The Heart of Italy 4IT1302

The Heart of Italy 4IT1302

11 Sep 2013
/Domenico Schiano Moriello
Thank you for a great week!!! Michael, Vincent, German, Carmen, Daniel, Alejandro, Fernanda, Irma, Shawn, Christian, Carmen, Karin, Arthur, Barbara, Jean, Philip, Susan, Chris, Veronica, Ignacio, Francisco. We hope to see you soon on another tour! Your guides, Alan and Domenico Riding day 5, Urbino - Florence Our last day is riding at its best. Starting in Urbino, we rode to San Leo, a very important town in the middle ages, and we enjoyed a nice coffee break. Then we took the highway for a short stretch until Forli and enjoyed the last approximately 600 turns to our hotel in Florence, climbing the famous "Passo del Muraglione", one of the most famous roads for italian motorcyclists! The town of San Leo Coffee break in San Leo Lunch stop, our nice collection of helmets! On the "Passo del Muraglione! Domenico, Alan and Daniel Leaving the Muraglione... Riding day 4, Urbino - San Marino - Misano - Tavullia - Urbino Two options for today! In Misano there is the MotoGP, so one group decides to go there to watch the first "training" laps on this track (it's only friday) and the other chooses the regular loop, to San Marino (the oldest and probably the smallest republic of the world!) and then towards the sea. On the way we stopped in Coriano to see the monument dedicated to Marco Simoncelli, then we went to have a nice lunch in Gabicce Monte in a restaurant overlooking the beach of Cattolica. On the way back to Urbino we also had the chance to stop in Tavullia, hometown of Valentino Rossi, and to visit his official store and Fans Club! A picture with the hill of San Marino in the background. Philip, Daniel, Barbara, Arthur and Domenico San Marino The monument dedicated to Marco Simoncelli in Coriano MotoGP in Misano The view from the restaurant... not bad! Arthur and Barbara View from the Panoramic Road on the beach in Cattolica... for sure not with the right clothing! Tavullia, hometown of a famous rider... Riding day 3, Perugia - Urbino Weather forecast was not very good for today and, as we woke up, it was raining also! After a rich breakfast, anyway, the clouds were gone and we enjoyed a very nice riding! We passed by lake Trasimeno, the 4th biggest in Italy and then we stopped for a coffee in Cortona, a beautiful medieval town in southern Tuscany with a magnificent view over the valley. After that we entered in the Marche region and we had a very tasty lunch at a beautiful restaurant in the middle of the hills... on a great curvy road (could we ask anything more?)! Finally we reached the awesome town of Urbino, whose historical centre is listed in the UNESCO World heritage sites, and that was also the birthplace of Raphael, the famous painter and architect of Reinassance. Here, we could enjoy a pleasant walk and a drink before dinner! First photo stop Irma and Shawn in Cortona Hola Chile!!! Susan and Chris Daniel Lunch break Our motorcycles in front of the Hotel in Urbino The historical centre of Urbino View from the city walls The monument dedicated to Raphael Riding day 2, Perugia - Monti Sibillini - Assisi - Perugia Today it was hard to decide between staying in Perugia and discover a bit more of the historical centre or simply relax and go shopping... and a motorcycle ride, but most of our brave riders chose the second option, so we went for a nice loop that took us to the "Sibillini" mountains, one of the most beautiful parts of the Appennini range, where we had lunch in the small town of Castelluccio overlooking a green valley. In the afternoon, on the way back, we stopped in Assisi, a delicious town famous in the world for being the birthplace of St. Francis. We could also enjoy a visit of the Church of  St. Francis and see his tomb. It was another great day! We are in the Monti Sibillini! it takes some time to read all signs! :) What a beautiful valley! in Castelluccio Great food in Umbria, this is a local shop in Castelluccio Assisi Assisi, a picture near St Francis' Church Happy birthday Vincent!!! Riding day 1, Florence - Perugia Today we left the wonderful town of Florence behind us, and started to enjoy riding the winding roads of the Chianti area. This region seems like it was made for motorcyclists, complete with small villages to entice you for a coffee break along the way. This is also the area well known for its excellent wines, but we have to drink just water and soft drinks during the riding! After a stop in the world famous towns of San Gimignano and Siena, we reached our final destination for today, Perugia (capital of the region Umbria) with its wonderful historical city centre. Ciao Firenze! No doubt we are in Italy, what a nice customized old vespa! Coffee Break in Greve in Chianti San Gimignano World champion ice cream in San Gimignano, a must! Siena, Piazza del Campo The "Duomo" of Siena Montepulciano Perugia, the "Fontana Maggiore" and the "Palazzo dei Priori" on the background