Ducati Monster Forum

Soooo ...

THE INTRO

Many of you will know we recently had a little expedition to Italy. Most of you will also know that we tried a similar thing 3 years ago but all did not go according to plan (accident, emergency surgery, organ removal, hospital stay, etc, etc – for those unfamiliar).

The plan was to do things a little differently this time. The Boss was not prepared to put her life on the line again by riding ... and I decided I would be tempting fate if I did not do the same, so we decided a car was the best option. We looked at hiring (would have loved a Fiat 500) but we could get no guarantees on what car we would get ... so we leased a car from France (even though we were only going to Italy).

I had considered trying to do a track session or something – just to say I had ... and the DRE would have been the best bet. Luckily the timing didn’t really work so I didn’t have to decide which organ I would have to sacrifice for the payment. But we had coordinated the timing to suit World Ducati Week – all we had to do was get tickets ... but more on that later.

Because of my social inadequacies I often find that I fluctuate between extremes of saying/typing too much and saying/typing too little. Then of course there is the fact that my attempts at humour are often misunderstood or too peculiar which only shows on the internet that I am a half-wit with a delusional sense of self-importance. So you will be relieved (if still conscious at this point) to know I will try to refrain from providing a blow-by-blow account of our trip.

I thought instead that I would simply try to recall a few of our experiences ... the observations of an uncultured, socially inept, tea-totalling, introverted Aussie bloke abroad. Hopefully my delightful travelling companion may be able to chime-in on occasion with her well considered clarifications of the way things are/were rather than what just resides in my pea-brain.

Actually, scratch some of that. Since there has now been a request for all the detail ... I will expand on my plans. Perhaps just a brief run-down of the places we visited – if there is anything more you want to know post up and we can try to elaborate further. Of course I’ll expand on our experiences to do with bikes and vehicles in general but I will still try to break it up into bite-sized chunks to make it a little more digestible.

We’ll see how we go. If you want me to shut up ... say so – or just don’t look at the thread. If you want to ask questions ... feel free – but I can’t promise any satisfaction.

More more.

PHOTOS

Since some of you have been requesting photos and considering the audience includes some professional, semi-professional, highly skilled amateur and some downright ordinary photographers ... I need to set an extremely low level of expectation. Yes I took some photos (the Boss even took some as well), but there are very few that can be considered OK ... if you are expecting ‘good’ photos please look elsewhere.

My photos are simply holiday happy-snaps. I don’t have the talent (and hence the motivation) to try too hard to take a decent photo.

We were on holidays so the photos are what you may expect lots of things that are different to me but when you get them all together all pretty much look the same. As I go along I will try and post some photos relevant to the words.

Italian Girls.

Shut up!

Type!! (and link photos)

 ;D

 [popcorn]

Progress with the verbage please!!!   [thumbsup] [thumbsup]  [clap] [clap]

I was starting to wonder whether people were interested.

BRIEF RUNDOWN

There were some places we wanted to re-visit, others which because of circumstance we couldn’t visit as planned last time and a little bit of extra adventure this time if we could find the time. Of course there was that little event known as World Ducati Week we thought we might check out if we could – this presented us with the opportunity to meet up with a couple of international DMFers and share the love, so to speak.

As I mentioned the other day, I thought I’d give a very brief outline of where we went. I will enhance this a little for the places we visited with a motoring slant. Most places we visited we simply enjoyed ‘taking it all in’ ... as you all know we are not fashionista, foodies or coffee drinkers, so this was typically accomplished by aimlessly wandering about. Well to me that’s what we did ... but my travelling companion no doubt sees it differently … however by now she has become used to living with the anally retentive dickhead with schizophrenic OCD tendencies.

We have developed a mild fascination of old churches ... partly because they are cool (figuratively and literally), generally large and often spectacularly embellished, regularly the largest building in town and quite possibly the centre of the community. We felt compelled to climb big structures (despite Jukie’s fear of heights and her claustrophobia). On rare occasions I also took the opportunity to sample some of the local gelato – I know that will surprise some of you. If there is anything you would like me to elaborate on, just let me know ...

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/7571270450_9f8bb9b629_m.jpg)

... and no Paul, she is not Italian.

keep typing...............
and post more photos!


please [thumbsup]

^^^^^
agree! :)

I spoke to Jeff and Marie this morning on a ride and they said they met a couple at WDW that know me from this forum!   [thumbsup]

Veterans of this sort of thing apparently. It was great to meet some other Aussies amongst all those people - interestingly they grew up in the same area as us and used to live near where we live now. Obviously nice people!

The question is, have they recovered from spending time with Jukie?

please  :-*

Rome

As our landing and take-off point it made sense to spend a little time in Rome – if you allow yourself the opportunity to just ‘take it in’, it is a good place to just wander about. A few of the touristy places we visited were: Piazza del Popolo, the Corso, The ‘Wedding Cake’, Piazza del Campidoglio, the Colosseum, the Ferrari Store and plenty of churches, etc, etc.

Staying in Rome gave us the chance to climb the dome at Pete’s Place and visit Jukie’s ancestral sisters in the Central Courtyard of the House of the Vestal Virgins amongst the ruins of the Roman Forum.

The "Wedding Cake":
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7573333650_7d1ab2e7b2_z.jpg)

Piazza del Campidoglio:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7573333390_0c18ae22cc_z.jpg)

the Colosseum:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7573384330_7c2f17e31c_z.jpg)

Pete’s Place (on approach):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7573333246_4ddda809f9_z.jpg)

Pete’s Place (overlooking the square):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7573333004_f50999efdb_z.jpg)

Pete’s Place (at night):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7573406528_36ae2ff0ec_z.jpg)

Jukie amongst the Virgins:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7573384712_a4fa28f0f5_z.jpg)

Sorry Heather I generally don't take photos of blokes ... I did however make an exception for this fine specimen:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7573502304_2f6f5a7b56_z.jpg)

Hope you approve.

  Just happened to notice the lovely,voluptuous curvature of the Italian grid girls at Mugello and not to put to fine a point on it could you please stop torturing us and just post the make the beast with two backsing chicpics !   ;D
 

I said boys not grandpas Betty.  geez.  [roll]  [laugh]

Are people allowed to walk on the colosseum battle field?

You guys are going to be so disappointed. Remember that being a grid girl is a pretty exclusive gig ... you get to be up close and personal with the superstars of the sport.

Anybody 'working' WDW gets to be up close and personal with tens of thousands of Ducati owners. Now consider what the 'average' Ducati owner looks like and determine how attractive a gig that is ... I am not trying to offend anyone, but we need to be realistic here.


But he IS God's gift to women - ask him, I'm sure he'll confirm. Now if they don't have laws against me taking pictures of boys in Italy then they should, lets just leave it at that shall we.


Hmm, battlefield you say? I probably need to read up on my history but it was more of a stage ... which no longer exists. Under the 'arena' there were various tunnels and accessways - apparently these are accessible if you pay for the big bucks tour (which we didn't). Tonight I'll try and find a picture of the inside.

Yea, stage where many died in battle.  :)

Tonight is here:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7581766750_f8f72d3202_z.jpg)

Not a lot happening down there.

The Ducati Caffe

We also managed to swing by the Ducati Caffe. Although there was a merchandise shop attached we resisted the urge to spend money ... it was early days and we figured we would be presented with further opportunities later in the trip. We stopped here for an early (by Italian standards) dinner ... which unfortunately we thought was pretty ordinary. But not to worry, it felt quite comfortable ... or perhaps familiar ... surrounded by Ducati ‘stuff’.

S’pose most would think the sheer volume of Ducati ‘branding’ or indeed the whole concept to be a little cringeworthy ... but it probably only confirms my place amongst the Wankeristi/Ducatisti (ooh, not sure which one to strike out there) that I liked it. The walls were decorated with Ducati art, models in cabinets, merchandise for sale, a carbon fibre bar ... and an 1198 Superbike mounted vertically to the wall.

Outside on the kerb there was a couple of Monsters and a 999 – so that was rather appropriate too ... and Jukie took the opportunity to be chatted-up by their owners. Communication was somewhat limited to the use of the iPad and sharing our family pics.

The bar:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7581826318_b126ab741a_z.jpg)

Some signage/art:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7581826762_fb16ca55a9_z.jpg)

Ooh and this is where it all began:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7581826052_45cee1ecc6_z.jpg)

Let me help  ;D  (from 2010, but ....)

(http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l394/stopintime/banner7.jpg)

Look Betty I know you warned us about your happy snaps but the plain white pics are getting a bit boring.  [roll]

  Thanks, 2010 was a fine year.   [thumbsup]        [thumbsup]        [thumbsup]        [thumbsup]

 ???

