Southern Italy in early summer
We are heading back to Europe in 2025 to give you a fix of fine food and jaw dropping riding. This is the first of two tours we have planned for the 2025 Euro summer riding season.
Over 10 amazing days we invite you to join us on a European road tour of captivating Southern Italy.
Rome sets the scene for the beginning of our tour with an opportunity to take in all of the history it offers. Departing Rome we head for the mountains of Gran Sasso National Park and Abruzzo. Our first few days will be spent discovering Puglia, a region that has been gaining popularity but is still not overrun with maddening crowds. Polignano a Mare, Ostuni, Alberobello and the ancient city of Matera are all on the list.
We will leave our visit to the Amalfi Coast until towards the end of the tour so that you are better prepared for the crazy roads and traffic conditions that will bombard your senses. The views along the coast are stunning but you must be ready for scooters, cars, busses and pedestrians all ready to take your patch of road!
The route we will ride includes many invariably twisty tarmac roads but we will also explore some ancient villages and roads. Matera is famous for being the oldest constantly inhabited city in the world. We will also ride part of Via Appia (Appian Way), the ancient Roman road that strategic in the strength of the Roman Empire.
For an Australian travelling to Europe and riding the Southern Italy region it is simply mind blowing. The scenery is stunningly beautiful. The roads are incredibly twisty and fun to ride. The food is drool worthy amazing, and the company, well of course it is the best!
Rome, Italy (Google Map)
1 – 10 June 2025
We will first do a meet and greet at our hotel near Trastevere in Rome where you will meet the crew and we will run through the program for our tour. Later, we will head out and enjoy a traditional Italian welcome dinner that evening before a good night’s rest.
Breakfast at the hotel before we head to the rental depot to collect our motorcycles for the tour. A quick commute through the streets of Rome before we clear the city and hit the open roads. We can leave our big gear bags or cases in Rome until we return.
We will depart Rome before midday and take the roads east towards the mountains of Campania region near Caserta. Our overnight stop is in the hills of Campania region where bears and wolfs still freely roam the forests.
We start the day still in the mountains but will quickly feel the pull of the Adriatic coast. The landscape will open up to fields full of ancient olive trees.
Our accommodation at a luxury masseria (farm stay) will delight you with its casual sophistication.
You could be mistaken for thinking the coastal town of Polignano a Mare has been carved off from Greece with its whitewashed walls. Stunning contrast to the blue waters of the Adriatic. We will check more of the coastline before heading inland to checkout the hilltop town of Ostuni.
Then again you may decide just to spend the day at our masseria and soak up the surroundings. We may have you torn between staying or riding. If you decided to stay put at our hotel and soak up the luxury, well that wouldn’t be a crime either!
Our plan for today is to visit the Unesco World Heritage listed town of Alberobello with it’s famous trulli houses which feature the distinctive conical stone roofs of the Apulia region. After filling our memory banks with photos and our bellies with delicious food we will continue onto to the ancient city of Matera.
The “sassi” of Matera is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. They say it dates back Palaeolithic times (10th millennium BC) but we can’t even comprehend that! What we can comprehend is the charm of the old city. Stone buildings stacked on top of one another with fascinating stairs and laneways interconnecting them.
Today is the day you will gobsmacked but just how old Italy is compared to our home country.
To help put it in context the latest James Bond film “No Time To Die” was shot there! We have put aside the afternoon to explore the ancient city.
Are you ready for this? Today we head west to the Amalfi Coast. We have some amazing roads to ride to get there but it is an assault on the senses when you hit the coast and see the gorgeous views.
Amalfi Coast is the epitome of romantic Italian locations. Vibrant blue Mediterranean water meets rocky coastline that juts up and disappears into the clouds. The hills that are left visible are filled with houses and hotels interspersed with vines, olive trees and the famous mighty Amalfi lemon trees. Just stunning.
Plan today is to explore the coast. Maybe ride along the coast to take in the views and visit Positano.
The roads are crazy. The views are gorgeous. It truly is a sight to behold.
We have plans for a boat cruise along the coast to take in the sights from a different perspective.
An option for today to visit Pompeii and check out the wonders of this Unesco site.
The other option is to relax at our waterfront hotel and take it easy just watching the world.
No doubt leaving the Amalfi Coast today will be a sad situation. No doubt also that you will vow to yourself to return!
