RTS2403 from Sicily to Rome
Welcome to Catania. That means 25 degrees Celsius sunshine and the first Italian moments on the way to the hotel. While some of us explore the city, others struggle with the confusion of their flights. However, there is not much to tell today. In the evening we receive a short briefing and get the keys for our bikes. We get to know each other a little better over our first dinner together. The anticipation for tomorrow is great
Today is finally the day. And riding day number one welcomes us with the best weather. A few final preparations and a short briefing later and we're off. But before we reach the promised small side roads, we first have to cross Catania. We quickly realize that it takes a few...well...Italian manoeuvres to get this part of the day over with quickly. Yes, the traffic here is different to at home, but we get through it quickly and it's kind of fun;-). With the imposing Mount Etna behind us, we finally reach the Sicilian hinterland. Our first coffee stop takes us to a small town called Raddusa. Nothing here is reminiscent of the tourist resorts along the coast. Welcome to the real Sicily. We continue on side roads full of surprises towards our first major highlight of the tour. Which we finally reach after collecting lost vehicle documents and other small items. 120 million mosaic tiles in the Villa Romana del Casale tell us how people lived as Sicilian landowners in the fourth century. Scenes of hunting can be marveled at in this lovingly restored place as well as depictions of all...and we really mean ALL kinds of leisure activities. After lunch, we escape the crowds of tourists again. We ride through small but surprisingly busy villages and more rural areas until we reach our destination for today, Agrigento. Not only is our hotel waiting for us here, but also one of the most famous places in Sicily. The Valley of the Temples. The sight of these thousand-year-old buildings in the light of the evening sun is simply stunning. And that was the first day of our trip... a warm-up, so to speak. Let's see what lies ahead of us.
Today also promises perfect motorcycle weather, the forecast promises around 20 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Today we cross the island from south to north, straight after Agrigento on winding roads into the mountainous center of Sicily. After a short coffee break, we reach Prizzi, a small town that should be familiar to many from the movie “The Honor of Prizzi”. Then we head straight to Corleone, which was also made famous by Hollywood, “The Godfather” with Al Pacino, who also comes from this town, should be familiar to most people. After more than a thousand bends, everyone is hungry and glad that Thomas is already waiting for us with the “Edelweiss Picnic”. For dessert, there are more bends and hairpin bends. On the way to Cefalu, we stop in Caccamo and visit the fortress there before reaching our overnight accommodation in Cefalu. Another great day, hopefully it continues like this.
Good morning paradise. The new day begins as the previous one ended. Sunny, warm and full of good humor. Today we want to visit no less than some of the most beautiful villages in Italy. You can only understand what they are all about if you've been here. We start our tour with a drive along the picturesque coast. The interplay of morning sun and shade creates a unique atmosphere. After a few kilometers, we turn off into the mountains. Welcome to a paradise of curves. The winding but sometimes bumpy roads demand our full attention. The views of the landscape and of course Mount Etna, which we get closer and closer to, are magnificent. Oh yes... the thing with the beautiful villages. On our way we stop again and again in small villages which nestle close to the rocks and hills. Each of them has its own story. Castel buono uses donkeys for garbage collection and Gangi is trying to survive by selling houses cheaply. And then there is Sperlonga, which is dominated by an imposing citadel. What they all have in common is the fact that they convey exactly the attitude to life that you imagine when you hear the word Sicily. Our destination today is Taormina. If you want, you can add another highlight to the day. Visit the Forza d`Agro and the film set of “The Godfather”. The road alone is worth the extra time. Tomorrow is our first rest day. Enough time to explore Taormina and of course the imposing Mount Etna.
The day begins with the unbelievably fantastic view from our balconies down to the beach. There is not a cloud in the sky, even the summit of Mount Etna, which is always shrouded in mist in the morning, can be seen. It's our first rest day of the tour. And our watches are slowly ticking to the rhythm of Italy. Speaking of Etna. Of course, some of us take the opportunity to discover it by motorcycle. After leaving the many small villages at the foot of the volcano behind us, countless bends and spectacular views await us. Everywhere we go we meet local bikers - we must have chosen the perfect day. Arriving at 1900 meters we have enough time to enjoy the view down to Catania, for example. Our friend Tucker even decides to hike to the highest point within walking distance. And of course, you can't be in Taormina without visiting the pretty, albeit very busy, old town and of course the famous amphitheater. And thanks to Berhard, no one has to wander through the alleyways without orientation;-) After cooling off in the Mediterranean. The “volcano conquerors” finally set off to explore the alleyways and squares of the old town. And of course Bernhard is there to help us out. A day to remember.