+1, exciting as it reads seeing is believing

Hmm perhaps some Flickr setting I am yet to master.

EDIT: Is that better?

Much  [clap]  Thanking you  [thumbsup]

Siena

On the way up to Siena the Boss took a dip in the thermal waters of Terme di Saturnia along with a variety of the fit, the fake and the flabby. It was on this journey that we got a sense of what we had missed on our previous trip as we got to enjoy some nice twisty, country roads. We also made a stop at Abbazia di Monte Olieveto Maggiore perched high, and peacefully, up in the hills – it is a massive complex but it seems the surrounding hills are starting to slip down into the valley.

Our first day trip was out to San Gimignano where we climbed the Torre Grosso (their tallest tower) and wandered about. It is a town where nothing really seems out of place except for the 848 we caught glimpses of riding through the tiny streets.

We wander into the old part of Siena from our hotel and stumble across Ducati Siena inside the city walls ... but must admit it is rather odd visiting a Ducati dealer that doesn’t actually have any Ducatis on the floor.

We visited San Dominico, Piazza del Campo and the Duomo which was planned to grow bigger than St Peters. The climb up Torre del Mangia is apparently over 500 steps but the views aren’t too bad from the top.

Another trip in the car saw us visiting smaller towns out amongst/on the hills such as Castelmuzio, Montefollonico, Montepulciano & Pienza. The roads are generally smooth and well paved full of twisty fun and we encounter far less traffic than we had expected.

Terme di Saturnia (she's in there somewhere):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7602894510_d89d767e1d_z.jpg)

Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7602894328_85d4d94d99_z.jpg)

San Gimignano from Torre Grosso:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7602926488_01e590aab1_z.jpg)

Ducati Siena:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7602961742_22f581f926_z.jpg)

Torre del Mangia on Piazza del Campo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7602961436_2d3e45d6b9_z.jpg)

Siena's Duomo:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8292/7602961214_e068d25d1e_z.jpg)

Well thanks for all that study in medieval architecture and the likes but poor old Robert is lying in his sick bed
waiting for all the tits and bum photos......................have a heart and help the poor fella out.

Florence

On our way up to Florence we made stops at some more of the hilltop towns on the back roads including San Gusme, Villa a Sesta, Castello di Bordio (closed unfortunately), Badia a Coltibuono, Panzano, Villa Vignamaggio (Mona Lisa’s family home) and a few other towns including Greve in Chianti.

We did a trip around Florence on Segways which makes you somewhat of a celebrity especially with Asian tourists. The Segway tours are a good way to orientate yourself in the city centre (we did a similar thing in Rome 3 years ago). But unlike in Rome we were unsuccessful in getting the speed limiter turned off – this only really poses a problem when I am trying to catch up.

We checked out some of the big churches, piazzas, etc including Piazza Signoria, the Duomo, San Lorenzo, Piazza del Reppublica, Palazzo Strozzi, Orsan Michele & Piazza Santa Croce.

I had already climbed the dome of the Duomo so we head up the Campanile this time which is far less busy and practically as tall (with 400-odd steps). We borrowed pushbikes from the hotel and rode up to Piazzale Michelangelo which has awesome views of the old town looking across the river.

Although practically part of the city the roads up to Piazzale Michelangelo are wide (by Italian standards), well paved and nicely curved so the scooter and bike riders have some fun.

The Boss groggin' on at Mona Lisa's family home:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7602996012_6f379d5630_z.jpg)

Segwayin' at the Duomo:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7603045376_8ea858e7c3_z.jpg)

Brunelleschi's dome / the dome before the storm:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7603041352_607c752a28_z.jpg)

Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7140/7603078410_ba18b52b99_z.jpg)

There's just no convincin' you guys is there :(

Tits and bum photos :-[ we didn't go to the Gold Coast (or the Shire) you know. It was a holiday for culture and learning.

Thanks Mark

I don't mind the absence of tits and bums photos at all.  ;D

Vespa Museum

On our way up to Bologna we took a detour out to Pontederra to visit the Vespa (Piaggio) Museum. OK, so we are not really ‘Vespa people’ but Lambretta don’t have a museum so we thought we should have a look. We actually found it to be quite a nice little museum, no doubt if you were really ‘into it’ you could spend a lot of time there.

As with many of the companies that grew in the post war era (and since) Piaggio tried their hand at many things – the forecourt includes some of these ... a plane, ski gondola thingies and a train. The forecourt also had about a dozen classic scooters on display from a visiting club from Austria – primarily Vespas but two Lammies managed to sneak in as well.
Once you enter the building there is a display of a few ‘touring’ scoots these are bikes that have done trans-continental rides (the long way up, down, round and around type trips) ... then of course you enter one of the essentials of any museum – the giftshop. There is a small display of artwork before you enter the main hall.

In the main hall there is a collection of scooters and Apes with centre stage to the classics. There is also a couple of plane engines, a row of modern and ‘art’ bikes and some other oddities and curios on display. They have a ‘display wall’ which is a like a bookcase but instead of books it contains scooters. Before you head upstairs to the mezzanine there is a cute, powder blue Vespa 400 car – this would have to be the pick for me.

My understanding is that the car was only manufactured in France under licence from Piaggio. Apparently there was a gentleman’s agreement between the ‘families’ behind Piaggio and FIAT that the Vespa would not be produced in Italy so as not to compete directly with the FIAT 500. Oh and apparently this was not the end of this ‘agreement’ as the two families were joined through matrimonial union – all part of the deal.

The mezzanine has just as many bikes as the main floor only they are all Gilera models and are crammed into what is essentially a corridor. It is as if Gilera was bought out by Piaggio and they weren’t really sure what to do with the inherited display bikes ... so they just found a little place to put them – and their trophy cabinet.

Back down stairs there is a long hall which contains the ‘archives’ neatly presented in folders from floor to ceiling on both sides. It looks pretty cool with a few display cabinets mixed in with a few story boards. Overall we were pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.

Vespa 400:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7613976766_d18262b69f_z.jpg)

Overall view:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7613976856_54a49c42d0_z.jpg)

The bookcase:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7613976980_ec9c2782e9_z.jpg)

They even make scooters for grown-ups:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7613977086_2df40c1ae8_z.jpg)

A little day trip for the Austrians:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7613977234_eeb7b06811_z.jpg)

Bologna

On our way up to Bologna we accidently found our way onto the famed Futa Pass so that worked out well and made up for the “crazy pregnant dog” (more on her later) unnecessarily directing us back into the thick of Florentine traffic. She has another brain snap later on which takes us down some roads we really didn’t need to experience.

Along the pass we climb to almost a thousand metres, the road is nice and twisty, wide enough most of the time and well cambered. We encounter some heavy vehicle traffic especially early on but the biggest concern is the local propensity to use all of the road – it certainly keeps you alert. Photo opportunities were few and far between on the Pass and unfortunately with Jukie having a great time at the controls any opportunity that arose quickly disappeared as we tore past.

We had previously spent a week in Bologna ... but the Boss saw little more than one room and I really only covered the few hundred metres between the hotel and hospital. I had read and heard that Bologna is a lovely place (and less touristy) ... but in reality found it much the same as many other places we visited.

Possibly counting against us was our location which was in the University district – quite close to the centre of town ... but it always seemed a bit seedy walking through there. Around the towers is busy, congested and quite grotty but the true centre of town was a bit more pleasant. The biggest problem with Bologna is the apparent scarcity of gelato ... it proved rather difficult to find gelato and even harder to find a decent one ... so I have to wonder: what sort of a place is this? I thought somebody was playing a cruel joke on me until I found a nice place tucked away not too far from the hotel.

As you all know Bologna was affected by two earthquakes which sadly resulted in the loss of lives – one struck before we left and there was another before we arrived. From what we saw and the people that we spoke to there was very little impact on Bologna itself, but some of the outlying towns were severely impacted.

We took the chance to head back to the Hospital where the Boss caught up with a couple of the nurses and we managed to track down her doctor who is now Director of the Trauma Department. Being the big man didn’t stop him from getting told off though when his conversation with an excitable woman from Australia became a little too exuberant – apparently the nurses aren’t as much fun in his new area.

Finally we are able to climb the Torre Asinelli which was closed for our first couple of days as it seems to be undergoing some sort of restoration work which perhaps takes place during the week and they open it up on the weekend. It looks as though this work would pre-date the earthquakes but it may change the way they do things.

Other places around town that we visited included: Abbazia di Santo Stefano, San Domenico, Piazza Cavour, San Petronio, and various public buildings around the main squares and Neptune’s Fountain.

