Almost exactly twenty years ago I decided to travel the world with whatever means necessary and Italy was one of my very first destinations as a backpacker for many reasons. Throughout these twenty years I remained loyal to my goal, traveled through more than 38 countries and this year was the time to return to Italy with my motorcycle, which is the best way to travel!
The ambitious plan that we decided along with my co-traveller Alex included four riding highlights along with stopovers to beautiful Italian locations and cities!
So here we go, day one!
Initially we have to ride about 350kms from my city in order to reach the port of Igoumenitsa. The weather forecast for Italy is glorious sunshine and we also arrive at the Greek port dry.
And the next morning is time to invade Bari!
We are moving westwards in order to cross Italy coast to coast and reach the infamous Amalfi Coast region. But the signposts in the Italian south are lacking and even misleading and even the gps is having a workout with no effect. We are losing time but luckily enough the loss in distance is minor and we continue through the highway Del Mare with a little help from the locals. After a few miles the highway becomes a joy with fast open turns and as we are getting closer to Salerno and the sea, the landscape gets prettier until we finally see the Costiera Amalfitana sign! It’s time to start using our photo cameras as the amazing, narrow coastal road offers beautiful images along with riding joy, with the Mediterranean shinning on our left :smile2:
The route is snaky and tight but there are straight parts where it pays off to wait a bit in order to attack on clear track in front of you. Be aware of superfast local scooter riders and large vehicles that are not going to stop for anybody
I am enjoying riding to the max on my superlight Er after passing Amalfi and a couple other villages we decide to stop at the famous Positano site but it proves to be overly touristic for our tastes so we continue towards Sorento where we drink our afternoon coffee. After a full day’s riding we will spend the night in Napoli, where we arrive at dusk.
Italy means pizza, coffee and ice cream and as pizza is a local invention we really have no other choice for dinner. Some say that the authentic Italian pizza is not that good but I guess they went to the wrong place! For all the above delicacies look for small, almost hidden stores where locals eat and you shall be rewarded!
The next morning we walk through the most distinctive city of southern Italy
Riding is also an adventure, indicators and pedestrian crossings are useless and if you don’t cover every last inch of space you get honked at. Two scooter riders made actual contact with my elbows so if you think that you are some city rider I have to tell you that the average Neapolitan scooter girl with pink flip-flops owns you…by answering the phone at the same time!
And so we leave Napoli behind and moving on towards Florence via highway in order to cover ground faster. Toll charges are high in Italy and we usually get a ticket upon entering and then paying according to where we want to exit. The road surface is good but the bad signposting continues with a lack of information even about major touristic destinations. Upon arrival, the traffic near the historic center of Florence makes things complicated even with our gps on but as soon as I spot the map image that I had in mind we find the hotel and the nearby parking which is cheap and cheerful
After a quick shower we are ready for some afternoon photography with the splendid colors of the sunset over the Arno River. Our night walk and photography session will take place after tasting the local specialty, the famous Florentine steaks. At Giannino’s restaurant behind the Duomo we feast upon more than a kilo of perfectly medium rare roasted local meat along with a liter of beer to wash it down! It’s a fine treat and the locally invented ice cream (gelato) is also ideal to be enjoyed as a dessert.
The Porcelino statue is also a symbol of the city and they say that if you rub the nose you will return to Florence one day. It worked for me even after twenty years so I did again while holding a nice gelato!
The next morning we set off for our morning walk watching the Italians talking and drinking their coffee hurriedly and standing up and I am amazed to pay only 4.4 euros for two perfect cappuccinos and one chocolate croissant in the middle of Florence!
Time has come to depart for our next destination, the town of Pisa where we arrive at noon through a pleasantly flowing road, with a local scooter guy guiding us through the historic center to a parking with lockers for our helmets and jackets right next to the leaning tower. Pisa is a beautiful city but the bulk of attention inevitably falls to the impressive Baptistery, Cathedral and Tower complex
We are leaving Pisa behind while moving to the north towards the Italian Lakes area and our next destination, the picturesque lakeside town of Como. We arrive late in the afternoon and after buying a bottle of water at a kiosk I also ask about accommodation. I continue the conversation in French and within five minutes we follow a guy to his traditional house turned hotel. If we exempt the steep staircase, our accommodation was ideal as Gianni and Barbara are good hosts and people. Gianni was a motorcyclist and also a Paris-Dakar navigator back in the eighties and his uncle was a Moto GP winner many years ago after the war :surprise:
He also has a perfectly restored racing 75cc Invicta hidden in a warehouse!
Como is beautiful day and night flooding us with nice scenery and hope for our route around the lake towards Bellagio and Lecco tomorrow!
Gianni gives us more useful advice over breakfast, there is a huge tunnel on the other side of the lake and we have to turn towards Mandello del Lario, the home of Moto Guzzi, in order to avoid it! Ideal choice for us since we are here for awesome riding roads and not dark tunnels so mille grazie Gianni!
