BOI2603 - "Discover la Dolce Vita on two wheels."🏍️

Little by little, all the participants are arriving, and the excitement for the tour is definitely in the air! Today, our tour begins with a group “welcome briefing”; we’ll all meet on the terrace of our starting hotel for a welcome drink. After the briefing and answering any questions, our guests will receive the keys and paperwork for their motorcycles, after which everyone will head to the garage to pick them up. Once we’ve gone over how to operate the motorcycles, it’ll already be time for dinner. The hotel restaurant “Sapori del Mondo” delights our guests with international specialties. Afterward, we’ll turn in early so we can start tomorrow well-rested.

Nobody ever said it would be easy, but we managed to get out of the city almost without any problems. The weather forecast had already told us the day before that it was going to be cloudy, and that’s exactly how it turned out. But we were lucky — not a single drop of rain… at least not on us. We were surrounded by dark, threatening clouds, but it felt as if the gods themselves had cleared the road just for us. At our very first coffee stop, while we were still sitting on the terrace, the rain started to come down lightly. The owner quickly cleared a spot for us under his pavilion, and just moments later, the heavens opened. But we were sitting comfortably and completely dry. The same thing happened at lunchtime. As soon as we were safely under cover, the rain came down in buckets. For the rest of the day, the skies were mostly sunny, and we finally arrived in Assisi completely dry. Bloody brilliant… let’s keep it going like this! 🤘😎

The morning is already off to a very promising start. The sun is shining right into our faces, there are hardly any clouds in the sky, and we set off towards San Marino. Passing Lake Trasimeno, we make our way up to Caffè “Lo Scoiattolo”, where we enjoy a fantastic view over the lake and, of course, a wonderful Italian coffee. In Cortona, we are amazed by the beauty of this charming town. And we have to thank the friendly police officers who turned a blind eye and allowed us to park at the roundabout — where there was already absolute chaos — without giving us a ticket. 😅 Next stop: Fraccano for lunch. Right on time, uncomplicated, and simply delicious. Exactly the way we like it. From there, we continue towards Apecchio, Urbania and finally Urbino — the place where the little big Valentino Rossi first opened his eyes to the world. 🏍️💨 A coffee, a little walk through the beautiful old town, and plenty of photos later, we're back in the saddle. And suddenly, we understand why the number 46 is such a damn good rider. You definitely need some serious skills on a motorcycle to tackle all the hills that are waiting for us. But the scenery we get to enjoy makes every single effort worthwhile. And then, suddenly, there it is… San Marino. Absolutely breathtaking!!!

Today we’re leaving the Republic of San Marino and heading toward Florence, the capital of Tuscany. But first, we’ll ride around the cliffs of San Marino to catch some more amazing views of the old fortifications from below. Then we’ll drive through the hills, past San Leo, to the La Verna monastery, where Rolly has already reserved a table. Today we’ll have a picnic featuring Italian specialties: ham, salami, cheese, and more. Refreshed, we’ll drive up to the “Passo della Consuma” and then wind our way along narrow roads through shady forests toward our destination, Florence.

It could hardly be a more difficult decision. Spend the day exploring Florence, wandering through its countless ancient streets, admiring the historic buildings and old walls, and simply enjoying “La Dolce Vita”… Or head out into the countryside, explore Mugello and ride the historic route that Enzo Ferrari himself won back in 1921. What would you choose?? 😝🏍️🇮🇹 Part of the group focused on motorsports, and their first destination was the Mugello Grand Prix circuit. Afterward, they headed north into the mountains to get a feel for the historic race tracks on the now-paved roads.