The view from our hotel ... God's country?:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7614112698_44074393b2_z.jpg)

The twin towers:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7614112532_a1f96901eb_z.jpg)

Porticoes:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7135/7614146184_e8b1034cb7_z.jpg)

Porticoes, everywhere:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7614145362_830db559ef_z.jpg)

For the ladies ... Neptune:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7614145934_5cebe918a4_z.jpg)

For the blokes ... Neptune's women:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7614145624_641f64df7d_z.jpg)

Churches is purdy:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7614181320_62300a87c7_z.jpg)

A very hazy Bologna from the top of the tower:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7614181032_59e029676c_z.jpg)

A bit of girl-on-girl action for the voyeurs:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7614181568_39c2ab3236_z.jpg)

Ducati

A trip to Dainese’s D-Store had us spending some money but as the Ducati factory and museum were closed to visitors following the earthquakes we only had the outlet store to visit. OK so we had seen them all before but it would have been nice to run through it all again ... maybe get the chance to see a Panigale on the dyno.

The outlet store is always a good place to test the credit card. Admittedly prices should probably not be considered ‘cheap’ though there are discounts on ‘old’ stock ... current year products are still sold at retail prices. Now one of the problems that I have is that I have no sense of style or fashion and the ‘euro cut’ does not suit my generous proportions, couple this with my body image issues and an indecisive nature and shopping can be painful because apparently I am a brand whore – but how many blokes look good in red? More specifically how many balding, middle aged, short, fat Aussie blokes?

I have come to the conclusion that Ducati clothes are designed for the pretty people and I am definitely not one of those. Perhaps it is Ducatis way of trying to maintain a certain image if only the pretty people fit their gear. I am more likely to get the sympathy looks ... poor little fat man thinking he is something he isn’t.

Jukie doesn’t have these problems as clothes actually fit her (even if occasionally she heads into the kiddies section) and she looks hot in anything (or nothing). While I was agonising over which T-shirt to waste my money on, Jukie was just waiting with a pile of clothes ... which the assistant couldn’t understand what was wrong with them.

By the time we left we were having serious doubts as to whether we would be able to get everything bagged up and onto the plane when it came time to head home. It was not until we had been locked outside that I noticed the Cucciolo appears to be back in production, so I didn’t get to have a proper look.

Credit cards this way:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7619851372_93f3db4bc4_z.jpg)

Their back:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7619851640_b6c150150f_z.jpg)

Ferrari

When we left Bologna on the way to Milan we stopped at the Ferrari Museum. We both have to admit not really being huge fans of the marquee ... perhaps it is the pretentious branding or the self-promoted image of superiority ... but in reality I think it is just that all that seems so obnoxious when combined with the unattainability for mere mortals.

Yes, yes I am blatantly aware of the irony and contradiction in my nature as a member of the Wankeristi/Ducatisti particularly in light of my recent admission (posted above) to being a Ducati brand whore. However, in my defence I will say that I do actually own a Ducati and ownership is actually attainable for most people (if so inclined).

Anyway there are a few cars to look at ... some older racing cars, some unusual motorsport cars, a boat, some engine bits, a few road cars and a collection of F1 cars with trophies adorning the walls. There are plenty of young, fit looking people wearing red and willing to sell you merchandise and there is even an open wheeler near the lobby you can climb into ... if you fit – Jukie did, I didn’t.

Outside there are more spruikers with the young ladies using their, umm, charms to try and entice you to pay for a joyride in a Ferrari. If you’re idea of a joyride is puttering around the back streets of industrial Maranello in a car probably too wide for the road, too powerful to drive properly and too expensive to take any risks ... this is the place for you.

So although not really our thing it is a nice setup and a decent stop to fill time between check-out and check-in on our way between towns. As we were now up in the flatlands of the industrial belt the roads didn’t seem all that enticing.

I have no idea what this is but I thought you guys might be interested... I recognise there is some carbon fibre:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7619887462_6b9c6496b0_z.jpg)

They do boats too:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8422/7619887312_4a5c1a26ea_z.jpg)

Brrmm brrmm:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8421/7619887172_c46eeac14c_z.jpg)

And they make them in yellow too:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/7619887024_f742f0128d_z.jpg)

There is always someone willing to take you for a ride:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7619886790_314e2ebb5e_z.jpg)

Nice thread and pics guys.

Oooh, someone read it ... I'll have to write some more over the weekend.

of course it's being read.  [thumbsup]

More words and pictures please!  [popcorn]

Ditto.......

"Can I have some more please sir?"

I've been reading it too.

 [coffee]

 [coffee]    [popcorn]









                                          Mmick

Milan

The trip into Milan was a little bit of an adventure as some of the streets were closed for Sunday markets, added to this was the trams, closed off bus lanes (one of which we had to use to get to the hotel) and the ‘crazy pregnant dog’ was in a spin. It also saw our second and last sprinkling of rain ... but that doesn’t last long.

Milan gave us another opportunity to get back on the Segways to look around town … through the Parco Sempione and Castello Sforzesco around the Galleria and Teatro alla Scala, the old market and of course the Duomo and the other sights in the centre of town. We had the chance to stop for a proper hot chocolate and we tried to teach our guide (who was fluent in several languages) how an Aussie talks (her idea but she probably regrets it).

Later we wandered all over the roof of the Duomo where everything is made from marble and Jukie displays her usual, infectious exuberance with the staff ... even the heavily armed military guys seem to be accommodating.

At the insistence (and direction) of our hotel manager (admittedly quite the bike nut) we visited Ducati Milano. A rather impressive store from a display point of view as the bikes weren’t all crammed in … and now that I think about it, it was probably because they only sold Ducatis – quite a foreign concept really. We tried to get some sort of clarity regarding WDW but the staff couldn’t help in that regard.

Gelato seems more readily available in Milan so it is obviously a more sophisticated place and nice to wander around at night – the liquid chocolate filled gelato cones are worth a special mention.

Jukie 'in' Castello Sforzesco:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7659191560_26f8d17be7_z.jpg)

The roof of the Duomo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7659191194_101ec16555_z.jpg)

It's ornate gothic marble:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7659191044_b4375fed04_z.jpg)

Ducati Milano:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/7659225058_b102f0de00_z.jpg)

San Lorenzo Maggiore:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/7659224830_58e26894a6_z.jpg)

The Cathedral:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7659224720_494ab144a0_z.jpg)

The Galleria:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7659224490_250c449e7b_z.jpg)

Vittorio Tessera’s Museum

While we were in Milan we took a trip out to visit Vittorio and his personal museum in one of the outlying suburbs. This place was incredible (maybe even if you don‘t have an interest in scooters) … and to think it is his personal collection … simply amazing.

It is in an industrial area and he runs his business down stairs where he sells Lambretta parts (Casa Lambretta) and also has a couple of guys working for him restoring classic scoots … but upstairs is the place to visit. He had a couple of scooters in the downstairs lobby but upstairs is altogether different. On one side of the stairs he has a display of old (penny-farthing era) pushbikes and the room to the other side includes some racing Lambrettas.

Then you enter the main hall … which is dedicated to Lambretta. It is a tiered layout and probably includes a model of every classic Lambretta (I wouldn’t know). In the centre of the room is a model of the old Innocenti factory. It shows the train lines, a full football pitch, swimming pool and tennis courts … you don’t see that offered at many workplaces nowadays – but this place must have been like a small city.

The next two rooms include all sorts of various scooters from some familiar names such as Peugot, NSU, KTM, Honda, MV and a small manufacturer called Ducati – yes he has a Cruiser! There is also plenty of other less known brands with scoots from all over Europe but also from Japan, the sub-continent and South America but the ugliest models (IMHO) came from the US.

There is another room out the back which includes some scooters from the little known Vespa nameplate and these are joined by some of the first scooters produced in Italy. He had a cabinet with models and other collectables under the window and all the other walls throughout were decorated with posters of relevant models or period advertisements.

He also had a couple of extras down the back stairs … I think the total numbers are approaching 200. I would certainly be tempted by some: a cute KTM; an extravagant Honda; the gold plated Lambretta, the service delivery vehicle or maybe the Gelato servicar; perhaps a Bastert (for the name, not the looks) or even a Moto Rumi (the predecessor to the Panigale) with its super smooth engine.

But I would find it hard to go past the Ducati Cruiser as a companion to Jukie’s Lambretta. Sure it isn’t the prettiest and would be quite heavy but at least I would have the right jacket. It would be interesting to hear the comments (and/or abuse) at PITS or the Ducati Concourse.

Interesting that of all those scooters he still didn’t have representatives of some of the scooters in Jukie’s family – no Heinkel or Zundapp for example. But for us it was well worth the effort and the place is a credit to Vittorio. He came up for a chat, we knew some of the same people and he gave us a couple of little things to take home … and it was free to take a wander around.

