I want to drive to the toe of Italy from Rotterdam starting Aug 25th. A week there and a week back. Is it too early and too hot? Are there any great routes or sections that you can recommend avoiding motorways, cities and tourist overcrowding?
I drove back from Tuscany last week. Came through the Mont Blanc tunnel and had a few days in Chamonix. Both places a delight. Not too hot at all but may be hot as hell down Sicily way. Roads dead easy. I believe the A1 (Italy) takes you all the way down. Check though, Waze has made me very lazy geographically…
Your planned route... in my opinion it's a lot of miles you've got to cover in 2 week period, so you might feel like you've got to put loads of miles in every day, rather than perhaps cruising at a slower pace and taking in all the amazing sights & scenery! Also, try and have some flexibility in your travel plans to account for the weather... i.e. avoiding thunderstorms or if it's too flippen hot you might want to stay in the alps, woodland or beside water where its cooler. Research some recognised motorcycle routes through Switzerland (there are loads) and take mountain passes up and over the Alps into Italy (i.e. avoid the boring tunnels if you can). Italy has some of the best motorcycling roads in the world, so keeping off the motorways you'll be finding them everywhere. Check out the Futa Pass (Bologna to Mugello & Florence) which Ducati has used for testing development bikes. Good luck with your trip and please post some photos on here!
I'm near Pisa at the moment, by the coast it's about 32 in the shade. Florence had 40 degrees yesterday. I'd say it's hot.
Ooft, glad I missed that inferno. The girl at the hotel did say we’d been lucky with the weather at track. By lucky she meant not too hot. I guess she was right!
I’ve got family in Malta and it’s mid to high 30s there now so Sicily/Toe of Boot will be close to that. I did 3 hours in 32C in Essex yesterday and it was hot, but not hugely uncomfortable if I kept moving. I was in Taormina (Sicily) in ’23 and it hit 46C - fuck me that was HOT.
I tend to favour Timmelsjoch pass for entering Italy from Austria, and also the SS67 heading south from Forli is a gem of a road.
Thats 3000 miles (or 4800) clicks which is not something I'd expect to allow much time for relaxing and exploration. It will be hot and busy. Personally I prefer the North of Italy and the lakes especially. Don't miss Bellagio. EDITED: I completely misread the OP post!
Milage: I could be wrong but I think 1,500 miles is a direct route, and ONE way... so I think we're looking at over 3,000 miles... and with the aim of keeping off the motorways? I've always found the smaller Italian roads to be pretty slow going. Amazing roads, but time consuming, especially if you are looking to see some sights. Yes! The Italian Lakes are stunning!
IMO that’s nuts. 2540km, 42hrs non-stop riding according to Google, Rotterdam to Melito di Porto Salvo. Each way. Avoiding motorways. Thats 363km & 6hrs riding per day, every day for 7 days, then you get there and turn around and do it all again back north. Not the most enjoyable of tours but each to their own.
I love this road! This feels like a trip to say ‘I did this’ rather than something to enjoy? It will be bloody hard going, very hot, to do that mileage you will be on Autoroutes or have very long days. Would you consider the Dolomites and maybe head to the Ducati factory (shut in August?). Spend time in the higher mountains and enjoy the ride rather than slogging up the length of the country.
From Switzerland into Italy - Julier Pass (going up) then the Maloja Pass (going down). Brings you out at Lake Como. After that head South on the flat straight roads of Northern Italy - is an option. Did this route on my Firebalde on the way to Misano.
Whatever you do don’t use the Mt Blanc tunnel, we had to use it on a trip to Sardinia (Germany to Liviano in one day). It was one of the worst things I’ve done, boiling hot, choking on diesel fumes, vile!
Deffo about the Mt Blanc Tunnel Used it once a very long time ago & it nearly killed us, the heat and unbelievable diesel fumes, We've avoided it like the plague.
We rode to Sicily from Northumberland, England last year, went on the boat from Newcastle to Ijmuiden. Not riding motorways is a non starter in the time you've allotted for the trip. From Pisa south the roads and traffic become nuts and the heat will obviously be a factor. We travelled down through Italy around the third week of September and from Naples south it was as hot as a pepper sprout. Can the trip be done, heck yes, anything can be done, would you be as mad as mad Jock Mc.Mad for trying...heck yes. Ride to The Dolomites, ride the triangle, ride the passes to and from, but don't bother with the Stelvio. Enjoy. Upt.