We make our way north along the coast past Mt Vesuvius and Naples to land in the Apennine mountains around the town of Castel di Sangro. It may surprise just the peaks that rise up through the centre of Italy. It’s not just the Dolomites and Alps that have such glorious peaks.
Our accommodation is a spectacular mountain resort that celebrates a “sporting” lifestyle.
Gran Sasso National Park was on our bucket list for this tour to enjoy the sweeping curves and wide open alpine plains. Being up above the tree line delivers grand sweeping views with a ribbon of tarmac connecting them. Absolute bliss to ride on a motorcycle.
Approaching Rome we will make a stop at Tivoli with the beautiful 16th century Villa d’Este as it’s centrepiece. This beautiful village will no doubt captivate you.
We return to Rome and we return our rental bikes, perhaps with a touch of sadness as they have served us well. We return to our hotel in Trastevere to unwind after an awesome tour with one final night to enjoy together.
After breakfast at our hotel we will make our way home or onwards with your trip wherever that may take you. Perhaps extend your stay another few days and process the memories and continue to explore Rome?
If you must head home you will be guaranteed a lifetime of memories and experiences will follow you that will make you feel you have enjoyed something truly special.
This ride is classed as – Grade 2-3: Intermediate
Although this tour is all on bitumen roads they are anything but a cruise. We will traversing switchback hairpin turns, riding narrow mountain roads with huge drops, crazy Italian traffic and all of this is on the “wrong” side of the road.
See our Track Grading System for more detailed information to help you decide if this ride is right for you.
We expect riders on this tour to have several years riding experience – ideally two years. Although this is primarily a road tour at least some off-road riding experience may help as some roads can be much tighter and rougher than Australian roads.
For sure pillion passengers are welcome to be a part of this tour and they will find it to be an incredible experience. You will see and experience so much on the back of a motorcycle.
If you have any questions or concerns just give us a call and we are happy to have a chat about your personal experience level and whether this ride is right for you.
This ride will have 8 – 14 people plus 2 tour guides
We find a maximum group size of around 12 bikes is great because it allows us to take you the most spectacular and unique restaurants and hotels during our trip.
Over the days you are sure meet and talk to everyone during the ride and make some new friends.
Yes, rental bikes are included in the tour pricing. If you have access to your own motorcycle in Europe then you are welcome to bring that along and we will adjust the tour pricing accordingly.
The list of available rental bikes includes:
Yes. This ride is primarily for riders coming from Australia and renting a motorcycle but you can your own adventure or touring motorcycle.
We provide the pre-planned routes as a .GPX file you can load into your GPS or Smartphone navigation app. We typically stick together as a group during the day though using the cornerman system to aid with navigation with a lead rider guiding the way and a sweep rider keeping the bunch together.
Trusting our tour guide to lead the way will help you relax and take in the scenery or focus on the thrill of the road rather than stressing over getting lost.
We like to allow riders to go at their own pace and choose how quick or slow they take things. Riders safety is paramount so we can be assured that everyone arrives safely at the overnight stop.
For each event we also provide printed itineraries and route sheets which include an overview map and address details of overnight accommodation stops etc.
Yes. For our international road tours we typically don’t provide a luggage support vehicle so you will have to carry your own luggage on your motorcycle. Usually our rental bikes come equipped with panniers and/or top box so you can secure your gear. Please confirm your required luggage options at time of booking.
Read our Overseas Riders Prep Guide for tips on what and how to pack.
Yes. As our overseas tours start and finish at the same location we have the ability to leave your suitcases or wheelie gear bag at either the motorcycle rental depot or our hotel until we return at the completion of our tour. During the tour we will ask you to bring a smaller bag of around 50 litres in size to be carried in our support van.
Remember luggage weight limits at the airport though and also bear in mind you will have limited space on the bike to carry your overnight clothes and toiletries etc.
Yes. Typically our rental bikes come fitted with hard plastic or aluminium panniers and/or top boxes to carry your gear. Alternatively you may decide to travel light with just a dry bag that gets strapped on but keep security in mind for when our bikes are parked.
Read our Surviving Your First European Ride page for tips on what and how to pack.
We’ve got you covered here! Our tour guide and sweep rider will carry a full set of tools and first aid gear to deal with any small issues on the road. Typically the rental bikes will include some basics like a tyre puncture repair kit.
If you are an Australian resident you should not require a visa for the countries we are visiting. Please check the Smart Traveller website for travel requirements based on your situation.
Follow this link for our Booking Terms & Conditions
