don’t doubt that the food itself is excellent. I just never got to try it. And in truth, it’s their loss as much as mine. Across the rest of Italy Milan, Rome, Florence, and Naples, which I had meals that were superb. In those places, the welcome was warm, the food was just as good (if not better), and I never felt shut out or treated like I didn’t belong. That’s what makes Italy such a joy to travel for: you don’t need a celebrity hotspot to experience world-class food and hospitality.

So yes, Montana might have the reputation, the Ferrari connection, and the Instagram appeal. But for me, it failed on the basics. The reservation policy is not clearly explained, there’s no flexibility, and the focus feels more on image and exclusivity than on making guests feel welcome. If bookings are truly mandatory, then just say so directly: “Reservations required. Walk-ins not accepted.” That one sentence would save international visitors like me a lot of wasted time, money, and disappointment.

At the end of the day, Italy has no shortage of incredible food. Montana might be iconic, but in my case, it wasn’t welcoming, and that’s something a restaurant should...

I have always wanted to experience this restaurant and we took the opportunity and made an over night stop in Maranello while en route to San Marino for Rally Legend last weekend.

To put the experience into words is actually very difficult, the character and atmosphere of the place was just fantastic, the history on the walls is just priceless and genuinely awe inspiring when you even attempt to take it all in. Although I am a huge Ferrari fan, this is not a Ferrari restaurant, although there is a predominant Ferrari theme there is sporting memorabilia from every F1 team and driver you can imagine, Moto GP, Rally, Lemans etc even footballers have left their mark on the place.

Then the food came, no menu, no prices, just freshly prepared specials which are different daily. there were 5 people in our party and for the most part we all ordered differently, we all agreed that it was some of the best Italian food we had ever had.

I had also read some reviews saying this place is expensive.... If you call €75 per head (including a good tip) for an exquisite 3 course meal, desert, 2 bottles of wine, a few rounds of lemon chello and beers... expensive? then maybe you need to go back to McDonalds.

Staff are fantastic, helpful and very friendly. Money can not buy an experience like this. (I have attached some photos but they do not even come close to...

Probably the best place on earth. We’ll talk about the food later, but what I can’t really believe is how well decorated and the things they have on display. It’s a must if you are a piston head, you’ll see things that I am not sure if you can see in a museum. Now the service and the food, definitely the best I have had in my life. I wasn’t very sure which pasta to choose so I had a sample of three different ones and OMG, you haven’t tried pasta until you try this one. For dessert we had tiramisu of course, and the level of the food is still up there. They bring you a trolley with all the desserts of the day and you pick yours. We closed the table with one ristretto each. You can’t get more Italian (and Ferrari, and F1) than this place. Price? What ever they want, but it’s not even expensive: 75 in total for two people (ticket attached). Thanks so much for such a...