Italian Vacation

[Guest Bruce]

Winter has set in with a vengence, so to pass the time I am planning a vacation to Italy and would appreciate any advice from those who either live there or have been. My general intent is to ride 3-4 days, take in the sights- art, natural beauty, women- buy some clothes, soak up the ambience, and drink high quality espresso untill I blow an artery.

 

Based on the prices of Italian motorcycles, clothes, and a can of Illy I am expecting prices to be high relative to the USD therefore I'll probably have to limit the trip to about 10 days. Although I want to experience it all, it might be better to focus on one or two areas for this trip. Any suggestions for areas and time of year?

 

Thanks

 

Bruce

[Orson]

Rule #1 of vacationing in Italy is...don't go in August. This is the month that most Italians traditionally take their vacations. Everything is closed for the holidays. Even the motorcycle shops.

 

I loved Tuscany. Great motorcycling roads. Great scenery...mountains, beautiful medeival villages. Northern Italy is great to with the Alps. The highest passes don't open until late June but there are plenty of other great roads to ride.

 

A lot of gas stations close down from about 11:30 A.M. until 2:30 P.M. Even if the sign says they're open, they'll be closed so, be sure you top off your tank before 11:30. That said, Italy is going modern and now has convenience stores that stay open 24 hours...really. You just have to find them.

 

Italians eat a small breakfast around 9 or 10....then have a late lunch at about 2. If you miss lunch, you're outta luck cuz restaurants won't even think about opening for dinner until about 7:30 P.M. They eat late.

 

When in Rome...drive like the locals which on a bike means, any gap you can fit your handlebars thru is fair game. Straddle the center line to pass a string of cars with oncoming traffic? Not a problem. This is Italy...anything goes

[orangeokie]

Rule #1 of vacationing in Italy is...don't go in August. This is the month that most Italians traditionally take their vacations. Everything is closed for the holidays. Even the motorcycle shops.

 

I loved Tuscany. Great motorcycling roads. Great scenery...mountains, beautiful medeival villages. Northern Italy is great to with the Alps. The highest passes don't open until late June but there are plenty of other great roads to ride.

 

A lot of gas stations close down from about 11:30 A.M. until 2:30 P.M. Even if the sign says they're open, they'll be closed so, be sure you top off your tank before 11:30. That said, Italy is going modern and now has convenience stores that stay open 24 hours...really. You just have to find them.

 

Italians eat a small breakfast around 9 or 10....then have a late lunch at about 2. If you miss lunch, you're outta luck cuz restaurants won't even think about opening for dinner until about 7:30 P.M. They eat late.

 

When in Rome...drive like the locals which on a bike means, any gap you can fit your handlebars thru is fair game. Straddle the center line to pass a string of cars with oncoming traffic? Not a problem. This is Italy...anything goes

70380[/snapback]

 

Just my opinion, but the northern half of Italy is better than the southern half. Florence is a must. Pisa is a day trip, just to see the tower, and Livorno (pretty dead coastal town) is a good jumping off point for a trip up into the shadow of the Matterhorn.

[edge]

Just my opinion, but the northern half of Italy is better than the southern half.  Florence is a must.  Pisa is a day trip, just to see the tower, and Livorno (pretty dead coastal town) is a good jumping off point for a trip up into the shadow of the Matterhorn.

70381[/snapback]

 

Concur, stay north: Wife and I did a couple days in Como and stayed at a pension right on the lake. Another highlight of the trip included a wonderful wine full night on the town being driven around on the back of a couple mopeds by Itailian youth that adopted us. Go and and enjoy

[jrt]

As with the above- I haven't travelled much in the south, but my wife and I rented a BMW (I know, I know...Guzzi's weren't available) and we drove for 7 days around N. Italy and S. Switzerland. Absolutely lovely. Drive like the locals and if you are on a bike- go to the front of the line. I love that.

The lakes region is some of the most beautiful country I've seen anywhere.

If you want to see the Uffizi in Florence (and you do) then buy tickets online rather than at the Museum. That way, you avoid a two or three hour wait.

In Mandello, the Guzzi museum is only open for a limited time in the afternoon. Don't miss it!

When we were travelling, we stayed at 'agrotourismo's which are kind of a cross between a B&B and a farm. They are required as part of their tax structure to provide homegrown food/wine as part of the stay, and it was generally the best food we had over there. You want some milk? There's the cow it came from.

And it was cool to stay in real people's farmsteads, a converted monastary, and a horse farm.

Also, for a fee, there are companies that will create an itinerary for you. We used a young couple who were starting their own business and we liked them quite a lot- they made reservations for us, gave us maps of cool roads to take, and then left us alone to do what we wanted. The fact that there was "a plan" was very important to my lovely wife. She's not into my style of travelling which is drive until you're tired then sleep on the bike. Go figure. Shoot me an email and I'll send you their address if you are interested.