Lambretta made one or two bikes too:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7659200740_b0fe04920d_z.jpg)

Mmmm, gelato anyone?:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7659200564_ac1f5bdedb_z.jpg)

In need of a service? We pick up and deliver:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7659200334_fb18cb9bdf_z.jpg)

The main hall ... a selection of Lambretta's finest:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7659197566_22ba3ca4bd_z.jpg)

A model of the factory:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7659200172_cc7cb0b85f_z.jpg)

Some KTMs for you motard/off-road types:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/7659199932_12b388336b_z.jpg)

The Honda SilverWing's ancestor:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7659199742_62c799734a_z.jpg)

Moto Rumi, inspired Ducati to create the Panigale:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7659310594_42da7703d9_z.jpg)

The Cruiser ... not the most elegant of Ducatis:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7659219314_b4cb9f53d3_z.jpg)

But hey, MVs are meant to be attractive:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7659199536_2945111647_z.jpg)

Turin

On the way up to Turin we decide to try our luck on the Austostrade for the first time as the back roads look a little uninspiring – compared to the way we have been travelling it is enlightening to be cruising along at 130km/h ... you can certainly cover some ground.

We head out through Asti and make stops at Alba, Castello di Grinzane Cavour and Castello dei Marchesi Falleti di Barolo so we do find some little twisty roads with the snow capped Alps in the background.

For those that didn’t know, Turin was once the capital of Italy and so has been a ‘town’ of importance for some time. Most people see it as a ‘working’ town and it is obviously included in any mention of FIAT … so it should not be surprising that it houses the National Auto Museum.

Interestingly for a town with a recent history intrinsically linked to the motor car that they have a strictly enforced congestion regime. So basically once the car was ‘in’ we couldn’t take it ‘out’ again without the hassle and expense of ‘city charges’. This limited our movements a little and explains why we caught the Metro out to the Auto Museum.

Perhaps owing to its reputation, there appears to be fewer tourists (per capita) than the other big cities and as such the locals tend to speak less English … but we didn’t have any real problems. Although we could not consider ourselves connoisseurs we are big fans of the arancini you lot have introduced us to ... and in Turin we sampled what we consider to be the best we have had.

We took the lift up the Mole Antonelliana (very cool lift ride), visited some more churches and other historic building such as Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Reale, the Duomo and the Consulata with the Basilica di Superga  and Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi on the way out of town.

Castello di Grinzane Cavour:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7659224360_32c309f6c2_z.jpg)

The Mole (from the street):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7660568534_d89d6bc796_z.jpg)

The Mole (going up in the lift):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8141/7660596164_5633bf4a75_z.jpg)

View from above the Mole's dome:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7660596298_e72513d6c4_z.jpg)

Palazzo Reale (from the square):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7660568650_330c1d4271_z.jpg)

Palazzo Reale (inside):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7660595922_0d8898fb43_z.jpg)

Palazzo Reale (stair):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7660595802_eb4261b08e_z.jpg)

The River Po:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7660596072_d51fa9221a_z.jpg)

They had proper toy stores in Turin too:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7660610740_d357d3a745_z.jpg)

The Savoy family mausoleum Basilica di Superga has a prime position overlooking Turin:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7660610626_aed3afeb29_z.jpg)

The Savoy's favourite hunting lodge Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7660610482_0e6c04829d_z.jpg)

The National Auto Museum

So the trip to the outskirts of town in the Metro was a little different – a driverless Metro system appears very efficient and it seems odd to be sitting up the front and looking out through the front window … but it is no different to a roller coaster really.

Finding the museum from the Metro was a little difficult as our ‘city map’ didn’t extend this far but once we were headed in the right direction we were fine because the building is, well, rather large. Just inside the entry is the ticket office, the obligatory gift shop and a coffee shop (proper hot chocolate was a bit full on considering the heat).

Upon entry you cross a large, empty, multi-storey void to the escalator. The escalator takes you up to the third floor and you wind your way back down the stairs looking at the displays. The whole place is well laid out, but with so much space that is not surprising ... what is surprising is how few people are in there – no school groups, no tours – maybe a couple of dozen people the whole time we were there.

The museum traces the history of the motor car (not bikes) and although it has an obvious and expected leaning towards the Italian contribution, it is not limited to such. Besides the cars there are audio visual displays, interactive screens, a mock production plant and component displays. If I had the time I am sure I could have learnt quite a lot here.

The floors are divided up so you can wander through history tracking the evolution and contribution of the motor car as you go. Significant areas are dedicated to pre-war and post-war eras where innovation was prominent, and cars that were really ‘game changers’ or just simply icons. There is a section dedicated to designers, motor racing and concept cars. I found it worth the effort.

Of particular interest to us were a few FIAT 500s (both old and new), somewhat surprisingly another Vespa 400, a Lloyd Alexander (Jukie’s Dad has one), a dead sexy FIAT 500 based Autobianchi Bianchina. The only bike I recall seeing was a Lambretta alongside a proper FIAT Multipla so that was quite cool. Other vehicles with relevance to Jukie’s current and historic family involvement included a Mini, DS Citroen and Morgan.

Sure, there were some other cool looking cars and some interesting concepts on display but I s’pose the above listing just confirms my ... umm ... unique outlook just in case anybody was wavering. It’s OK, I know I am a weirdo.

The Metro station is in the forecourt of the Lingotto Building which is the historic home of FIAT – this is the building with the test track on the roof. Unfortunately we couldn’t gain access to the roof, but we did walk up the ramp most of the way to the top. It would have been pretty cool driving up through the building before doing high speed laps on a banked track up on the roof!

Nowadays the building is multi-purpose with the bottom couple of floors a shopping centre, there are some administrative offices, conference space, areas dedicated to tertiary education and happily still a small automotive design section. In its heyday this must have been some building – one of the few ‘modern’ buildings in Italy to grab our attention.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing properly ... and go big:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7660568382_bb5877d24f_z.jpg)

Apologies for the crap photo, but the lights made it difficult for me. They have created a backlit glass floor overlaying a satellite image of Turin with the Alps shown on the walls framing up the city (as they do). The map details the location of the (hundreds?) of Auto based business in Turin (past and present) ... quite cool:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7660567956_6f2527947c_z.jpg)

They had a few different FIAT 500s:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7660567682_24186c525a_z.jpg)

Even ones that aren't ... the FIAT based Autobianchi - me likey:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7660567800_b351fcc0c0_z.jpg)

You could take the Lammie in the Multipla for when you get to the beach/picnic:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/7660568260_14a8bb1bf8_z.jpg)

Sex sells apparently ... an integral part of automotive advertising (gratuitous boobie photo):
Sorry I did a refresher on the forum rules and although a museum artefact, it probably doesn't meet the guidelines, so I've removed it.

One of the concept cars:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7660567552_7e1512758d_z.jpg)

Ramp inside the Ligotto building:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7256/7660567436_34f5e6b049_z.jpg)

Cinque Terre

We had booked to spend some time in Cinque Terre 3 years ago but circumstances intervened ... so it was always on our list for this trip. Of the five towns (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso) we chose to stay in Monterosso. The advantage of staying in Monterosso was that we could actually drive there. The roads in and out are very tight, steep and windy with a few blind, single-lane corners and a few sections of road washed out. Very, umm, interesting experience as a passenger.

Unfortunately in October last year the towns (particularly Monterosso & Vernazza), surrounding areas and the renowned ‘walks’ were severely impacted by flood. Sadly lives were lost and landslip common, some buildings were demolished and others filled with mud up to the second storey.

Our plan was to do the walks that link the five towns, but two sections were still closed when we arrived due to the floods last year. By the time we departed we were able to cover all but one of the sections though, as one more was opened up. Travelling this newly re-opened section it was apparent why it was only closed days before as repairs were still ongoing. Some of the walks are tough, especially for someone as unfit as me. The views can be fantastic but the heat is not and the terrain is pretty rough ... but, hey, it gives you something to fill in your days.

In addition to visiting the ‘five towns’ of the Cinque Terre we also visited La Spezia (a big stinky port) and Portovenere. Portovenere we reached by boat and found to be quite a nice day trip, La Spezia we ‘accidently’ visited on the train and found it pretty ordinary.

Monterosso and the Cinque Terre coast:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/7665751742_673e0be831_z.jpg)

Vernazza:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7665761414_3c2203e39c_z.jpg)

Corniglia:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7667691610_9e698c1f18_z.jpg)

Manarola:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7667687234_984e6ddda1_z.jpg)

Riomaggiore:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7667687454_db696680b0_z.jpg)

A newly re-opened section of the walk:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7667691374_c543fc8dfd_z.jpg)

Portovenere:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/7665751530_96117f2a2a_z.jpg)

The Dive

We also managed to get in a scuba dive while we were in Cinque Terre. Since the Boss’ accident we haven’t really been in the position to do much diving ... we managed to sneak a couple in at the end of last year in the Cook Islands but that has been it. So we thought it was worth going for a dip in the Northern Hemisphere – the water always looked so clear and calm in the Mediterranean.

