12 Day Cinque Terre and Piedmont's Vineyards - Premium PRIVATE Guided Motorcycle Tour in Italy

Overview

This is the ideal tour for those who want a short but significant synthesis of the most typical European, elegant, and sumptuous Italy, its history and its population, which is reverberated in the cuisines that you will have the opportunity to taste. Riding with Italy on Motorbike along the most beloved roads by Ligurian and Piedmontese motorcyclists, you will discover an unknown though really amazing territory, homeland to the most sophisticated Italian cooking (haute cuisine) and to the most prestigious wines in Italy. In harmony with Italy on Motorbike’s touring philosophy, you will visit the magnificent Italian Northwest drinking in its history through a series of enriching tours brimful with motorcycling pleasure, sweeping along superb roads where visual verve and great riding go hand in hand. These are enchanting landscapes teeming with castles, woods, and lakes, an Alpine wonderla

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Milan
• Strolling around Genoa and its historic city center
• Go to the seat of the Italian royal family, the house of Savoy
• Ride through a national park and onto the historic seaside town of Rapallo
• Pay a visit Palazzo Rosso and emerge in the Langhe and Roero
• Visit Turin and its important Egyptian museum
• Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners
• 11 nights' accommodation

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Meeting in Milan (Milano)

   You meet up in the afternoon at your hotel in Milan and pick up the rental bikes. You all meet up before dinner and get to know each other through a welcome aperitif and a short but important briefing and it is time to explain a few simple rules for organizing and synchronizing things thus ensuring that everyone has a safe holiday that is unforgettable for all the right reasons. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Milan. Dinner is included.

2. Day 2: Milan to Rapallo, 220 kilometers / 137 miles

   You set off for Liguria, stopping first in Pavia to look around its famous Charterhouse. Then, like the good bikers, you take the least direct and most scenic route to a splendid mountain pass in the Apennines, through a national park and onto the historic seaside town of Rapallo. That will be your base for two nights, just down the coast from picturesque Portofino, a destination beloved by the Italian and international jet set. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Rapallo. Breakfast and dinner are included meals.

3. Day 3: Rapallo, 200 kilometers / 125 miles

   You spend all day roaming the fabulous Cinque Terre National Park. With its five colorful villages cascading down to the water’s edge in a riot of pastels, the Cinque Terre deserves its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It will be focused on the southern part of this enchanting area, along with Porto Venere, taking in the unmissable seafront walk known as the Via dell’Amore (if it reopens in time). Lunch by the sea is included and you’re free to find your own place later for dinner. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Rapallo. Breakfast and lunch are included.

4. Day 4: Rapallo to Acqui Terme, 140 kilometers / 87 miles

   You press on to Genoa and its historic city center, visiting Palazzo Rosso before heading for the hills on the road into Piedmont. You emerge in the Langhe and Roero, the first rural area to attain UNESCO World Heritage status, with its marvelous vineyards and castles. Despite being one of Italy’s most beautiful and interesting areas, it is still relatively undiscovered so enjoy it while you can. This land of the Savoy, Italy’s last ruling royal house, includes the bulk of Piedmont’s renaissance castles and larger border fortresses. There’s no better place to savor the finest food and wine, fo

5. Day 5: Acqui Terme to Alba, 160 kilometers / 100 miles

   Today is all about exploring the beauty and history of the Langhe and Roero, with visits to the area’s most important centers in Barolo, La Morra, and Grinzane Cavour. Tasty lunch in some delightful wine village is included, and you are free to explore the excellent Piedmont cuisine for dinner in the Italian white truffle capital, Alba. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Alba. Breakfast and lunch are included.

