Down
to Sicily
If
the Grand Tour of Italy concentrates mainly on the beauties of the
Italian Center-North, this tour devotes the riding to the amazing
south and the incredible island of Sicily.
To
do it right without rushing you'll need 2 weeks. Starting in
Rome and
ending in Palermo this tour covers all of the coastal regions all the
way to Sicily then explores the complete island of Sicily. It
offers 14 riding days with 4 double nights in Amalfi, Taormina,
Siracusa, and Cefalu. We visit 12 UNESCO World heritage sites, not
including Rome and Palermo where we start and finish this one way tour.
Dates:
9 - 24
October 2021
Map:
Day by day:
Day
1: An easy day to kick off the tour. We exit Rome on a Sunday morning and ride
to the volcanic lakes
and hills south of Rome. We then enjoy the traffic free roads of
the Lepini and Ausoni mountains before reaching the quaint seaside
town of Sperlonga.
Day
2: We head directly to Pompei for a 2 hour guided visit to this
amazing archaeological site and UNESCO heritage. After the visit
we head over the Lattari mountains to Amalfi, our home for the
next two nights.
Day
3: We spend a full day in the Amalfi Coast. You can chose between
riding or taking the ferry between towns. The ride will take us to
the far tip of the Sorrento peninsula and then to Positano and
Ravello.
Day
4: We ride the final section of the Amalfi Coast and head to
Salerno and then on to another UNESCO archaeological site. This
time a Greek one. Paestum is the home of some of the best
preserved Greek temples in Italy. After a short visit we explore
the coastal road of Cilento and finish our day in Sapri.
Day
5: we explore the Pollino and Sila National parks inland
from the coast and end our day in Calabria in Tropea. Another
beautiful town on the Tyrrhenian coast.
Day
6: 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 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 our
second two nights stop.
Day
7: This could be a rest day to explore the exclusive town of
Taormina, or a short ride to Savoca to see the set of one of the
Godfather scenes at Bar Vitelli and a ride to the megalites of
Agrimusco near Montalbano Elicona.
Day
8: 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 spend another two nights on the island of Ortigia, the heart
of the historical center of this city.
Day
9: We ride a short 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
10: 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.
Day
11: 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 and we have
another double night here.
Day
12: Take a day off in Cefalù visiting this town and relaxing by
its beautiful beach, or take a great ride across the Madonie mountains
to Sperlinga and Gangi experiencing the twisty roads of the Targa
Florio. From Cefalu you can also take a day trip to Palermo.
This would be a good opportunity. Best done by train.
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. 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 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 reach the harbour in Palermo by 6pm and set sail in the
cruise-ferry back to Napoli.
Day 15: We
land at 7am and will make our way back to Rome on the autostrada
by lunch time. Hand over the bikes and say "arrivederci!"
to
recap:
Day
0: Arrive Rome, briefing and pick up of bikes
Day 1: Rome - Sperlonga
Day 2: Sperlonga - Pompei - Amalfi
Day 3: Amalfi Coast ride
Day 4: Amalfi - Paestum - Maratea - Sapri
Day 5: Sapri - Tropea
Day 6: Tropea - Taormina
Day 7: Taormina - loop ride - (free/rest day)
Day 8: Taormina - Siracusa
Day 9: Siracusa baroque loop (free/rest day)
Day 10: Siracusa - Caltagirone - Agrigento
Day 11: Agrigento - Cefalu
Day 12: Cefalu loop ride
Day 13: Cefalu - Marsala
Day 14: Marsala - Palermo (overnight ferry to Napoli)
Day 15: ride back to Rome
|
motorcycle |
solo
rider sharing double room |
| BMW
F750GS |
5635 euro |
|
BMW F850GS, Scrambler 800 |
5755 euro |
|
BMW R1250GS, BMW S1000XR,
MTS 950
|
5905 euro |
|
BMW R1250RT,
Ducati MTS1260
|
5615 euro |
|
|
|
|
passenger supplement
|
+2960 euro |
|
single room supplement
|
+620 euro |
minimum number of participants:
10 people
maximum number of participants: 14 people
closing date:
60 days prior to tour commencement
If
minimum number of participants isn't reached the tour can be
cancelled or run with different format.
Booking fee 10% of total to be paid on reserving a place on
the tour.
for currency converter click here
what is included:
1)
motorcycle rental of a touring prepared bike with side cases, top case, tank bag, locks and alarm,
tubeless puncture repair kit.
2) 15
nights accommodation in 3 or 4 star family run hotels with
breakfast and safe parking for the bike
3)
Francesco (owner of CIMT) will be your motorcycle guide always on a
motorcycle. The guide is there as a point of reference and to
facilitate things during your trip. You can ride following him
or decide to seek your own way. You will always be able to reach
him on his mobile phone in case of need, or to get advice during
riding breaks. Think of him as your local source of
information and a fellow traveler.
4)
support van with second guide to carry your luggage from hotel
to hotel, provide necessary assistance during the tour with
tools and spares, and carry any purchases you have made along
your way. It also has two extra seats for passengers who wish to
take a rest from the pillion seat. The second guide will join
the ride on the spare bike located in the van on loop
days.
5) Dinner
in Rome at the start and dinner in Palermo at the end of
the trip
6)
maps and road book of the tour
what is NOT included:
1)
fuel for your motorcycle
2)
motorway tolls
3)
entrance to museums or other sites
4)
gratuities and tips
5)
all lunches and dinners (except as per included ones)
6)
beverages with your dinners
7) airport transfers (we
will give you all options - including a chauffer driven car if
you wish)
8) city taxes