It was actually a little surreal – we were diving in a Marine Park with very heavy restrictions on fishing and any other activity. The dive group was limited to four plus our guide and we were the least qualified with our Master Scuba Diver tickets so the guide was excited because he could take us to the best dive site ... all good you would think.

The boat trip was all of about 50 metres from shore ... seriously they didn’t even take the boat above idle (it would have been easier to just swim ... and I can’t swim!). Using borrowed gear was always gonna be weird, and weighting is always difficult especially for Jukie as the neoprene to body mass ratio is always so high. If we had been anxious it would have been compounded by the fact that we didn’t even have a depth gauge (only a pressure gauge for the tank) ... I’d never even dived without a computer.

Anyway the water was cool but clear until we got down to a reasonable depth (around 35m apparently) then it became a bit murky.  We managed to see a couple of lobsters and plenty of rocks. The few fish we saw were probably about the size of your toes. I think it’s safe to say that over-fishing is a very real thing in this part of the world. Lucky for us we got to experience the best site in the Marine Park.

So although we can now say that we have dived in the Northern Hemisphere I don’t think we will be looking there for our next dive trip. We bought our dive buddies a beer afterwards (a Dutchman and a Belgian) and they were equally (probably even less) ‘impressed’. Apparently there is some reasonable diving in the north of Spain.

The dive boat in Riomaggiore harbour (the one parked tandem):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/7667797408_bc89ebe147_z.jpg)

Misano

On our way cross-country to Misano we took the opportunity to stop off at Bologna as Ducati had opened the museum for WDW, unfortunately the factory was still closed to visitors. There was plenty of Ducatis in the carpark and the same across the road in the carpark of the Ducati Store. Some of the Ducatisti were showing their passion with branding shaved into their freshly coloured, red hairstyles.

As you register at the door they have a pile of A5 flyers so you are informed as to what you should do in the occurrence of an earthquake. The museum itself appears unchanged from 3 years ago but there are a few bikes missing! Making an appearance at Misano I anticipate. Again no one can offer any advice as to ticketing for antipodeans at the big event.

We decide to head straight to the track at Misano to try and get our tickets sorted, in the end it was pretty painless (but more on that later), then we checked into the hotel and continued our correspondence with fellow DMFers in the hope of catching up.

To provide a bit more detail on the WDW frivolities I will break it up into a couple of different posts grouped under a given ‘theme’.

This fella wasn't here a couple of weeks ago ... I am sure there are some ethanol drinking plastic tank owners lamenting the 'waste' of a tank (outside the Ducati Store in Bologna):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7665771214_6c6d813724_z.jpg)

Alright who is the dickhead that brought the car? (again the Ducati Store):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7667696538_c52199d67a_z.jpg)

Hmmm, cabinet of patches in the Ducati Museum ... is some corrective action needed perhaps?:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7667696674_36ea06ccf3_z.jpg)

but you could PM the sexy photo :D

I didn't say it was sexy.

The Night-time Entertainment

Apologies for the dodgy night-time photos (even by my standards).

The first three nights had three events staged at each of the seaside towns near the track.

The first event for us is the Beach Party down the road in Cattolica so we decide to walk, following the water. The bikes are meant to be travelling in convoy from Riccione and we are not allowed into the venue until the bikes arrive which is a bit shithouse so we are left standing by the roadside for a while. The bikes start to arrive in a trickle and then a flood. Unfortunately it is about 21:30 or so by then and getting pretty dark so any attempt at photos are a bit ordinary.

The main group is headed by the Polizia with their sirens blaring followed closely by hundreds of Ducatis ... most revving their bikes as they enter the driveway – all so childish. The main culprits seem to be those riding Diavels where keeping the engine bouncing off the rev limiter seems the done thing. Of course one decided it was only appropriate to up the ante by ruining a rear tyre – at least many of the hungry mob seem to approve.

We unexpectedly meet a Kiwi couple in the carpark and head inside to be greeted by a large stage setup with the Ducati band playing and a huge row of BBQs offering up fish for the masses. It is all a bit loud for my sensitivities but people generally seemed to be enjoying themselves. Later we meet up with Monsta’s mates from Perth who are advertising their presence with ‘Skippy’ ... and the girls enjoy some funkin’ n ’groovin’. By the time we wander back to the hotel it is morning ... and my expectations that WDW is simply an excuse for one big party are confirmed.

A few of the bikes as they rocked up (they didn't all fit in the carpark) ... and a tyre being vapourised in the background:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8421/7682820868_8986874bf3_z.jpg)

The stage and BBQ by the seaside:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7683382276_8796045bb5_z.jpg)

The second night we are driven to the Speedway by the Kiwis after they escort us to dinner. We arrive to a massive crowd and poor viewing options but we are still able to watch the shenanigans. The ‘track’ has been carved out especially for this ‘Speed Night’ so is very much a temporary offering. The races alternate between bikes and modified Apes.

Speedway bikes are speedway bikes but these Apes are something different. Watching them on the track I am puzzled ... the noise, to my untrained ears, is an indiscernible mix and their performance appears a step above the average 50cc Ape and there is no shortage of inside wheels being lifted coming into the turn. As a group I still can’t describe what it sounds like but included in the combination could be a rough running chainsaw, remote controlled aircraft and rotaries. Although I don’t know what was powering all the Apes we did manage to track one down afterwards in the ‘pits’ ... it refreshed my long held dream of throwing a Ducati engine in a classic FIAT 500.

Then the Ducati stunt team came out riding their Diavels and Monsters with their studded tyres. They spend a bit of time stirring up the dirt, chuckin’ wheelies and generally carrying on like narcissistic hooligans ... gets old pretty quickly so we head back to the hotel – stopping mid-way to watch the fireworks signifying the close of the nights activities. Once more it is after midnight ... and despite little kiddies out riding their pushbikes on the street, I think I am probably too old for all this.

Ape racing at the Speedway:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7683433382_e939de3803_z.jpg)

That ain't no stock Ape:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7683433122_213a25f4a9_z.jpg)

The final night is the big one and we catch the bus up to Riccione – this is effectively a public event with another huge stage setup in the square on the waterfront in the centre of town. All the dignitaries are introduced to the crowd one by one with Ducati execs as well as past and present GP and Superbike riders making their way up onto the stage.

Incidentally Troy seems to get the biggest cheer and appears to be a clear crowd favourite. Considering the proximity to Rossi’s hometown this surprised me a quite a bit. Apparently Rossi was surprised too and not too happy about it. But I s’pose this event is all about Ducati (not necessarily Italy and despite what he may think, not about Rossi) and that perhaps says something.

Other than Paul Smart & Nicky Hayden everybody speaks Italian so I have no idea what they were talking about ... at least Bayliss’ Italian is a bit slower (or maybe it’s the Aussie accent) so I can pick out a few words and get the gist.

A couple of lucky door prizes are awarded before the band comes on ... and it’s loud. Very. make the beast with two backsing. Loud. The band is a bit of an all stars band made up of Ducatisti ... being an uncultured so-and-so I have no idea who they are but apparently they’re quite accomplished noise makers. The finale is a large fireworks display above the stage and the long walk ‘home’ brings the realisation that it is nearly all over as we are well into the last day by the time we get to bed.

Tha main stage:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7265/7683481602_12550b16f1_z.jpg)

"I'm done", he says:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7683481478_a8bc63078e_z.jpg)

As the band begins to play:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7683481294_c394149936_z.jpg)

And it all finishes with a bang:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7683481024_10486009a9_z.jpg)

Or two:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7683481150_43d5bc0f99_z.jpg)

The Track

At the track there are various ‘destinations’ where events are held, ‘entertainment’ is enjoyed and people meet. Ducati called these areas Galaxies in line with their ‘Planet of Champions’ theme: the Bike Art Galaxy, the Heritage Galaxy, The New Frontiers Galaxy and the Galaxy of Adrenalin which included the Ducati Desmo Challenge Area.

But then of course there was the track itself and the pit area. The track was in use all day, every day including a special Bayliss edition of the DRE as well as a couple of two seater rides, superbike testing, Audi ‘taxi’ rides, stunt shows, practice, qualifying and races for 848 and open classes, test rides and track sessions for the ordinary punters and of course the Diavel drag races between all the MotoGP and Superbike riders plus some retired Aussie bloke.

The open class races included a mix of 999, 1098, 1198 and Panigale bikes with a D16 thrown in for good measure (from what I could tell). Equipment is not the defining element in this class of racing though and there were some decent battles throughout the field.

