11 Days Guided Italy Motorcycle Tour

During this tour, you will stay in a single or double room, depending on your choice. The accommodations for 9 nights will be several 3 to 4-star hotels. You will also stay on a ferry for an overnight stay, while departing from Cagliari to Civitavecchia.

Day 1: Welcome to Rome

A private car will transfer you from the airport to the hotel where you will find your Hear The Road host, Enrico, waiting for you to give you a warm Italian welcome. Enjoy your first day in Rome by visiting the city or just relaxing from the journey. You will convene in the late afternoon in the bar of the hotel for a “meet and greet” with your tour colleagues. Enrico will give you a general briefing of the tour and he will also be very glad to answer to all your questions.

Finally, you're are ready to go to pick up the bikes and bring them to the hotel garage. One of Enrico’s favorite restaurants is chosen for a fabulous welcome dinner. During your first dinner, together you will learn more about what to expect for the exciting days ahead. The overnight will be in Rome.

Day 2: Rome to Siena (292 kilometers / 181 miles)

You'll leave Rome heading north towards Tuscia, an area once inhabited by the Etruscans. Tuscia is home to Italy’s largest hazelnut grove areas, the small nut that Ferrero magically transforms into the famous Nutella spread. After a short break for your first good Italian coffee on the road in Ronciglione, you'll ride towards the beautiful coastline roads that run along the shores of Lake Vico and Lake Bolsena, and then the scenic backroads of Val D’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You'll arrive in Radicofani where you stop for lunch. Radicofani is a stunning Orange Flag awarded town (The Orange Flag Award was an idea formed by the Italian Touring Club in 1998 with the aim of promoting tourism in lesser known places in Italy) which surrounds the base of a hill on which the majestic fortress has stood since 973 AD.

On the way to Siena, you'll stop to visit Pienza, considered to be the incarnation of a Renaissance utopia and an ideal city. Having obtained recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, today, it continues to show off to the world its refined and sophisticated Renaissance urban plan. Its spaces and perspective onto its 15th-century “piazze and palazzo” are organized according to the era’s ideals of rationality and humanism.

Back on the bikes, you'll ride the sweeping road that crosses the Crete Senesi, famous for its stunning moonscape. For your first dinner in Siena, you will be pampered by the delicious dinner that Ms. Letizia, proprietor of a lovely 16th-century inn, nestled in the quiet of ancient olive trees, prepared for you to celebrate your first riding day in Italy. You will stay overnight in Siena. The hotel has a swimming pool.

Day 3: Siena to Livorno (260 kilometers / 161 miles)

This is a great day with endless curves, one after the other, on the roads of the Tuscany Academy of the Motorcyclist. In the first part of the morning, you'll ride the back roads that bring you to the Abbey of San Galgano, where you will visit its stunning abbey without the ceiling and the little church of Montesiepi, home to the “sword in the rock".

Back on the bikes, you'll challenge the sweeping road towards Volterra before plunging into the scenic roads of the Colline Metallifere, a little-known but fascinating part of Tuscany. After a short stop in the beautiful hamlet of Bolgheri, you'll reach the town of Livorno where you'll spend your second night. Your overnight will be in Livorno.

Day 4: Livorno to Calvi (175 kilometers / 109 miles)

In the early morning, you'll board the ferry to cross the Mediterranean Sea for a 4-hour ride to Bastia on the NE coast of Corsica. So, big thumbs up! Yes, because from Bastia, traveling on the fabulous roads of this rugged island, you head north following the coastline around the thumb of Corsica before heading south to Calvi. Today’s riding is always a most unforgettable motorcycle experience; a perfect mix between coastline roads with their dramatic cliffs, desolate areas like the Desert des Agriates, and twisty mountain roads. The overnight stay will be in Calvi.

Day 5: Calvi to Santa Teresa di Gallura (281 kilometers / 174 miles)

Everything is surreal. You are in hell or if you prefer, you are in paradise! The coastline road from Calvi to Cargese is something impossible to describe. It's narrow, challenging roads, and spectacular landscapes with the mountains reflected in the sea.

The scenery of Les Calanche is simply stunning. Once you get Cargese, the fun continues! Riding the mountain road to Bonifacio is both breathtaking and scenic, arriving in Bonifacio in plenty of time to catch the ferry to Santa Teresa di Gallura on the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, ending another day of fabulous riding. You'll stay overnight in Santa Teresa di Gallura.