"Groundhog Day" Once again, we experience a wonderful sunrise on the coast of Sicily with a view over the small bay with the “Isola Bella” in Taormina. After breakfast, we ride along the coastal road for a short while before turning inland again. Here, winding mountain roads await us again and we cross the “Monti di Peloritani”, the southernmost foothills of the Apennines. We reach the Strait of Messina, which in Greek mythology was guarded by the sea monsters Scilla and Charybdis. Fortunately, unlike Odysseus, we were spared and reached the Italian mainland unscathed. After a gelato, we made our way along wonderful coastal roads towards our hotel for the night. Here we enjoyed the sunset from our terrace with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Stromboli volcano in the background. It could go on like this.
The day starts with a view out over the Mediterranean and, as is not unusual in Italy, we have cake for breakfast - that's a good start. After a short briefing, we set off. First we drive along the coast and then turn off onto the much more interesting mountain roads. In order not to make the time between the exciting sections too long, we will use the highway more often today. But the mountain roads are definitely worth it. The roads and landscapes are varied and there is not much traffic either. Just perfect for us. We stop for lunch in a small village called Altomonte. The many small streets and alleyways invite us to explore and make this place seem almost like a cliché, in the most positive sense. We now head back down towards the coast on small and winding side roads. The view is somewhat obscured by a diffuse fog, but the panoramas are still magnificent. Once we have left the mountains behind us, we make another stop in Diamante, where there is art to admire as well as coffee and gelato. But you have to be prepared to look for it. Back at the hotel, the day ends as it began. Surrounded by mountains with a view of the ocean. just dolce vita
Slowly we get closer and closer to our destination. Today, however, we first have to head into the mountains again, as the coastal road is closed due to construction work. At the hotel, we were also told that the access road to “Il Redentore”, a 30-metre-high statue of Christ looking inland, was also closed. Nevertheless, we take the detour and are rewarded with wonderful views of the Mediterranean. However, we don't make it to the foot of the monument, but some of the group manage to catch a glimpse of the statue after a short climb. We then ride along the coastal road until we finally turn off into the mountains again. We stop there for a short lunch break and enjoy delicious pasta dishes and mixed salads. In the afternoon, we reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Paestum. The ancient site awaits us with huge Greek temples from the fifth and sixth centuries BC. Truly impressive. The last stretch of the day then takes us on the highway around the heavy traffic of Salerno to our destination for today, Pompei.
Today is a rest day. But that doesn't mean that there are no activities today. In the morning, we visit the excavation sites of Pompei under the guidance of Ima. It is almost unbelievable how well the buildings, mosaics and wall paintings have been preserved under the ashes of Vesuvius. Gardens have been reconstructed using plants from the vegetation of the time based on finds and DNA analyses. This gives us a very good impression of the flourishing city of the time, which was buried under almost 10 meters of ash in a very short time and was simply swallowed up by the ground from 79 AD until the 18th century. Okay, the cultural part of the day is over... But wasn't there something else? Yes, the world-famous Amalfi Coast right on our doorstep. So helmet on and off we go. In addition to picturesque panoramas, small villages of world renown and countless bends, the Amalfi Coast is also famous for its heavy traffic. Nevertheless, it is beautiful here. And when do you ever have the opportunity to eat an ice cream in the shadow of Amalfi Cathedral? Not so often. On the way back to Pompei, some people even discover their love for the Italian way of motorcycling. But there was still... Oh yes, Naples... within reach if you like. Fancy a short walk and a real Napoletan pizza?
Today is our last riding day of the tour. And as we all know, all roads lead to Rome. Unfortunately, these roads are all pretty wet today. Very wet in fact. In Pompei, the sewers are already overflowing. We first head towards Naples to avoid the worst of it. When we have finally left the rain behind us. We discuss how we want to spend the rest of the day. The fog is thick in the mountains, so riding there today could be exciting. We finally decide to stay on the highway for the time being. Shortly before Rome, however, the weather improves considerably, so we leave the highway and drive to Lago Albano, where the Pope's summer residence is enthroned on a hill. Some of us decided to take their Ducatis out for a little while in Rome. While the rest of the group headed straight for the hotel. In the evening we all sit together again and enjoy delicacies from all over the world;-)