6. Day 6: Alba to Turin, 165 kilometers / 103 miles

   After a last look at the Langhe, you focus on another delightful slice of Piedmont, the Turin area. It is brimming with heritage from its prestigious past as the seat of the Italian royal family, the house of Savoy, and the first capital of Italy, which has been a unified country for just little more than 150 years. It would be remiss not to explore some of the many fine castles, so you’ll be visiting Stupinigi and the Royal Basilica of Superga. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Turin. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

7. Day 7: Rest day in Turin, 0 kilometer

   Today, the bikes get a well-earned rest and so do you. It’s time to slow down and savor the delights of Piedmont with its fine food, wonderful wines, and plenty more. Here are some ideas for what to do: - Visit Turin and its important Egyptian museum (second only to Cairo’s). The magnificent Parco del Valentino with its castle is also a lovely spot, while the National Automobile Museum, the Mole Antonelliana, and the elegant city center are also not to be missed. - Take a chauffeur-driven minibus tour of the wineries to taste the wines, cheese, charcuterie, hazelnuts, and chocolate, to name ju

8. Day 8: Turin to Courmayeur, 240 kilometers / 150 miles

   You needed a day’s rest to be ready for this. For today has the “wow” factor in spades, as you attempt the high Alps on the border between France and Italy. You climb the Piedmont uplands and speed into French Savoie with its lakes and mountain passes, including the perfect Little San Bernardo Pass and then the cherry on the top, the highest peak in Europe, the majestic Mont Blanc passes by as you head for the popular ski resort of Courmayeur in Valle d’Aosta. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Courmayeur. Breakfast and dinner are included.

9. Day 9: Courmayeur to Biella, 150 kilometers / 94 miles

   After the magnificent landscapes rolling and swaying with vineyards, the enchanting little old towns with their castles, regal Turin and all the Savoy palaces, and the imposing high mountains (as much a joy in summer as in winter), you might think that’s all the Northwest has to offer, but no, there are plenty more gems, like Fort Bard, Fenis Castle, and Aosta, a delightful border town founded by the Romans in 25 BC. Your forays for the day conclude near Biella, where you stop for the night. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Biella. Breakfast and dinner are included.

10. Day 10: Biella to Lake Maggiore, 150 kilometers / 94 miles

    The deliciously sinuous roads of the Biella area bring you in good spirits to the Sacred Mountain of Varallo (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), before you roll down into town for lunch. A local specialty awaits, a mouthwatering Milanese cutlet, wiener schnitzel, or, as they call it here, an “elephant’s ear” (that gives you an idea of the size). You then meander up hill and down dale amid the breathtaking views of Lakes Orta and Maggiore. Finally, you wind onto the banks of Lake Maggiore, to rest for the night. Dine wherever you please. Overnight in a 4-star hotel on Lake Maggiore. Breakfast and l

11. Day 11: Lake Maggiore to Milan, 180 kilometers

    After passing Lake Orta and crossing Lake Maggiore, you have one last mouthful of bendy roads to get your teeth into. You hop into Switzerland, to Lake Lugano, then return to Italy and splendid Lake Como, whirring past its amazing array of Belle Epoque lakeside villas. Finally, you ride on for another 60 kilometers to reach Milan and check into your original hotel. After taking the hire bikes back, a lavish dinner provides a fitting end to your adventure together. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Milan. Breakfast and dinner are included.

12. Day 12: Farewells in Milan

    You say your goodbye after breakfast, leaving free to go home or explore further the magic of Italy on your own. There are plenty of opportunities to continue your trip that Italy on Motorbike can help you planning. Breakfast is included.

Ride Details

Terrain

asphalt

Bike

personal or rental bike

Mileage

1,600 kilometers / 995 miles

Daily rides

140 - 240 kilometers / 90 - 150 miles

Meals

11 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 7 dinners

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in an en-suite room with buffet breakfast in hand-picked, classy, and charming first-class hotels (4 stars) that will satisfy even the most demanding guests, for it is emphasized to all the aspects that go into making a luxury holiday. Wherever possible, Italy on Motorbike will choose high-rated hotels with top facilities and excellent food in historic and scenic settings, often in exquisitely beautiful villages offering inviting backdrops for a romantic dinner or evening walk.

Food

During this tour, you will be provided with 11 buffet breakfasts, 4 super lunches in typical restaurants, and 7 super dinners at hotels or external restaurant at walking distance.

Getting There

In Piedmont, there are late Italian kingdom castles and villas, the holy mountains spirituality, and the ancient burgs of the Barolo hills. The ex-capital city Turin (Torino) and fascinating Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore are also there, and some days of really challenging riding on the highest passes and deepest canyons of the Alps along the fortified border, with various pleasant digressions in Fra