The pit area included a Ducati Service area and tyre fitting service, another factory outlet and all of the official race teams had a garage where you could get a look at some of the bikes, etc.

We didn’t spend a lot of time watching the activities on the track ... for example we (unfortunately) missed Raux’s track session and only managed to watch Stopintime’s session from the pit roof which is not the best vantage point (but hey, we were held up in the Outlet Store). But by the last day we had been shown to the grandstand and watched some of the racing with Raux, Stopintime and Geoffduc (along with his entourage of fellow poms).

Kudos to Stopintime for his on track session on his, not quite stock, S2R. As I said our view wasn’t the best but the big fella was taking no prisoners yet claiming plenty of scalps much to the astonishment, frustration and apparently the embarrassment of some riders on some more track oriented and much more powerful bikes.

Watching the drag racing was an interesting experience as we were crammed on to the pit roof with thousands of others craning for a glimpse at a couple of bikes tearing past. Combined with this we were standing on a slab of concrete with the sun bearing down and temperatures over 40 degrees ... not very comfortable.

The drags start with the competitors running individual time trials to establish the qualifying order, then they are paired off to race head-to-head. The boys are all riding Diavels – standard or modified, I assume they are all the same. Hayden finishes third and that Rossi fella was done over by some old retired bloke in the final ... and he seemed not too pleased – but the photographers didn’t seem to mind.

Afterwards there was plenty more shenanigans with some product testing in front of the unwashed masses. As evidenced earlier, the consumer demands for these bikes seem to dictate that the bike needs to cope with enforced wheelspin and/or repeatedly troubling the rev-limiter. So all the riders get in on the act with special mention to Nicky Hayden who appears most dedicated to ensuring the product is up to the task.

Some of the close racing:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7697244492_8d78736751_z.jpg)

Stopintime ... don't worry chaps, I won't hold you up for long:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7697244784_d988343894_z.jpg)

Stopintime ... doing some circle work all alone out in front:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7697244626_c2979d66c5_z.jpg)

Just after I pulled into the pits [laugh]:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7697237062_bca578499f_z.jpg)

Sorry the margin was too big to get them in the one frame:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7697245384_1f15360138_z.jpg)

Some anti-social behaviour:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7697245262_3b69bb3bc9_z.jpg)

Product testing:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7697244968_47acde22a4_z.jpg)

Boys will be boys:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7697245074_ea043bd390_z.jpg)

   
    Childish  ???   What do you mean childish  ? [laugh]

Thats pretty ordinary Mark,  BUT.........it happens over here too mate.  Yep, remember this episode..?   In one of Sydneys most pristine National Parks......  need I say more.......   


Men Behaving Badly 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8aqtWOk8uM&feature=player_detailpage#)
 

You know what they say, if you have to ask ...

Bike Art Galaxy

This area included the most important area at the track – the gelataria.

It also included:
•   the Cyber Cafe with a few bikes, bits and some more noise makers
•   the Desmo Art Space had some airbrushing activities going on (and apparently some bodypainting) – unfortunately if there were any photos of such activities they could not be posted here as they would contravene forum rules
•   the Ducati Garage Contest included a select few wild and mild custom bikes with a separate section for Diavels for some reason – but there were a few other interesting bikes outside in the ‘paddock’ and a varying group adjacent to the official tent
•   there was an area where it was possible to have your bike washed (for a tiny proportion of attendees) ... but I had heard there were complaints about a lack of attention to detail and that the bikes themselves weren’t really being cleaned too well, if at all
•   Art of Brands also had a stand in this area where you could buy limited edition artistic prints and Jukie made a minor contribution to one of four boards that were to be presented to Ducati after being decorated by WDW attendees

The Ducati Art Space:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7707608850_9cc7f44e10_z.jpg)

Where they did things like this:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7682820122_351c34547b_z.jpg)

And this (hopefully it isn't too graphic):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7682820348_8e23763437_z.jpg)

Some of the bikes in the Garage Contest:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7707610220_f2b7abdc4e_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7707609940_9ece323286_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7707609804_fa8437c21f_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7707609644_ac8fc1aa17_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8153/7707609474_273202f622_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7707609214_3c9051e6de_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7707609010_19abfd819e_z.jpg)

The Bike Wash Girls:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7682842876_09e8c9ccf8_z.jpg)

Monsters are always the centre of attention:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7682842636_dfa9771fdf_z.jpg)

This one must have been dirty though as it needed two to clean it:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7682842482_a908c35022_z.jpg)

Whatever they were paying these girls, was not enough as they seemed in need of a good feed:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7707615604_dd5f05c0ff_z.jpg)

Heritage Galaxy

In this area was Scrambler World with a large collection of the iconic model. There was also a couple of hospitality marquees including one of the major sponsors Effenbert.

It also included a collection of historic bikes including those ‘missing’ from the museum. I am sure some, or most, of you would have understood the significance of the bikes more than I.

Scrambler World:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7707608652_2b15cab822_z.jpg)

The Effenbert Arena:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7682843030_d02a71ef3d_z.jpg)

Where they danced:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7707615756_12124e17a7_z.jpg)

There were some old bikes kicking around too:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7707620980_e3928aeee1_z.jpg)

The Boss trying a Scrambler on for size ... yellow, of course:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7707816860_1a402aea22_z.jpg)

New Frontiers Galaxy

This area included a few smaller ‘stalls’ including Lamborghini (with a couple of cars), test ride / tour departure point and the wheelie simulator. Unfortunately the simulator didn’t seem to be operating very long or often. I was keen to get Jukie on to have a crack (it was set up with a 696) and I would have even liked the chance to embarrass myself. But with only a handful of opportunities for the tens of thousands present it was an impossible ask.

For us the main section of this area was the International Village – this seemed (unsurprisingly) to be the non-Italian tent and was the place that we met fellow DMFers and others. It is where we met up with DutchieAl, Raux and his German/American mate, Stopintime, Geoffduc and all his pommy mates as well as Skippy and his keepers.

We used it as a place to gather or re-group, sit, eat, drink and get out of the sun. There was always something going on whether it be singing, dancing or building engines against the clock.

The wheelie simulator:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7682819446_b262bbe1f5_z.jpg)

Skippy in the Village:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7682819080_37c7b802e0_z.jpg)

Where everybody came to relax:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7707620860_4556775f8b_z.jpg)

And let their hair down:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7707620726_d8efe75d1a_z.jpg)

Galaxy of Adrenalin

This area included the Audi taxis (race cars), more offerings from the likes of Arai and Dainese and the Minimotard and Freestyle areas/tracks. We managed to see a little bit of the ‘entertainment’ with moto-cross bikes and quads playing up ... but the heat and exposed position made it difficult to put in any continued effort.

The Ducati Desmo Challenge area was the pits/paddock for the bikes/riders/teams competing in the racing. Some of these guys have a pretty good set-up and make a huge commitment to put their bikes on the grid ... money is needed and plenty of it.

Airheads:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7707615916_32788de800_z.jpg)

Doing what they do:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7682843338_17462a836a_z.jpg)

My type of pit bike:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7707620574_06a4880066_z.jpg)

DMFers

We had been sending PMs to Geoffduc (Team GB ... just in case you haven’t seen any Olympic coverage) and Stopintime (the Norwegian God of Monster Modification) prior to our departure seeking information from these WDW veterans. We met these guys along with Raux (an American in German clothing and an unashamed advocate of the new-style Monsters) for the first time in the International Village.

Interesting that in a sea of thousands ... and having never met them before ... they managed to pick us out without any drama. For an anonymous nobody like me this could have been a challenge but I have become conditioned to Jukie constantly pulling a crowd – anyhow something made us instantly recognisable.

We also unexpectedly met Dutchieal ... a one- time/some-time member here, mate of many and driving force in the NSWDOC. He had borrowed (I think I remember him saying) a troublesome Paso from a mate in the Netherlands so not all ‘Aussies’ were sneaking in under barely tolerated non-rider rules. Again he had no problem identifying the Boss ... something about her appearances in a TV show featuring the Ducati Concours while wearing some Ducati branded, umm, clothing made her instantly recognisable. But to be fair, at least they had met before.

Geoffduc was travelling in convoy with a massive entourage of mad poms including one happy couple on their honeymoon. Seriously who does this for their honeymoon? Obviously a bloke who doesn’t mind sharing with a bunch of hot, smelly, leather-clad fellas ... oh and a wife who is a willing participant. We didn’t see all that much of Geoffduc as he abandoned us and left his mates behind. He has hinted that Jukie may have been a bit too much for him ... but I am unsure whether he was just sneaking off for a nanny(grandpa)-nap or just out making the most of the ‘what happens on tour, stays on tour’ philosophy. We spent some time chatting in the Village and watching a small part of the racing before he disappeared again.

