Motorcycle tours Italy - Rome to Sicily tour

Welcome to Rome - one of the most vibrant cities in the world and the capital of magnificent Italy. After you take some rest, we will have dinner in one of the authentic Italian restaurants, and enjoy the atmosphere of this unique and lively city. Depending on the time of your arrival, we recommend that you take a tour of the city and will gladly assist you in suggesting the best of what Rome has to offer. We also recommend arriving to Rome a few days before the scheduled start of the tour, so you could enjoy the most famous city attractions in a relaxed and stress-free atmosphere. You should not miss out on trying the authentic Italian cuisine in some of the numerous restaurants and trattorias scattered around the city.   

After breakfast, we will have a short briefing covering the most important aspects of riding in a group and we will repeat the most useful information concerning the tour. As soon we have finished the cup of great Italian coffee, we will be ready for the thrilling adventure that awaits us. Leaving Rome, we will head towards yet another energetic southern city: Naples. With the millennia of known history (dating back to the 2nd millennium B.C.), Naples will show us centuries of art, culture and fine architecture typical of southern Italy. The town's cathedral - Duomo di San Gennaro, is filled with frescoes of amazing beauty. Other major landmarks include the lavish Royal Palace and Castel Nuovo, a 13th-century castle. Naples is an exceptionally vibrant city, full of southern buzz, with numerous scooters and bikes flying around its narrow streets. It is well known as a home of pizza, so don’t leave town without trying one. Talking about food, the restaurants in Naples were awarded more Michelin stars than any other Italian city. Buon appetito!  

In vicinity of Naples is the Mount Vesuvius, the still-active volcano that destroyed the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. On our rest day we will have an organised visit of Naples, the Mount Vesuvius and the famous remains of an ancient city of Pompeii. 

The Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near the Naples Bay, has erupted more than 50 times. The best-known eruption took place in the year 79 A.D., when the volcano buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii under a thick carpet of volcanic ash.  Two thousand people died, and the city was abandoned for almost as many years. When a group of explorers rediscovered the site in 1748, they were surprised to find that–underneath a thick layer of dust and debris–Pompeii was mostly intact.  

Largely preserved under the ash, the excavated city offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried and providing an extraordinarily detailed insight into the everyday life of its inhabitants. It was a wealthy town, enjoying many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings and works of art which were the main attractions for the early excavators. Organic remains, including wooden objects and human bodies, were entombed in the ash. Pompeii has a UNESCO World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year. 

We will be heading south and ride along the beautiful coast of Amalfi. There will be nothing but curvy roads ahead of us and a wide blue sea on our right side. We will take breaks to enjoy the view, make photos and take some rest. Prepare your swimsuits and if you’d like, you can take a swim in the Mediterranean Sea somewhere along the way or in San Nicola Arcella. 

This will be an exciting day for us! We will ride along the coast towards Sicily and reach the very peak of the Italian “boot” – the famous Messina pass. We will take the ferry and in half an hour we will take off in Sicily. The city of Messina will be the starting point of our exciting Sicilian journey! Get yourself ready! 

A ride through the green inlands of Sicily, breathing in the wonderful scent of nature. We will pass by the Nebrodi nature resort on one side, and the Etna Mountain on the other (we will visit those in the days that follow). In the afternoon we will reach the beautiful city of Caltanissetta, known for typical Sicilian culture and historic heritage. Here is where we enjoy the authentic Sicilian cuisine, wine tasting and relaxation. 

Heading further through the beautiful inlands of Sicily, enjoying the roads and sceneries, we will pass through the famous city of Palermo – a controversial city famous for its connection with the Italian Mafia, but also well-known for its marvelous arts and culture, including numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites.  On our way to Palermo, we will pass through the city of Corleone. Remember the Godfather movies and the infamous Don Vito Corleone? Well, this is where the inspiration came from!  

We will have a day off in Palermo and visit some of its wonderful cultural attractions. We will take the time to enjoy its vibrant beauty, authenticity and historical sights. Here we will taste some of the famous Sicilian wines paired with marvellous local food. Palermo is the capital of the Italian island of Sicily. The 12th-century Palermo Cathedral houses royal tombs, while the huge neoclassical Teatro Massimo is known for opera performances. In the city centre there is the Palazzo dei Normanni, a royal palace dating from the 9th century, and the Cappella Palatina, with its Byzantine mosaics. The city in also known for its busy markets, including the central Ballarò street market and the Vucciria, near the port. 

An exciting ride will reveal to us some truly breath-taking locations, such as the area called Valley of Temples near the city of Agrigento. This hilly coast is the home to some of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world.  

A ride along the southern shore of Sicily and the Ionic Sea will take us to a couple of beautiful and authentic local cities such as Noto: a marvellous UNESCO World Heritage location with the amazing architectural sites, some of which were also locations for some of the most famous Hollywood movies. In the evening we will reach Catania, the famous Sicilian port – large enough to offer the best of Sicily all at one place and let you experience its vibrant southern spirit and boundless energy. It is situated on the coast, which will enable you to enjoy the best fish in the area at almost any corner of the town. 

We will take a little break and enjoy a day in Catania and have an exciting visit of the nearby Etna Mountain, famous for its active volcano! Don’t worry, you will be safe: the volcano is permanently active, but safe for visitors. The cable car takes you to the very top of the mountain where you can take a walk on some of the inactive craters or even visit the main crater (a ride to the top in special vehicles). 

Today, we will be leaving Sicily and heading further to explore the exciting Italian south. We will continue riding along the coast, and also cover a bit of inlands and the beautiful Calabria region. We will leave the Messina cross where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Ionic Sea and end up in the port of Crotone. Crotone is a historical strategic point of the Italian south, famous for its 9th century fortress and numerous monuments from the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  

Riding along the coast of the Ionic Sea, we will enjoy the endless view of the deep blue sea spreading all around us. In late afternoon we will reach the city of Matera. This marvelous city is a must-see location in the region of Basilicata. It is a city on a rocky outcrop. It includes the Sassi area, a complex of cave dwellings carved into the mountainside. Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera". The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in what is now Italy. Matera is also famous for many movies that have been filmed there (James Bond No Time To Die; Ben Hur; Wonder Woman; Passion of Christ and many more…)

From one beautiful city to another, our ride continues towards the amazingly charming Alberobello - a small town and a commune of the Metropolitan City of Bari, in the region of Apulia. It has 10735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trullo buildings. The Trulli of Alberobello, limestone dwellings and remarkable examples of drywall constructions have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. On our way we will pass through Matera, a town located atop of a rocky outcrop in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It includes the Sassi area, a complex of cave dwellings carved into the mountainside. This will be a great ride, revealing the diverse beauty of the Italian south in all its might. In the evening we will reach a city of Benevento. Due to its artistic and cultural significance, the Santa Sofia Church in Benevento was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a patron saint of Benevento is Saint Bartholomew, the Apostle, whose relics are kept at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Depending on our arrival, we will take you to a short sightseeing. 

On the last riding day of our exciting journey, we will ride back to Rome and take time to let the images sink in and the impressions settle. There will be time to have some fun together and share the most memorable events from our tour. We will be glad to assist you with any information you might need concerning your departure. Let the farewell dinner in Rome be the point of planning the next trip together. 

Depending on your departure flight, you might choose to have another short visit of Rome, enjoy some more Italian coffee on the city streets and squares, or a nice farewell drink with a view of the beautiful Roman arena. Have a great time and see you next time!