Our outdoor dining room, Podere la Strega
In 365 days I’ll be on my second Italian motorcycle tour.
From Rome, where we pick up our bikes, my group will head to the fabulous Podere la Strega in Siena. I catch myself thinking about Podere la Strega in unguarded moments and can’t wait to return. You know why if you’ve been there yourself!
The French Island of Corsica
From there I’ll head out into the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany (with my Italian rental bike on a ferry—because they don’t make sea-crossing motorcycles yet!). Destination Corsica.
If you’ve ever heard of Corsica, it’s probably because that’s the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. With the Italian mainland to the east and the Italian island of Sardinia to the south, Corsica has been occupied by many empires over time. Today it is still French territory.
Between the mountains and the sea in Corsica
I hold no illusions that my high school French classes will do me much good, although I’m told that some Corsicans speak English. Then again, Google Translate helped me last time so I’ll be fine!
Boar’s heads often adorn shops where the meat is sold
Corsica is gaining traction in the film industry, with three films shot there so far this year. Producer-director Robert Johnson says, “Corsicana has this beautiful downtown area that can pass for upstate New York, it can pass as Colorado mountains. Depends on how you art direct it…I mean, we have everything. We have lakes, we have fields, we have cattle.”
The food is a mix between Italian and French, of course. Corsicans specialize in wild boar (be still my beating heart) and a seafood soup called bouillabaisse.
Check out the videos at the top and right of this post, or download the full itinerary and pricing here, including rental bike choices.
Italian Motorcycle Tour: Sardinia
A panoramic view of Villasimius, Sardinia
After a ferry ride from the tip of Corsica to St. Teresa in Sardinia. To the island’s west is the Sea of Sardinia, and to the east is the Tyrrhenian, where I have been before.
We have a day off the bike in the resort town of Tresnuraghes. While there, I’m just as likely to tour the museums and archeological ruins as to nap on the pristine beach. That’s how I roll!
I’ll have four days to explore the island before a luxury ferry crossing back to the mainland. My Italian tour guide Enrico Grassi tells me (in the video below) how he likes watching for the “last drop of sun” from the deck of the ferry.
If you are a motorcyclist, I’d love for you to join me in Italy September 18-28, 2018. Download the full itinerary and pricing here, including rental bikes.
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