Raux had an adventurous journey on the way down from Germany (which you may have already read about elsewhere) but he still managed to make it in time for his track session (unfortunately this was before we met). He had another mate from Germany with him (you may have seen his garage elsewhere) and oddly they both seemed to talk with American accents. The poor fella seemed a little hesitant and I can’t be sure if it was my enigmatic nature, the confronting excitement of my wife or the odd hesitance that new new-style monster owners have around the rest of us ... but by the close he seemed to tolerate us to a degree.

We spent some time chatting in the Village and caught up again at the big Party in town where he seemed far more interested in the band than I. Back at the track we watched some of the racing and cruised the ‘paddock’. Oh and there was that time he practically crash-tackled Paul Smart ... but don’t worry I managed to dust him off while Jukie distracted Paul with a little affection and we made our escape with some photos and a couple of signatures.

So ... the big man. Despite his omnipresence online and being such a riding force on the forum apparently Stopintime is a little shy. Perhaps not shy, maybe a little intimidated if his first encounter with Jukie set him back ... a few of you have also experienced the leaping monkey hug greeting (not one for those with a bad back). After having a strange woman hanging off him he became a little quiet for a bit.

But the track session brought him back to life ... as I mentioned above, he was far from shy on the track. Afterwards he also joined us in the grandstands to watch some of the racing and lament the poor efforts being put in during the WSBK testing ... don’t worry mate I am sure you will be discovered soon enough. We chatted about politics and Norwegian history ... so maybe WDW isn’t just a big party.

Jukie and Dutchieal getting reacquainted:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7708068442_772f89ec44_z.jpg)

Raux’s far from stock 696
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8022/7708074520_af457ce63c_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/7708074296_022eb27f96_z.jpg)

Stopintime’s far from stock S2R
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8291/7708078132_094ed2d863_z.jpg)

Geoffduc’s far from stock Tricolore S4R ... oh wait a minute. Not sure if it was a touch of senility or something else but is there really an excuse for not taking his Monster to an intergalactic DMF gathering?
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7708073774_d660beb255_z.jpg)

At least he told us it was his bike:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7708074030_3c368de536_z.jpg)

Jukie, Raux and Stopintime at the inter-continental DMF gathering ... hey at least one of them seems happy to be there:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7682819318_7e69557a0b_z.jpg)

All the top track guys have their groupies (Raux, Stopintime & Jukie):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7708073456_30b83f7648_z.jpg)

But only the truly great will join you in the stands:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7708078294_2b8ef91b12_z.jpg)

Speaking of racers and groupies ... Raux with an honorary DMFer:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7708971700_f575110eaf_z.jpg)

He sure was a friendly bloke:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7708971872_54ace044eb_z.jpg)

Even if he was a little prone to defacing other people's property:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7708971518_98c3853605_z.jpg)

The Bikes

As you know I am a mechanical numpty and my initial attraction to the marque (and bikes in general) probably had more to do with keeping in the good books of ‘she who is my world’ than any particular inclination of my own. But there is now little doubt that I have an affinity with the brand myself so although I may not be the most knowledgeable or accomplished of the Ducatisti/Wankerisiti I am now probably capable of ticking a few boxes off on the application form.

Anyhow it doesn’t stop me from taking a couple of happy snaps of bikes ... I just may not know what I have taken a picture of and in all likelihood will have missed the bikes and/or details that you lot may be after. Of course with thousands of bikes crammed in I was never going to be able to get them all, but if I saw something odd, interesting (to me or the Boss) I tried to get a photo ... a few of which are below.

I will post these up without comment, except for the first few ... I hope you see something to appreciate or ridicule ...

Some things you just don't expect to see at WDW ... such as a pink Harley:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7715121414_b03233ae8a_z.jpg)

Or Harley's with Ducati stickers:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7715132396_aa480a5cb2_z.jpg)

Of course we all know Multi-stroodle owners were a completely different species, this just proves it:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8430/7715121222_84571fb00d_z.jpg)

Some of the other weird, wacky or wonderful:

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7682819984_3dd00b74a8_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/7682819696_4276a03f37_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7682842058_6848f1db35_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7715121872_e67f178239_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7715121580_f522ef05bc_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7715133082_efdd0f259b_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7715132850_efea8dd422_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7715132630_1c739a5b4a_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7715132236_05f6e57d40_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/7715132066_b5c02e2f46_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7715131414_9520159c3b_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7715130896_1a912cde86_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7715130650_0fe91603c8_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7715130422_e56fc3f64d_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7715140232_fb38f48bec_z.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/7715139030_3b3ea987f6_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7715139696_2f1f8f0621_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7715140076_fed3653cf2_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7715139890_2fa959b743_z.jpg)

   Counting from the top down, I love the bike in photo no15, that underseat,tubular open exhaust looks great and the cream/white carbon like colour, what a beautiful bike.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7715130896_1a912cde86_z.jpg)

this one? because looking at it closely
that's Texalum (sp?) CF silver fiber
and that's a carbon subframe
and carbon wheels
and magnesium swingarm
holy crap I think that thing went on a freaking supermodel diet

wonder what the dry weight of it is?

 
   Thanks, thats the one allright, it sure looks like its had some time,thought and money put into it.  [drool]  Any more photos Betty, of that one ?

Sorry no more photos of that one ... its not very often a new-style monster catches my eye like that one did. I like how close the pipes sit (compared to those readily available in the marketplace) ... that was one of the things I wanted with my own pipes.

It's not too outlandish and I probably would have walked straight past if not for the white weave.

Sorry for the delay in broadcasting ... I have been busy with work'n'stuff.

Arezzo

So we are now on the run home and as we leave Misano we stop at a small hilltop walled town/castlely place (whose name escapes me) keen on flogging medieval souvenirs. Then we head on to Urbino for a wander around ... the usual church visits and the essential gelato.

The roads then start to get a bit more interesting again and we make a quick stop at tiny Peglio before heading over the Bocca Trabaria Pass which is over 1000m and it’s time to get serious with the ‘manual’ mode in the little DS3. The road is practically deserted and of the half a dozen vehicles we see, half of them are while we are stopped – a couple are heavy vehicles though.

We make further stops at Sansepolcro and Anghiari on our way down to Arezzo where we are booked into an old Abbey/Monastery/Farmhouse/Abandoned Farmhouse which is now a hotel perched up on the hillside. It is located out of town up a looong, skinny twisty and (in places) steep road – if you could guarantee no oncoming traffic it would be a good road to ‘learn’.

We start to wind down with a very cool swim in the pool (a complete contrast to the air temperature) and have a relaxing dinner overlooking ... well ... overlooking everything in the hotel’s swanky outdoor restaurant.

We visit the town of Arezzo but it is pretty disappointing primarily because our timing is all wrong – again. I am still unable to come to terms with everything in such a big town shutting down through the middle of the day – even the largest tourist attractions and food shops. Frustratingly it proves difficult to find a decent gelato in the centre of town ... but I am not to be denied.

Back to the hotel for another lovely dinner and Jukie’s interactions with the wait staff have her receiving quite generous liquid proportions.

Urbino:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7752402076_9471b2225f_z.jpg)

Anghiari:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7752401896_64472443d8_z.jpg)

Arezzo:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7752463262_be10306940_z.jpg)

Somewhere to stay outside Arezzo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7752463814_0920cf7cc7_z.jpg)

Unfortunately their indoor restaurant wasn't open:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7752463436_96b7f1cab7_z.jpg)

But the outdoor one wasn't bad:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/7752493980_7b88aaa4ec_z.jpg)

And the view was better:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7752463576_17581f42c3_z.jpg)

Perugia

We have a bit of time to cover a relatively short distance so make a stop at Casteliglione del Tresimino on Lago Tresimini where we climb all over the fort, visit the museum and wander through town.

We don’t actually make it to Perugia itself as once we arrive at our hotel we decide that is enough. We have booked into an old castle on the side of the hill. We wander around the grounds and check out the insides of the castle – a bit different to your usual chain hotel. Many of the books in the library, for example, are hundreds of years old ... it feels a bit like the Antiques Roadshow.

The fort on the lake:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7755521556_fbbed9ff45_z.jpg)

Somewhere different to stay:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7755634468_0e38a76912_z.jpg)

With more open air dining:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7755634666_e8a908c46c_z.jpg)

Rome

We decide to take the fast path back to Rome and see if we can sneak a visit out to Tivoli on the way to the airport. After the ‘crazy pregnant dog’ taking us on a bit of a wild goose chase – which included heading down an abandoned/closed tunnel/road with closed for construction signage and gates – we eventually find Villa d’este. The gardens are pretty impressive with all the water features – unfortunately some are out of action but that is of little consequence. The amount of water that must pump through this place is amazing.

