Best of Italy BOI2402
The adventure begins, with some having already overcome jet lag and taking the opportunity for a guided tour of Rome with Alan, one of the guides on this tour, and others resting in the hotel in anticipation of the first day of riding. After the welcome briefing we finally go to see the bikes. Certainly no one can miss the first dinner all together.
Breakfast and daily briefing at 8:30 a.m. We set off north. Fortunately today is Saturday and there is less traffic than usual, we quickly drive away from Rome along the plains of Lazio. We get familiar with the bikes and quickly reach Narni, in the region of Umbria, a fortified town that inspired C. S. Lewis for the writing of The Chronicles of Narnia, is a city to be discovered like a book, leafing through it page by page. After lunch we head for the second highlight of the day, the town of Montefalco, famous in the Middle Ages for hunting with falcons. We face the hills of Umbria under a light drizzle, and by evening we reach the town of Assisi, famous for its patron saint, St Francis, half of pilgrimages from all over the world.
Leaving Assisi shrouded in fog, today we cross the Umbrian region in a succession of curves and breathtaking landscapes. The highlights of the day are the two towns of Cortona and Urbino, two gems of the Middle Ages, in Urbino there is the oldest university in Italy. A rich lunch based on typical products will brighten the day. In the evening we will cross into the ‘Republic of San Marino’, from the summit of Mount Titano we will have a spectacular 360° view from the Adriatic Sea to the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
Back to Italy, today we cross the Apennines from east to west. After a few kilometres we find the first sightseeing of the day, the village and fortress of San Leo. Counted among ‘The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy’, the admirable historic centre unleashes its charm all year round. We set off again in the direction of Montefeltro, the winding road gives us a morning of enjoyment straddling Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, a quick coffee break at the ‘Nido d'Aquila’ (Eagle's Nest), and hunger begins to make itself felt. Surprise: picnic at the Snatuario della Verna, a sacred place set in the heart of the Casentino National Forest Park, famous for being the site of the stigmata of St Francis of Assisi in 1224. After lunch, the Consuma Pass awaits us before arriving in beautiful Florence.
We spent two nights in Florence, everyone opted for a day off. Florence is one of the cultural capitals of Italy. Obviously also the food in Florence is outstanding, the central market is worth a visit, where you can find numerous food stands with Tuscan and international culinary specialities. Some have opted for a nice walk, it's easy, everywhere you turn you are hit by the disarming beauty of this city. A day passes quickly, after a group dinner based on the famous Florentine steak, a walk and we are already thinking about tomorrow's motorcycling stage, which will take us to Volterra and the sea.
Today we head for Volterra, where the greatest evidence remains of the presence of the Etruscans, the people who lived in these lands before the Roman Empire. One of today's main highlights is a visit to the perfectly preserved medieval town of San Giminiano, famous for its many towers. After lunch, the group splits up, with some deciding to stay and rest in Volterra and others taking the fun roads to go for an aperitif by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the Cecina coast
Today we will take an extensive tour of the Chianti hills in Tuscany, an area famous throughout the world for producing fine wines. We visit a few towns nestled among the vineyards, Castellina in Chianti being our first break, a coffee between the perfectly preserved double fortified walls dating back to Etruscan times and erected to protect against first Roman invaders and then Gauls. Lunch break in another famous Chianti village, Greve in Chianti, in the main square there is a monument named after a famous fellow citizen of the past: Giovanni da Verrazzano, navigator and humanist in the service of the French court. It was he, in fact, who first discovered the bay of present-day New York City on April 17, 1524, and the city of NY has dedicated one of its famous bridges to him. Among many good foods a typical specialty is boar stew, in Tuscany there are estimated to be more than a million wild boars, which is why it is quite a popular food here. We leave not before saying goodbye to our friends on four wheels who love their old Fiat 500, an all-Italian icon. Before arriving in Siena, the castle of Meleto is worth a stop; for more than 1,000 years it has dominated its lands and vineyards, guardian of a unique landscape. In the evening we arrive at our hotel in Siena, Villa Scacciapensieri, which in the past has hosted meetings between famous people from Italian and international entertainment and politics.
The morning is cool, and after a short briefing in the open air, we cross Siena in a group. ‘Beauty will save the world’ and Tuscany offers us all its beauty, of which we are never satiated. Today, typical postcard landscapes open up before our eyes, with breathtaking views and roads that will remain etched in our memories. Today's first highlight is the abbey of San Galgano, built around 1218, now completely in ruins and reduced to walls. In 1786, lightning struck the church bell tower, causing the roof to collapse. The monks chose not to rebuild the roof but to leave the church open. We climb back into the saddle and enjoy a coffee break near Montalcino, a village famous for its wine, ‘Brunello’. Today we have a surprise in store for us, a nice picnic in the valley of the mills at Bagno a Vignoni, a village in the Val d'Orcia known since the ancient Romans for its volcanic thermal waters that flow from Mount Amiata. But even the weather gives us a surprise, a downpour that does not dampen the bikers' spirits, but rather makes the trip even more adventurous. Having reached Pienza, the sun welcomes us to this magnificent architectural work worthy of Unescu protection, we relax in the hotel after a long day, enjoy the beauty of the town and the goodness of dinner.
Like all good things, our tour comes to an end, we return to Rome, where we started. Today we have 250 km ahead of us. Quick morning briefing and immediately in the saddle to leave Tuscany, we will ride through the region of Umbria and then back to the region of Lazio in Rome. We reach Orvieto before lunch, Among the most beautiful towns in Umbria, Orvieto offers a unique mix of medieval architecture, Renaissance art and delicious local cuisine. Don't miss Orvieto Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, built in 1290 is world famous for its mosaic facade. We set off again for Civita di Bagnoregio, a small village perched on a tuff rock, but a minor technical mishap forced us to stop at a gas station. Having solved the problem, we treat ourselves to a quick lunch and depart again for Rome. Tired but happy, our last night in Rome and a farewell dinner await us. Some will go straight home, others will visit Italy some more, for the motorcycles it is time to “go home.