Day 6: Santa Teresa di Gallura to Tresnuraghes (288 kilometers / 179 miles)

You'll leave Santa Teresa di Gallura heading south challenging the beautiful roads of the Gallura. After a nice coffee break, you're off to Tempio Pausania at the foot of Monte Limbara; a charming town famous for its cork products and the production of granite. You'll ride further before reaching the Roccia dell’Elefante, “The Elephant Rock”; a striking dark trachyte rock sculpted by the wind to resemble an elephant.

After a nice lunch with the elephant, you'll be on the bikes once again towards Alghero, an ancient Catalan town on the Mediterranean Sea. After a short visit to the town, you will be challenged again by the scenic coastline from Alghero to Bosa. Leaving Bosa, you'll climb up towards Tresnuraghes, your destination for the next 2 nights. Your overnight stay will be in Tresnuraghes.

Day 7: Free day in Tresnuraghes

Relax! It will be a whole day at the sea to do what a typical Italian does! Spread out on the beach and swim in the warm water. For those who prefer riding today, there are many roads to ride returning easily to Bosa. Hear The Road Motorcycle Tours Italy definitely doesn’t want you to lose the riding habit. You'll stay overnight in Tresnuraghes.

Day 8: Tresnuraghes to Cala Gonone (307 kilometers / 190 miles)

You'll head southeast towards the rugged yet scenic roads of the Monti del Gennargentu, a vast wild area, crossed by deep gorges and canyons. This land is totally unspoiled and known to be home to rare species of wildlife. After a short break in Fonni, you'll get back on the bikes and head northeast and reach the Gulf of Orosei, completing your “coast to coast” ride of the entire island. Your overnight stay will be in Cala Gonone.

Day 9: Cala Gonone to Cagliari (228 kilometers / 141 miles)

Today is a short riding day, arriving in Cagliari before 18:00. This will give you plenty of time for taking pictures to immortalize your unforgettable ride on this fabulous Italian island. For sure, you cannot miss the beautiful coastal road from Cala Gonone to Villasimius and to end the day, you must open the throttle of your motorbikes along the curves of the road that lead you to Cagliari where the ferry to Civitavecchia is waiting for you. You will stay overnight on the ferry to Civitavecchia.

Day 10: Civitavecchia to Rome (218 kilometers / 135 miles)

From Civitavecchia, you'll ride the fantastic climb towards Tolfa. After short stops in Tolfa, just to give you more chances to sip a good Italian Espresso, you'll reach the volcanic lake of Bracciano. You'll stop for lunch at Trevignano Romano before riding the beautiful coastline road around the lake back to Rome. You'll return the bikes before heading to the hotel to relax momentarily; freshen up for your last dinner together to “celebrate” your wonderful Italian adventure. Your overnight will be in Rome.

Day 11: Departure day

It's time to say ‘Arrivederci’ to your new friends. Pack the bags and collect the souvenirs and cameras in preparation for your trip home. After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport per their flight schedule.

Notes: Those who have decided to rent the bike will use a motorcycle with side cases, top case, locks, and alarm. For rented bikes, a deposit between 1500 EUR and 3000 EUR for damage, theft, and fire is requested depending on the chosen model.

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  Enrico Grassi

  Enrico Grassi, the founder of Hear The Road Motorcycle Tours Italy, is a native of Rome. Spending years traveling every corner of the country, he is so proud to claim to be his home. Enrico has spent many hours developing the routes to ride, the cities to visit, the sites to see as well as the hotels and food options key to making this kind of adventure something to remember and cherish.

This tour will start and end in Rome. Your journey will cover several places in Italy including Siena, Livorno, Calvi, Santa Teresa di Gallura, Tresnuraghes, Cala Gonone, Cagliari, and Civitavecchia.

• 1 night's accommodation on a ferry
• 9 nights' accommodation at hotels
• Courtesy mobile phone with 10 EUR of credit
• Courtesy van to pick up and leave the bikes
• Daily breakfast
• Detailed road-book
• Ferry tickets
• Hear the Road T-shirt
• Insurance covering most any medical issue including doctors, ambulance, hospital, and any appropriate family travel
• Italian tour leader
• Map of Italy
• Public liability insurance and insurance for any road assistance in case of breakdown (only for those who rent a bike)
• Transfer from and to the airport
• Welcome and farewell dinners
• Wordless Travel Book

• Beverages
• Entrance fees to museums or other sites
• Flights to and from Rome
• Fuel for your motorcycle
• Gratuities and tips
• Other meals
• Tolls on motorways