The riding experience is enchanting from the get go with a majestic route offering a variety of inclinations and turns with perfect road surface and a breathtaking view of the huge mountains all around the water. Booming nature, villas and spring smells complete the picture until we reach Bellagio
We continue with the lake always on our left side, we turn towards Mandello del Lario in order to avoid the tunnel and the amazing road seems to go on forever!
The road now passes right next to the coast where people are bathing and barbecuing and the number of motorcycles increases as we are getting closer to the border with Switzerland
When we finally leave the huge lake Como behind us the signposting improves dramatically. Our next target is Saint Moritz and the Swiss Alps and as we move on the landscape become ever more astonishing. Small villages and churches with a backdrop of huge snowy mountains, waterfalls and wild flowers everywhere!
The road becomes gradually steeper as we ride through a dense forest when, suddenly, a huge alpine lake opens up in front of us! The road follows its coast and offers us amazing pictures :grin2:
When we finally reach Saint Moritz its drizzling and the sky seems heavy with a tiny opening towards where (I think) is our general direction
We put our rain suits on and set off towards our final destination of the day, the famous Stelvio pass on the other side of the Alps. After a while we spot the tunnel towards the valley to the south but we are determined to cross the Alps today! The clouds are still dark but the rain is now intermittent and after Santa Maria’s pass the road is dry and the sun is breaking through the wall of clouds. Our happiness is complete after seeing the Passo dello Stelvio sign, we are now at the base of the pass!
A kid screams ciao! as he rolls down the hill on his bicycle and the road becomes winding...
...as turn after turn the altitude increases, the temperature drops and the first snow turns into white alpine landscape
We are at the point where the borders of Austria, Switzerland and Italy converge and their respective flags stand along with metallic figures of alpinists. From the heat of the Mediterranean Amalfi coast, the beauty of Tuscany, the majestic Italian Lakes and the Swiss Alps we are now just one step away from Stelvio, the highest point of our trip!
After a few more turns we are THERE and we feel great!
We absorb all the positive energy of a place where everyone came by doing what they love most. On the other side awaits the famous Stelvio ribbon through which we are glad to ride in order to reach our hotel at Trafoi, 13 kilometers away. After this enchanting experience we settle at the Tannenheim hotel for some rest after an amazing day on the road!
After a three course meal and a nice sleep and breakfast we head back up to Stelvio in order to savor the clear day and buy some souvenirs
The climb to the summit requires good flow and powerful exits and the intermittent sound of the exhaust through the protective barriers at the edge of the cliff is stimulating. A Ducati passes by and disappears in the distance and then I see two Porsches with factory camouflage decals and a group of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. On the top the pass we enjoy an amazing location with other fellow motorcyclists full of bliss :smile2:
Then we descend for the last time and we discover that the pass continues after Trafoi with faster, more open parts and the constant alpine backdrop right until the foothills of the mountain
We are now moving towards Bolzano through vast orchards and then we join the highway towards Venice, our last destination on Italian soil.
We arrive in Venice at noon but the hotel we are searching for seems impossible to find even with gps until we spot it almost by chance. The plan is to leave our bikes at the parking and take the train to Venice, which is the most popular approach. Indeed, Santa Lucia station is right on the edge of the Gran Canal and we begin our walk through the city on the water with soft, afternoon light
The Rialto bridge, the San Marco square, the bridge of Lamentation, the Santa Irina cathedral and of course countless canals, gondolas and vaporettos are there in order to calm us down and give us beautiful snapshots
The next day we were onboard before noon with a few hours to rest in our cabin before returning back to Greece...
...and the last miles of our trip back to Thessaloniki are filled with satisfaction for the completion of an amazing and ambitious motorcycle trip and also with wishes for more enjoyable miles in the future :wink2:
Thumbs up for the Ai tre Leoni Bed & Breakfast I mentioned above, if you ever get to ride to Como stay there and you will have a great time meeting and talking with Gianni and Barbara :smile2:
Highly recommended for all, especially motorcyclists :thumbup:
Thank you my friend, I am glad that you liked the photos and the trip in general.
My bike was a joy to ride throughout the distance, especially through the winding roads of the four riding highlights where it really pays to ride a lightweight, nimble bike with a torquey engine.
It gives me even greater pleasure to complete long trips on my Er, I really love this bike and I am keeping it for the moment :smile2:
Wow! What an amazing trip. Thanks for the pics and story. I would love to be able to do something like this one day. It has been added to my bucket list.
Thank you very much for your response my friend, I am very glad that you liked this thread :smile2:
The only reason I posted it in the first place was to inspire and encourage fellow riders to travel by motorcycle so I am even happier to see you motivated!
The trip was exactly one week long, from Monday to Monday, and between 3 and 3500 kms as usual.
We slept at Naples, Florence, Como, Stelvio, Venice and twice on the ship.
I do most of the planing, you can see more European destinations if you click on my profile, and this distance and duration is a very good target for a nice motorcycle trip, at least for our tastes.
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