A day that could hardly be any better. The day greets us with almost cloudless skies, and after a delicious and well-balanced breakfast, we enjoy the wonderful view over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo one last time. A very special treasure is waiting for us today. But first, we still have a few kilometres to cover, moving from one highlight to the next. Our next photo stop is in front of the old town hall in Montespertoli. In Certaldo, at Forno Moderno, we enjoy our first well-deserved coffee of the day — along with one or two delicious local specialties. Fantastic… Italy at its best! 🇮🇹 As we surf through the rolling hills of Tuscany, we catch sight of a little town with towers on the horizon. It gets bigger and bigger as we approach, and then we realize what we're looking at: The Manhattan of the Middle Ages — SAN GIMIGNANO. It looks almost like something out of a fairy tale. Simply breathtaking. Of course, we can't pass up the opportunity to try what might just be the best gelato in the world. 🍦😋 We wander through the ancient streets, admire the impressive towers and marvel at what people were capable of creating centuries ago. From San Gimignano, it’s only a five-minute ride to Ristorante Antica Osteria Il Rifugio, where we treat ourselves to a hearty lunch. With only about 30 minutes left to the hotel, we decide to add another 2½-hour loop to the day — and what a loop it is! Fast corners, sweeping roads and scenery so spectacular that it demands every bit of our concentration on the road. At 5:20 p.m., we finally roll into our hotel in Volterra. What a day… what unforgettable impressions… And then, as the icing on the cake, we have dinner at DON BETA, where we probably eat better than God himself in France… 😝 Nope… this isn't a dream. Just another absolutely fantastic day in Tuscany. 🤩❤️🇮🇹🏍️

Once again, the weather is gorgeous. The Chianti region is on our “must-see list” today. We drive through rolling countryside dotted with vineyards and cypress-lined avenues, with one winery after another. The air is fragrant with the scent of grapevines, and at the wineries, the aroma of finished Chianti wafts through the air. As we wind through the hills, we pass through the region’s typical villages and towns time and again. But the cultural highlights are still ahead of us. First, Siena, with its world-famous “Piazza del Campo,” and then our lodging for tonight, the “Certosa di Pontignano.” But before we head to our rooms, there’s a little surprise in the form of a “boot beer”—it’s the first beer you have before taking off your motorcycle boots.

After spending the night behind those ancient, awe-inspiring walls and enjoying a fantastic breakfast on the terrace with a dreamlike view, it was time to hit the road again. Today we’re heading from Siena towards Pienza — or rather, to the charming little town of San Quirico d’Orcia. But first things first. Our first stop is the impressive Abbey of San Galgano. After a coffee and some time admiring the ancient walls, we couldn’t resist the call of our bikes and were soon back in the saddle. 🏍️ Next up: the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, followed by Montalcino — home of the famous Brunello di Montalcino. Since all this riding makes you hungry, Bernhard surprised us with a fantastic picnic of delicious pizza and focaccia. All that was missing was the Brunello! 😅🍷 After a little shopping in Montalcino, we continued to Bagni Vignoni, where the ancient Romans already came to relax and recharge in the thermal sulphur baths. From there, we surfed through the rolling hills of Tuscany, following narrow roads through landscapes that simply took our breath away. And then, in the distance, we spotted it: Pienza — La Città Ideale. The “Ideal City”, designed by Pope Pius II, who was born here and dreamed of creating the perfect city in his birthplace. Sadly, he never lived to see it completed. Normally, Pienza would be the end of today’s journey. But this time, we continued to neighbouring San Quirico d’Orcia — a small, romantic town packed with history, from Etruscan and Roman times right through to the Middle Ages. After a hearty dinner in a beautiful historic restaurant, some of us continued to the local pub, where we ended up chatting with the locals in English, Spanish and a whole mix of other languages. A brilliant evening, plenty of laughs — and eventually, it was time for bed. Tomorrow is our final day on the road, so we’d better get some rest and be ready for the last ride. 🏍️🇮🇹❤️

The final leg of our journey awaits us—we must reclaim Rome. After planning our route, we set our course. The weather is glorious, the roads are dry, and our destination is clear—Rome in the Lazio region. We make our way through former volcanic landscapes to the cathedral in Orvieto. Then we continue past several lakes until we finally take our last break before Rome at “Lago di Bracciano.” After that, we plunge into the traffic, which is getting denser and denser. After about an hour, we reach our destination. All our guests are happy—and hopefully a little sad, too, because this is where our motorcycle trip ends. Well, not quite yet—tonight we’ll have a farewell dinner together. HOPE TO RIDE AGAIN WITH YOU - IT WAS A PLEASURE