Grand Tour of the
South
21 April - 7 May
2023 19 April - 5 May
2024
13 - 29 October
2023 18 Oct. - 3 Nov.
2024
This is the Grand Tour of the South.
A tour which will leave
with you an everlasting impression of life in the south of
Italy. The warmth of the people, the different regional
specialties, the buildings, and sites going back to Greek and
Roman times, as well as Norman, Medieval and Baroque
architectures. You'll witness the beauty and contradictions of
our South, taste the culinary excellencies of southern cooking,
enjoy art, and lifestyle typical of the Mediterranean.
Given just over two weeks,
we take our time and don't leave anything uncovered. We start
and end in Rome covering the best coastal roads, national parks,
mountain roads, and interesting sites all the
way to Sicily. We then explore Sicily, including the highest
active volcano in Europe, Etna. This tour
offers 16 riding days with 3 double nights in Amalfi, Taormina and Siracusa in the tour. We visit 12 UNESCO World heritage sites, not
including Rome and Palermo.
Join us for the
definitive Down to Sicily ride.
Map:
Day by day:
Day
1: We exit Rome on a Saturday morning and ride to the
volcanic lakes and hills south of Rome. We then ride and visit
some interesting sites in southern Lazio before reaching
Sperlonga for our first night just by the beach. An easy day
getting used to Italian roads and ending early to enjoy what
Sperlonga has to offer.
Day
2: We follow the Via Appia and reach Pompei mid morning.
We enjoy this amazing archaeological site and have lunch in
Pompei, leaving all of the afternoon to reach Amalfi for our first
double night stop over.
Day
3: We have a full day to enjoy the Amalfi Coast. We ride
to Sorrento and to Termini to view Capri island. We ride back
stopping in Positano for coffee. A relaxed day to enjoy this
amazing coastline and its villages.
Day 4: Before
we leave the Amalfi Coast we visit Ravello and then ride to
Paestum for a visit to the first Greek temples of the tour. We
shall come across more in Sicily. After the visit to Paestum we
ride along the Cilento coast to reach the small town of Sapri
for the night.
Day
5: We leave Sapri and enjoy riding one of the very best
sections of the very long SS18, The coastal road is awesome and
offers a delightful stop in the town of Maratea. Here we ride
all the way to the top to view the Statue of the Redeemer and
the magnificent view the location offers. Once we finish
visiting Maratea we complete the SS18 in Castrocucco, where we
turn inland into the mountains and ride the roads across the
Pollino National Park reaching the Ionian coast near Rossano
Calabro, well-known for the production of liquorice of
excellence.
Day
6: From Rossano we twist and turn our way across the Sila
National Park plateau, an amazingly wild park covered in
conifers, chestnuts, ancient oak trees and lakes. The good
conditions of the roads and the little traffic make it a very
enjoyable ride across a territory very often neglected, but of
outstanding natural beauty. We return to the Tyrrhenian sea and
finish our day in Tropea, another small town of outstanding
historical beauty.
Day
7: From Tropea we follow the coast all the way to Scilla and cross
over into Sicily at Villa San Giovanni. After a short blast on the
Sicilian highway, we take on the pass of Sella Mandrazzi, which offers incredible
views over the Eolian islands to the north and over Etna volcano
on the south. In the late afternoon we reach Taormina for well
deserved two night stop.
Day
8: After 7 full riding days a break would not be shameful. Taormina has plenty to offer if you'd like to take a break from
the saddle. For those instead who want a short ride (70km
2.5hrs), we will gladly take you to the small village of Savoca,
home of the famous Bar Vitelli, featured in the Godfather movie.
Day
9: On the way to Siracusa from Taormina we ride the Etna volcano
around the east side with spectacular views of the coast and of
the volcano. The roads are all new as occasionally the volcano
decides to destroy them ; ). If time permits, we shall also ride by
the Necropolis of Pantalica on the way into Siracusa, where we
shall stay two nights on the island of Ortigia, the baroque heart
of the historical centre of this city.
Day
10: As we stay two nights in Ortigia, you could take
another break from the saddle and enjoy the sites in Siracusa.
