Italy Tour

[rubyhorse2]

had a good read of the FAQ section and its really helpful, but i was after a little more specific help on a trip around Italy.

Has anyone ridden the coast of Italy?

We are planning to ride the coast from Nice, see how far down we can get then cutting across at some point and heading up to Venice then back along past lake garda and back to Nice.

I'm guessing its going to be hot, we have full textile suits, i've got my leathers too, which would you take?

We've got some nice hotels for Nice and Venice sorted but i'm hoping to go a little more budget for the rest of it, do most of the campsites offer the small gites, whats the pricing like?

Any good B&B's along the route you can recommend?

Any specific places or roads we should be visiting on our trip?

Cheers all

[MCN]

I have driven a car in bits of Italy. The worst thing on the roads are the scooturists. They be crazy bro.

If you are concerned about heat then look for a vented mesh style of jacket. But you lose rain protection so would need to have something light and waterproof.

Hein Gerike (The bastirts did a Moto-cross jacket that was perfect. I have one for the two days of summer we get in Glasgow.

I googled this for you.

https://www.getgeared.co.uk/dainese-air-frame-jacket-vented-black?gclid=CKyWz9yki8wCFdgaGwod7RkDvA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping_feed_gg15

Tip: They drive on the wrong side of the road in Italy.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[doggone]

It would be good to keep your options open, if there during a serious hot spell it might be better to spend more time in the Alpine north and Dolomites.
The driving is a less mental there too.

[rubyhorse2]

just been reading about the scooter riders, will take note!

We really wanted to do italy this time, even though from what i have heard the roads are mad busy,especially the coastal ones...ahh well.

[Ebbs73]

We did a fair bit of Italy , God was it hot , we also had textiles but mostly wore light trousers , tee shirt and my boots .
I got sunburnt whilst I rode !
Everything about it felt wrong but the heat was unbearable , we did fit in with the other riders tho .
Our bikes over heated and sat navs played up a bit so spent a hour or so a day in a mcd's with air con and bikes in the shade .
We camped and the average price was €40 ( PP + bike + tent ) but dearer at lake Garda , hurt a bit as France was averaging €10 .
Some great roads but we didn't plan and I can not remember them now

I'm going back some day , loved it .

Whatever happens it'll be great .

Chris

[rubyhorse2]

cheers chris, that kind of confirms my thoughts that its going to be mad hot and wearing the textiles might go out the window.

We arent taking a tent so only options are B&B's and i was hoping the campsites have cabins to rent, i'd be happy with 40 euros to be honest.

Cant wait to get going, 2 months to go

[Northern Monkey]

I went to Garda last August. One day it was 37C. Depending on when you're going, it might be a good idea to plan not riding between 1 and 3.

Also look at getting some A* SMX-2 gloves.

They're good for the 5 (slightly more than scotland) days of summer in the grim north
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[Matt B]

It hit 42 degrees when we were there last year in July around lake Como. Unbearable heat to be riding in, especially when you hit a town and get stuck in mental Italian traffic, then the fan kicks in and blows superheated air over your legs. Most of us had Kevlar jeans and vented leather jackets, I ended up buying and riding in a pair of MX gloves because I couldn't get my leather ones on and off any more. My sat-nav cooked itself and died.

For accomodation, don't discount hostels. As an example we stayed in this one at Como https://www.inrivaallago.com/inrivaallago/inglese/inglese.htm Nice rooms with aircon, excellent breakfast and a secure underground car park we put the bikes in without charge.
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[Kris]

Went to visit the Ducati factory in Bologna circa 2007. Even visiting in September we found it was unbearably hot in traffic. We did most of the exploring miles in the hills around Bologna in jeans and t-shirts with our leather jackets bungeed to the back. The roads varied a lot and were very bumpy in places. The drivers are feckeeeng clazy.
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[rubyhorse2]

perfect matt, might have to stay at that one! (or maybe not, fully booked all of june)

Bit worried about the temps now and also riding times, our initial plan was few hours in the morning, lunch then another few, might have to rethink that.

[Lupo]

As in Spain, for city and slow speed riding, jeans and T-shirts, for highways and high speed riding, textiles or leathers.
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A por ellos, que son pocos y cobardes.

[Efes123]

June wasn't bad last year where we live (Umbria), mainly in the low 30s and I wore leathers for any longer bimbles.

July was hot and I dispensed with the bottom half of my leathers and having my jacket mainly unzipped.

August was unbearable, often going over 40. TBH, it was just too hot to ride most days In fact, it was too hot to do more than sit in the fridge with the beers. Hoping it's going to be a bit more normal this year.
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[rubyhorse2]

cheers for info everyone, end of June we are going so i know it will be a tad warm but hopefully ok to ride.

[barrkel]

Some of the coastal roads in Italy are very narrow, steep and winding. My GF and I went down one on VFR + ER6f, and decided we'd rather not do another. We do plan to go back to Italy but on our scooters next time.

The city traffic is playful / aggressive - cars will try and nip past you, not just scooters. Scooters often jump the lights a few seconds before they turn green. I found I had to turn up my riding to about 80% of my London level to give myself room to work with. Don't get me wrong, the traffic in London is a cakewalk by comparison, it's just that I ride fairly aggressively through London, and I had to go closer to that to get time and space.

The city traffic culture has been spreading north. I haven't ridden further south than Perugia, so it could be worse further down.
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