[Frenchbob]

I'm with those who say the north: food, wine, scenery and great roads. Go to Lake Garda. Start from France and ride the St Bernard Pass.

 

Have a great time.

 

If you do this and you do start in France, get in touch.

 

Otherwise I endorse the advice already given.

[Guzzirider]

Verona is a lovely town to visit- and if you get the chance ride north from Mandello to take in the famous Stelvio pass with its millions of hairpins.

 

The Dolomites are great too and there are plenty of mountain passes around Merano to keep you entertained.

 

Not sure what time of year you are going but Northern Italy gets cold in winter and most of the passes may be shut.

 

Agostinis in Mandello will rent you a Guzzi if you wish- ask for Hutch he is the best English speaker.

 

If the petrol stations are shut you will find that many of them take bank notes to allow you to fill up.

 

Guy

[Guest accinson]

Just my opinion, but the northern half of Italy is better than the southern half... 

70381[/snapback]

 

I do not agree with that, north Italy is beautiful and the guys before me described it accurately, but what about Napoli and the Amalfi coast? Definetly one of the best places of the country. If you go during spring or summer time I highly recommend it. And also, if you're interested on the see side, I'd suggest Calabria (south of Napoli) or Puglia (south east), expecially Gargano (the north part of the region) or the very south. I like Puglia a lot, it's quite relaxed and not so known to foregners, and it is at least half as expensive as Toscana. And since I am from Ancona, Monte Conero is a small gem in the middle of Adriatic see.

Bottom line, you'll enjoy it anywhere you'll go

 

 

acc

[Anthony]

Winter has set in with a vengence, so to pass the time I am planning a vacation to Italy and would appreciate any advice from those who either live there or have been. My general intent is to ride 3-4 days, take in the sights- art, natural beauty, women- buy some clothes, soak up the ambience, and drink high quality espresso untill I blow an artery. 

 

Based on the prices of Italian motorcycles, clothes, and a can of Illy I am expecting prices to be high relative to the USD therefore I'll probably have to limit the trip to about 10 days. Although I want to experience it all, it might be better to focus on one or two areas for this trip. Any suggestions for areas and time of year?

 

Thanks

 

Bruce

70377[/snapback]

 

 

My ... This trip must be the first of many... You already heard about the North and warnings of traveling in August, so I am putting in my vote for the central and South.

 

Abruzzo is the sleeper province - lots of Spanish and Roman ruins, restored castles, mountains and forests - very scenic, but not many tourists. Its capital is L’Aquila, great university city. If you go East 1 hour you are in Pescara, a port city with beautiful beaches. Northwest of Abruzzo are the provinces of Umbria and Tuscany. Rome is 2 hours away to the west and a little further west is Sardina – wonderful wines and cheese that aren’t on the mainland. Central Sadinia is mountainous a beautifully forested. Go North and you are in Corsica, France. Sicily has every ruin possible – Greek, Moor, Spanish, Roman, etc – beaches and a volcano

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

I enjoyed Liguria very much and the roads in the Parque Cinqueterre are absolutely incredible. I didn't have a bike but an Audi TT Roaster wich was a blast on the winding roads.

 

If you go to there I strongly reccomend trying the seafood and limoncello.

 

I loved driving any back road in Liguria and Tuscany.

 

Have fun. I'll be going back!

[francesco]

Orson, great list, I agree 100% especially on the Roma traffic. One thing don't expect people to stop at stop sign and sometimes at red ligh either.

>, I don't know man, but I agree that you will enjoy it for sure, any way you can drive from South to North or viceversa in two days easy. Have fun and eat as much as you can, Mac Donald is forbidden no excuses, and in the morning: > is a must.

[mdude]

Was in Tuscany two months ago, for the second time with the wine club geezers. We flew to Pisa, and lived in Montepulciano.

 

Its glorious. But keep out of big touristy towns (didnt like Florence and Siena much) and aim for small villages and wine cellars/farms in the Chianti and Brunello district (buy a map), that frequently offer accomodation. Out in the country, people are friendly and nothing is a problem even though it may take some time. The roads are fun, and traffic isnt too heavy. Take a lot of short cuts and diversions, you may find something fun.

 

Tip: in Pienza, south of Florence, which is perhaps the most beautiful little town I have seen, theres a wine merchant who has to be one of the best in Europe. Ginos Enoteque. He ships worldwide, and knows every great wine in Europe. And hes not that expensive, and offers sips of everything you may wish to taste. We spent.........a lot.......

