“Alfredo Ferrari” Technical High School

1 October 1963 is an important date in the history of Maranello. It saw the official opening of the “Dino Ferrari” technical high school, named after Enzo Ferrari’s son, who died aged just 24. It immediately established itself as unique within Italy: the only school with access to teaching materials constantly updated thanks to the close partnership with the Ferrari plant.

The school moved to its current premises in 1965. Enzo Ferrari himself funded its construction, partly with the proceeds from his book “My Terrible Joys”, published in 1962.
It was not Enzo Ferrari’s first venture into the field of education. In the postwar years he had already promoted the development of the “Alfredo Ferrari” course on engine design and construction, named after his brother: a three-year “factory school” to give his workers the technical training they needed with regard to engines.

Today, the Istituto Ferrari is living up to its prestigious foundation. Due to the specialist tuition it offers, it is attended by students from all over Italy. Over the years, the students and teachers have provided important working and research teams working on zero-emissions prototypes, which have competed in international competitions and undergone road trials. There is also an important partnership with the automotive training school at Sakahogi, the Japanese town where Nissan is based. Every year, an exchange takes place: Japanese students come to Maranello for placements for a few weeks, and students from Maranello do the same at Sakahogi. This blossomed into a twinning of the two towns, finalised in 2011.

Today more than ever before, Enzo Ferrari continues to be a shining example in his ability to appreciate young people’s importance as an essential, valuable resource.