The archaeological site and the baroque town will easily fill
your day. We offer another short ride. A loop across the Iblei hills, viewing the finest
examples of Sicilian baroque architecture in the towns of Noto,
Modica and Ragusa. The ride is very pleasant along valleys
and hills amongst olive grows and vineyards.
Day
11: Our ride takes us west to Caltagirone, the ceramic and pottery
capital of Sicily, and to Piazza Armerina, where a visit to the
Roman Villa del Casale is an absolute must. This Villa offers the
best preserved Roman mosaics in the world. Our final destination
is however by the sea near Agrigento, where the Valley of Temples
awaits.
Day
12: After a visit to the Valley of Temples we transfer across the
centre of Sicily and reach
Cefalù on the north coast of Sicily. We ride over the Madonie
mountains on parts of what were once the famous road tracks of the Targa
Florio and visit the museum in Collesano. Cefalù is another
UNESCO site with its beautiful Norman cathedral. Our dinner will
be in sight of the cathedral. Our hotel by the beach within
minutes on foot from the centre.
Day
13: From Cefalu we drive west to the furthest tip of Sicily. We
view the castle of Caccamo, stop for coffee in Corleone and ride
across endless vineyards all the way to Marsala. We also stop
by the greatest modern art installation in the world in Gibellina,
the Cretto di Burri, testimony to the earthquake of 1969. In the evening we have the opportunity to
visit the Donnafugata winery close by the our hotel and enjoy
their wines for dinner.
Day
14: From Marsala we ride along the salt plants of the Stagnone lagoon
and reach medieval Erice at the top of an isolated 840 meter high
mountain. The road up there is a great ride and the views of the
surroundings and over the Egadi islands, are amazing. From Erice we
reach the exclusive white sandy beach resort of San Vito lo Capo
before heading to Palermo. Just before reaching Palermo we visit
the cathedral of Monreale, another must stop in your visit to
Sicily. We then reach our hotel in the centre of Palermo.
Day 15: You
have a full day in Palermo to visit this incredible city before
catching the ferry back to Napoli in the evening.
Day 16: We
land in Napoli in the morning and will make our way back to Rome
partially on the highway with visits to the Abbey of Montecassino and that of Casamari, two outstanding Benedictine
abbeys of significant importance. We reach Rome by mid
afternoon, hand over the bikes, and get ready for our farewell
dinner.
to
recap:
Day
0: Arrive Rome, briefing and pick up of bikes
Day 1: Rome - Sperlonga
Day 2: Sperlonga - Amalfi
Day 3: Amalfi Coast loop ride
Day 4: Amalfi - Paestum - Sapri
Day 5: Sapri - Maratea - Pollino - Rossano (Ionian coast)
Day 6: Rossano - Sila Natural Park - Tropea
Day 7: Tropea - Taormina
Day 8: Taormina - loop ride - (free/rest day)
Day 9: Taormina - Etna volcano - Siracusa
Day 10: Siracusa baroque loop (free/rest day)
Day 11: Siracusa - Caltagirone - Agrigento
Day 12: Agrigento - Cefalu
Day 13:
Cefalu - Corleone - Marsala
Day 14: Marsala - Palermo
Day 15: free day in Palermo and ferry overnight to Napoli
Day 16: ride back to Rome
|
motorcycle |
solo
rider sharing double room |
| own bike |
4305 euro |
|
Honda NC750X,
Moto Morini XCape 650 |
5815 euro |
| BMW
F750GS, Moto Guzzi V85TT & V7 |
5965 euro |
|
Honda Africa Twin 1100, Honda NT1100 |
6150 euro |
|
BMW R1250GS, R1250RT, MTS V4 |
6450 euro |
|
|
|
|
passenger supplement
|
+3975 euro |
|
single room supplement
|
+845 euro |
Pricing examples:
2
people on an R1250RT sharing a double: 6450 euro + 3975 euro =
10.425 euro
1 person on am F650GS in a single room: 5815 euro + 845 euro =
6660 euro
1 person on an Africa Twin 1100 sharing a room with another
rider: 6150 euro
