BOI 2504 Best of Italy
After getting to know the group and completing the usual tour briefing yesterday evening in a cozy bar atmosphere, we head out of Rome today. We travel along the small back roads of Lazio and Umbria, passing picturesque villages, to the historic center of Narni, where we also enjoy lunch. Refreshed, we continue on and stop again in Montefalco, an old town for a short stroll and a quick afternoon coffee. But if historic old towns aren't enough, today's destination hotel is in the historic city of Assisi. The opportunities for sightseeing, including various churches and squares, are countless, which we take full advantage of before concluding the evening with an excellent dinner with a spectacular view.
The morning is cool and crisp, the sky looks promising, it's going to be a spectacular Saturday for riding motorcycle. The group left Assisi quite early, and after 5 minutes we stopped at the best spot to take a photo together with the spectacular view of the Cathedral in the background. Then take a quick state road to cross Perugia and reach the top of the hill overlooking Lake Trasimeno for a coffee break with breathtaking views. Now the fun begins. We are in the middle of the Apennines, the backbone of Italy, a mountain range stretching from north to south, full of winding roads that are perfect for those who love riding motorcycles. Lunch break in a typical Italian Bar in Città di Castello, we recover energy to face the second part of the day, riding the pass of Bocca Seriola and a quick stop in the renaissance pearl city of Urbino. We are close to our destination, at the top of Mount Titano, the Grand Hotel San Marino in the free republic of the same name. Even though our trip is coming to an end, the good news is that there are still many curves ahead!
Curves, curves, and more curves. That's the plan for today, and of course we're making it happen. After a morning loop to Simoncelli's hometown and around the rock of San Marino, Monte Titano, we'll once again be making our way up the countless small mountain passes of the Apennines. We did not expect so many surprises along the way, such as diversions due to road construction or other circumstances, and even lunch today is a little different. Suddenly, the support van is parked at the Santuario La Verna, and a typical Italian picnic has been set up. Fortified and in a great mood, we then head over the Passo della Consuma to Florence, where we review the day over an excellent dinner and discuss options for tomorrow's rest day.
Larry Michael and Mayer are ready for another motorcycle ride. Today they are heading to the mecca of Italian motorcycling, the Mugello circuit. But the hills surrounding the circuit are also a paradise for motorcyclists, with the Giogo Pass, Raticosa Pass, and Muraglione Pass representing the most iconic roads for enjoying yourself on two wheels. Ben & Candice, like Mayo, preferred to take a day off from motorcycling, taking advantage of the beauty that Florence offers to its visitors.
Today we resume our journey. The sky is gray and rainy, so we postpone our departure by an hour to let the rain pass. The plan works, and apart from the wet roads, we arrive dry at our first stop, the beautiful fortified town of San Gimignano. This town is famous for its medieval towers, evocative of the past glories of the noble families of the area, and in more recent times for its award-winning ice cream parlors, yummy! Dry and refreshed, we resume our journey towards the city of Volterra, the cradle of Etruscan culture, a city perched on a hilltop with a 360° panoramic view of the surrounding valleys. Simply stunning! But since the weather has improved, in the afternoon we all head to the Tyrrhenian coast together to complete our Italian coast-to-coast journey and be back in Volterra in time for aperitif hour.
Today the rain is heavier, but we still manage to leave Volterra when it stops, and we manage to avoid getting wet all morning. When we stop at Caffè Italia in Castellina in Chianti, we discover that the road that should take us to Greve in Chianti is closed, so we decide to take an alternative route to reach Greve via Impuneta. We can say that today we have seen all (or almost all) of the Chianti vineyards. After lunch, we put on our rain gear and, given the noticeable deterioration in the weather, we reach Siena in fairly heavy rain and decide to stop at our hotel, the Certosa di Pontignano, a former monastery dating back to the 14th century, a place where our guests can relax and enjoy its beauty and the fine wine produced in the surrounding countryside.
It's time to leave the splendid Certosa di Pontigano and cross the “Crete Senesi”: an area southeast of Siena characterized by a unique landscape of clay hills with a lunar appearance. After a joyful morning of winding roads and beautiful landscapes, a lovely surprise awaited us: a delightful picnic in the town of Montalcino, famous worldwide for its Brunello wine produced in these picturesque hills. After lunch, we visit the ancient natural thermal baths of Bagni San Filippo, known since Roman times. The warm thermal waters have created a magical landscape of white limestone formations, waterfalls, and small hot pools. The weather forecast predicts a heavy storm in the evening, so we hurry to reach Pienza, a picture-postcard wonder nestled among breathtaking views and rolling hills. Considered the ideal Renaissance city, it was founded at the behest of Pope Pio II and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The result of a dream of pure beauty, Pienza remains a little gem that you fall in love with at first sight.
Today is the last day, so let's enjoy it on the best roads of the three regions of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. After an intense morning, we arrive in Orvieto, where we visit the famous “St. Patrick's Well.” a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering, was requested by Pope Clement VII to supply the city with water in case of siege. The well is about 54 metres deep and has a double spiral staircase structure with 248 steps, 13 metres in diameter and is brightened by 72 round-arched windows through which light filters, reflecting particular shades on the outer wall carved into the stone. This ingenious structure created by Sangallo allowed pack animals to go up and down the stairs to fetch water without ever meeting. Next, we head to Rome, but first we stop for lunch on the shores of Lake Bracciano. It's been a long day of traveling, and as a final effort we tackle Rome's traffic, happy to admire its views as we go. Waiting for us to toast the end of our magnificent tour, Alberto has prepared beers and cold drinks. Goodbye Rome!