Welcome to Italy

We ride the home of Ducati where the quality of the roads, the weather, the landscape and the food combine to perfection. We concentrate on these areas because of the quality of roads, the weather, the food, the landscapes and because it is the home of Ducati. Let us tell you a little about Italy and riding motorbikes in this country:

Roads

Roads in Italy vary from non surfaced, bending, narrow country lanes to immaculate motorways, with every combination in between. Our tours try to keep to roads that are wide enough for two way traffic, and that have surfaces that are not full of holes etc. However we cannot guarantee that we will not have to use some less impressive stretchs of tarmac (or worse!).

Surfaces when new are generally good but do have some severe summer weather to contend with and so tend to get slippery quite quickly. Always be attentive after a summer rainfall as all the rubber/oil/spilt fuel will rise to the surface after a dry spell.

Potholes and serious surface changes are common even on some motorways (especially where there is a constant stream of heavy lorries/trucks).

Elba, one of our destinations, is well known as having skating rink quality surfaces on many of its roads.

Always keep an eye out for gravel/dirt roads joining the main road, especially on corners (which otherwise look sooo inviting....) as they often leave a layer of grit/dust which is very slippery for bikes.

Traffic
See our rules of thumb below.

Weather
One of the main reasons for motorcycling here. The summer weather is reliably dry and warm/hot and warm evenings. Daylight is from early morning (5.45am-6.00am) through to mid evening. The hottest days are uncomfortable in motorcycle leathers except when moving (which is why our support car carries changes of clothes for town stops!)


Food & Drink

Italians know a thing or two about eating (and something about drinking). Food varies from region to region but overall centres on simplicity and freshness of ingredients and quality of preparation. Breakfast is the continental European standard of pastries and coffee (although sweeter than the the French counterpart). Lunch can be a heavy three or four course affair and dinner much the same again. Hence long siestas in the afternoon!. Dinners are served later than in the UK and USA (around 7.30pm onwards). Staples of pasta, soup (zuppa) and cooked meats are always available, and we do not expect anyone to lose weight on our tours. Vegetarians are also well catered for with the best tasting fruits and vegetables in Europe!



Landscapes