10 Days of Pure Riding Pleasure – By Motorcycle Through the Heart of Italy
There's hardly a country better suited for a motorcycle tour than Italy. Endless curves, breathtaking landscapes, a vibrant culture, and unparalleled culinary delights – every biker's heart beats faster here. Almost the entire country is characterized by mountains and hills, which means endless winding roads! Add to that an excellent infrastructure, relaxed and motorcycle-friendly people, and everything Italy is famous for: excellent coffee, outstanding wine, and first-class cuisine.
Our 10-day trip takes you right into the heart of Italy. Starting in the Eternal City of Rome, whose history and vibrant life provide an unforgettable start. From there, we head north to the small but proud Republic of San Marino before rolling into the culturally rich city of Florence. Here we'll treat ourselves to a rest day – either for a relaxing tour through the hills north of the city or for a detour to Pisa, where you can see for yourself whether the Leaning Tower is really that crooked.
We continue on to Italy's most famous culinary region: the Chianti region. Here, pure Tuscany awaits you – rolling hills, cypress avenues, and picture-perfect towns that look like they've stepped out of a movie. Our overnight stops in Volterra, Siena, and Pienza may be close to each other, but the abundance of sights and the beauty of the small roads make each stage a day-long adventure.
Turn by turn, you'll immerse yourself deeper in the Italian way of life – Dolce Vita on two wheels. Between historic cities, sunny vineyards, and unforgettable panoramas, you'll experience Italy more intensely than almost any other traveler. This tour combines culture, nature, and riding pleasure in a unique way – and guarantees unforgettable days in the saddle.
Today we have the honor of welcoming a large group of motorcyclist friends here in Rome, representing seven countries:
the USA, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Mexico, Italy, and Germany.
For Anita, from New Zealand, this trip is a lifelong dream come true. She is so excited that she is even taking a guided tour of the city.
The others are waiting for us at the hotel, and when we return from our sightseeing tour, we just have time for a shower before starting the welcome briefing. Tomorrow we're off!
The first day is spent getting to know the bikes and the roads. We make it out of Rome's chaotic traffic unscathed and cross the Lazio countryside towards the Apennines. After about an hour and a half, everyone deserves a nice cappuccino or coffee.
Right halfway between Rome and Assisi, we find the beautiful ancient town of Narnia, where we will have lunch. After lunch, we continue towards Umbria, making another short stop in the historic town of Montefalco, famous for falconry.
In the evening, we reach Assisi, whose beauty is a profound inspiration for us all.
We leave Assisi in glorious motorcycle weather, riding through the narrow streets of the medieval town. We take one last look back at the monastery before passing Perugia in the south and heading into the Apennine Mountains. From Lo Scoiattolo, we have a wonderful view of Lake Trasimeno. We continue via Cortona to Citta de Castello for lunch. As before our coffee stop at Lo Scoiattolo, we continue on winding roads to Urbino. It starts to rain lightly, so we put on our rain gear, and just a few minutes later, the rain lets up. The brief refreshment and the now lower sun open up picturesque views of the mountainous landscape and finally Monte Titano with the capital San Marino of the state of the same name.
Today we are traveling in two groups again. One group takes a short walk into town before departure, while the other decides to take a tour in and around San Marino. Here we get a view of the rock of San Marino from the east and, on the other side, the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. After a coffee stop at Passo Cantoniera, we continue to La Verna, a very well-preserved monastery from the time of St. Francis. After a walk to the monastery, Alberto awaits us with a hearty picnic of Italian delicacies. Afterwards, both groups drive parallel to Passo de Consuma. It rained briefly just before the ascent, but up here we can take off our rain gear again. After coffee and a great view, we drive along narrow roads through the forests outside Florence. After the rain, views and scents of fresh wet forest soil and trees open up here.
On today's rest day, some guests are staying in Florence, one group is heading to Pisa, and the motorcycle enthusiasts are taking the option of northern Tuscany with the Mugello GP racetrack. We are lucky because today is track day, so we can visit the entire area. We circle the entire track, not on the racetrack, of course, but we do get to the fence of the spectator stands. After a stop at the Passo Coniale motorcyclist meeting point, we head to Palazzuolo for lunch with homemade pasta dishes and gnocchi. In the afternoon, we drive to the Muraglione motorcyclist hotspot, where motorcyclists of all classes from the region, but also from many other countries, meet when the weather is nice.
An incredible experience.
Today we leave Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, and venture into the hills of Tuscany, traveling along beautiful winding roads toward the heart of Italian culture, following in the footsteps of the Etruscans, the ancient inhabitants of these lands. San Gimignano is a must-see destination. Its ancient towers are a reminder of the splendor of the Middle Ages, when these cities were thriving centers of trade with the entire ancient world.
Volterra is not far away and we reach it in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we have the option of going to the Tyrrhenian Sea, to Cecina, which means driving another hundred kilometers of winding roads and having a coffee by the sea before returning in the evening to the Etruscan capital, Volterra, enclosed within its ancient walls.
The famous Chianti wine region is our destination for the day. On our journey up and over the hills of this wonderful area, we see people harvesting grapes by hand and with large machines. As we pass Cantinas de Vino, we smell the wine, the villages are picturesque, and the landscape is beautiful. We have lunch in a typical osteria on a terrace in the middle of this beautiful area. After more wow moments, we reach La Certosa de Pontignano, a monastery converted into a hotel, a very special location.
After breakfast, we leave this historic place and head back onto the winding roads. We reach the small church of San Galgano. Here, we are enchanted by the unique architecture and the legend of the sword in the rock. We then continue along the winding road to Banio Vignone, a small village built around Roman thermal baths, which have now been restored, but the warm water has not yet dried up. This place gives us an insight into what life was like back then. Now it's slowly time for lunch, and Henning is waiting for us on Montalcino with another hearty picnic. We continue winding our way through the hills before reaching our destination of Pienza with its magnificent terraces and views of the surrounding countryside.
This is the last day of this Italian voyage, But it won't be a boring trip, because there are still many curves ahead of us before we return from Tuscany to the Lazio region. Orvieto and its cathedral with its golden facade are on the way. Continuing through the flat countryside of Lazio, we take a short break at Lake Bracciano and then arrive in Rome, braving the congested rush hour traffic.
The farewell dinner is a special moment to remember the good times we have had together.