[Guest goffredo]

Winter has set in with a vengence, so to pass the time I am planning a vacation to Italy and would appreciate any advice from those who either live there or have been. My general intent is to ride 3-4 days, take in the sights- art, natural beauty, women- buy some clothes, soak up the ambience, and drink high quality espresso untill I blow an artery. 

 

Based on the prices of Italian motorcycles, clothes, and a can of Illy I am expecting prices to be high relative to the USD therefore I'll probably have to limit the trip to about 10 days. Although I want to experience it all, it might be better to focus on one or two areas for this trip. Any suggestions for areas and time of year?

 

Thanks

 

Bruce

70377[/snapback]

 

 

 

There is one thing about Italy that apparently is still not entirely appreciated abroad.

The variety of landscapes, cultures, cookings, ways of living among the different regions of Italy is simply amazing. There are, behind the official Italian, at least 30 structured dialects and non less than 5 real languages (three of them in Sardinia only!).

 

This variety is especially impressive if you think about history and cultures. Just think about Rome: there are more egyptian obelysks there than in El Cairo ( and the most beautiful ones, since the Emperors had a pretty good taste).

Southern Italy has been the richest colony of Ancient Greek, and sites such as Agrigento, Segesta and Paestum are AT LEAST as impressive as the Athens acropolis.

Then we had the Normans (yep, the Vikings loved Sicily!), Arabs, Spaniards, French and so on an on for centuries. From the desertic beaches of Sicily to the Alps peaks there lies the 85% of the Art World Heritage, just consider that...

 

Some times the time dimension can be too much, I remember I friend of mine visiting us ( at the time we were living in Bologna) and he just could not believe we were happily renting a flat in a palace built in the 15th century!

 

Well, I could go on for hours talking about Italy without getting to a point... So, briefly, my two cents:

Time: spring. may, or eraly june. Avoid from the last week of july to last week of august included.

 

Location: try something like: Rome+Tuscany plus a visit to Sardinia: Most beautiful biking roads ever and the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean sea.

 

Then you must see Rome. In Rome, just choose a theme (Imperial Rome, Medieval Rome, Ancient Greece, The birth of catholicism, The renaissance; Raffaello or Michelangelo, English Poetry of the 19th century, history of cinema, theatres...whatever you choose, you'll get it) and enjoy a thematic visit. Oh, and go see the Pantheon, one of the most impressive architecture ever built.

And since you are in Rome maybe you decide to ride to Tuscany, following the 2000 years old path of the via Cassia and then... Well...

Ok, ok, I quit, I promise!

 

When you have decided, just ask.

 

G.

 

PS: I was about to forget a visit to the Moto Guzzi Factory in Mandello del Lario. A must!"

 

PS: and food... Oh, the food... We'll get back to that...

[Guest Bruce]

Wow, thanks for all the information. I going to get a guide book on the way home and rent 8 1/2 ( again ). All ready it's apparent that a one time visit won't due. I am thinking of spending 4-5 days in rural area w/ a bike and 4-5 days in a city w/o a bike.

 

I've always avoided tourist stuff and prefer to settle in and get to know an area. B&Bs seem like a good way to get involved locally. The Guzzi site has a few recommendations which look interesting and prices are much better than expected.

The suggest about thematic visit makes sense. Obviously there is much home work to be done.

 

As far as time of year I try to zig when everyone else is zagging- must be something to do with the bike I ride. No doubt spring is beautiful but does it tend to be rainy? I'm thinking early Fall.

 

Bruce

[Guest goffredo]

Wow, thanks for all the information. I going to get a guide book on the way home and rent 8 1/2 ( again ).  All ready it's apparent that a one time visit won't due. I am thinking of spending 4-5 days in rural area w/ a bike and 4-5 days in a city w/o a bike.

 

I've always avoided tourist stuff and prefer to settle in and get to know an area.  B&Bs seem like a good way to get involved locally. The Guzzi site has a few recommendations which look interesting and prices are much better than expected.

The suggest about thematic visit makes sense. Obviously there is much home work to be done.

 

As far as time of year I try to zig when everyone else is zagging- must be something to do with the bike I ride. No doubt spring is beautiful but does it tend to be rainy? I'm thinking early Fall.

 

Bruce

70800[/snapback]

 

 

Rain is definetely not an issue in central and southern Italy and late spring is absolutely safe. Also in places such as Sardinia you are going to be alone: No tourists but in summer. Italy get packed in late july and all august only.

 

Oh, and places become tourist stuff for reason most of the times... Yep, you can avoid the mass of tourists strolling around the streets of Rome by simly deciding to visit nearby Latina, to name one.

Minor detail: Rome is beautiful, Latina is horrible...

 

Sorry for the blinding flash of the obvious.

 

G.