We then head out to Hadrian’s Villa which is now little more than ruins but over a huge area – it was his country estate (apparently larger than contemporary Rome itself). They have a scale model in the info centre and it could be difficult to comprehend the enormity of this joker’s home-away-from-home. Obscene wealth is really only a poor descriptor for such an unfathomable waste of resources.

Anyway the heat is really starting to take its toll and we need to be making our way to the airport so we can drop off the car before they close. In the end we make it with 15 minutes to spare and about 45km left on the ‘till empty gauge’ – finally we got our timing right (but it could have been a disaster). All up we covered about 2,850km in the car.

Water features as far as the eye can see at Villa d'Este:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/7755634036_0a177c6861_z.jpg)

What Hadrian's was like back in the day:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8300/7755633790_3303f91fba_z.jpg)

An indication of how it looks today:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7755633610_c36ffa6ab9_z.jpg)

The Trip Home

Of course the airport is an opportunity to purge yourself of any remaining euros. As appears to be usual in these major international airports you are presented with more shopping opportunities once you pass through customs. What I assume to be all the major Italian (and other) fashion labels seem to be represented – conveniently there is a Ducati Store there for the truly red blooded.

We have a few hours in Dubai airport and than an excruciating hour or so in Bangkok airport as we leave the plane travel the length of the terminal, twice, struggle through security and then eventually re-enter the same plane again ... then it is back to Sydney ... and it’s all over.

These are the guys the Italians use to decorate their main International Airport:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7755959990_d70fe69ef6_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7755960130_f890e4d080_z.jpg)

So that is kinda the blow-by-blow as Rob had requested, hopefully it was brief enough. I will now revert back to the original plan and write about a few observations we made, challenges we faced, philosophical ramblings and some other shit. I promise that I will maintain a level of drivel so inane that you will be turning back to the Olympics broadcasting.

Thank you Betty enjoyed every bit,and some very good snaps,  can't wait for the book to be published  :-*
i,m sure if you drop your resume into Getaway  or any other jobs in the travel industry, your in. [thumbsup]

only last week on italian gardens on the ABC, was Villa d, Est,and they showed that exact same wall/part of the garden :)

Thanks Mark, that was beaut.  [thumbsup]










                                               Mmick

Thanks guys ... now for some of the other crap.

TICKETING - WDW

Once the ticketing information was finally available I checked to see what we needed to do ... and for those outside Europe you could either phone or email. Since my Italian is as good as my mechanical knowledge (practically non-existent) I decided email was the best option. I was assured that English would be fine so sent off the email. Then nothing.

Weeks went by before I thought I should try again – this time with the help of my friendly Google Translator ... and the response was immediate – in an Italian kinda way. I was told I just needed to send some details – exactly what details I have no idea. Anyhow I responded with our basic ID details and asked if there was anything else – there mustn’t have been as there was no response ... at all.

Things were getting desparate in a way that only an obsessive compulsive, anally retentive holiday planner can know ... so I tried the phone. I was having visions of flying to the other side of the world to attend a party only to be turned away at the gate. So on the phone I was connected to an English speaker and they couldn’t help me – the person I needed to talk to was not available. They took my contact details and promised the necessary person would contact me.

And then ... nothing. Again.

I had been in contact with a couple of WDW veterans on the forum and advice ranged from ‘avoid trying to get tickets at the gate at all costs’ to ‘should be pretty painless’. So we figured we would just try our luck when we got there. Besides, my wife consoled me with the fact that we would not be having a Ducati-free existence leading up to the big event so we would have ample opportunity to sort things out.

Whenever we got the chance at a Ducati store, factory or museum we would ask if they could help with tickets or any information on how we could get tickets ... now or at the event. Typically the response was ‘we can’t help’ but ranged from ‘what is World Ducati Week?’ to ‘try the internet’.

So when we finally rocked up to Misano and were directed to the ‘ticket office’ ... it really couldn’t have been much simpler. We asked at the desk and when we were sent down to another part of the desk we were having ‘oh here we go’ thoughts. At the next desk ... we just said we were from Australia to which the guy responded if we were here for one day or four. Of course we responded four so he gave us some passes and wished us well.

That was it, no passports or ID, no forms to fill out and nothing to pay. What the hell was I worried about ... oh that’s right that Italian attitude – in the end that was exactly all that we needed. If it’s too hard, make it easy – the complete opposite to Australian officialdom nowadays.

We're in! ... Well almost:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7757740694_7cce333cbd_z.jpg)

And we were close to the last ones there on Sunday ... that's the 'ticket office' in the background:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7757751330_362ee85ba8_z.jpg)

Thanks Mark.  [thumbsup]  I enjoyed that.  Would love to get to some of those places myself one day.  Particularly the coastal walks part.

Not too sure about ever attending a WDW though - sounds like too many people for my liking apart from meeting fellow DMFer's of course.  What did you mean when you referred to "barely tolerated non-rider rules" in the bit about meeting the DMFer's?

And I find it very hard to imagine anyone being made uncomfortable by Jukie.  :o What's wrong with them eh?

To be honest I had similar thoughts ... I am not one for partying and try to avoid crowds (some would say I am an anti-social bastard, but I'm really just shy) ... but it is an enjoyable event. In reality it is no more crowded than the rest of the country but because it is all about the bikes you tend not to notice the number of people so much. You also find yourself forgetting that you are a tourist to some degree.


Firstly I should say that the 'car' parking area was never stretched in capacity with perhaps dozens of cars ... but the bikes would need to be measured in their thousands ... no real surprise but 'everyone' rides.

With regard to the above comment I can't remember exactly how it came about but pretty sure it was return fire from one of the boys. When I questioned them on something ... the retort was along the lines 'well at least i bothered to bring my bike'. Fair enough too.


The comfort levels definitely changed throughout ... but for the uninitiated, she may be a little confronting. It's a bit like the event itself ... you just need to get carried along with the enthusiasm - it's been working for me for a while now.

MY WIFE LIVES IN THE MATRIX

When you have the chance to get away from the everyday it may free your mind a little to allow you to see what is really going on ... a forest for the trees type of scenario. Well I had a moment of clarity while we were away and it was bike related.

While we were winding our way through the Tuscan hills it all became very clear. The Boss was in control (yes, yes ... as always) and I was being thrown around the car. Any reprieve is welcome to allow the blood to flow back to my extremities as I loosen my grip on the pack-shit bars and take the tension out of my joints and muscles. I am a bit sore at the end of it all and the passenger side footwell now has impression of my feet permanently stamped into the firewall.

But, as always, I digress ... back to my moment of clarity. It was when I realised why Jukie is a better rider than I am – it’s because she lives in the Matrix. In this digital world, things are on or off (a world of ones and zeroes) ... and this is evident in her steering. I have often joked about the way she controls the ride-on mower – a technique I refer to as brake via steering.

So this explains how she is faster through a twisting rode on the bike than I am – when applied to counter-steering the on-off technique reigns supreme. For me (apparently an aging analogue model) giving the bars a good quick shove is something I have struggled with. Regardless of my attempts to practise, the courses I have done and books I have read there has always been a disconnect between what I need/want to do and what my conservative instincts allow my body to actually do.

Thankfully I can be smooth enough on a road I am intimately familiar with but otherwise you will usually find me cautiously tottering along at the back of the pack ... with analogue steering.

One of the few opportunities to pull over for a break on the 'enjoyable' country roads:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7758024436_fe1513acdc_z.jpg)

Someone looking a bit bored in the passenger seat:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7758034032_ba373f8322_z.jpg)

FOOTWEAR

It would seem that the Italians have devised some all-purpose footwear suitable for all occasions ... high heels. The higher and more uncomfortable the better but they can be worn at all times:
•   Breakfast (or any other meal)
•   Walking the dog
•   Visiting the beach
•   Church
•   Driving
•   Riding ... scooters, motorbikes, pushbikes
•   Any other purpose really
•   They are particularly well suited to a certain type of rough terrain which is commonplace in Italy – the cobblestone streets

Of course I am not taking the piss, this is extremely serious. Prime real estate in the centre of Florence is dedicated to a ‘shoe’ museum – and from what I understand this is not some closet collection of some lunatic fetishist. There are several floors where people (you read right I did not say women) come to pay homage and worship all that is the over-priced, impractical products of self-torture and mutilation.

This building houses the shoe museum in Florence:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7758158396_7b408ac9c7_z.jpg)

I thought this place across the road would be more interesting but it just seemed to be another fashion house:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7758158508_1a49e28e7a_z.jpg)

ROADMARKINGS

The general roadmarkings in Italy serve one purpose and one purpose only ...  and that is to indicate the direction the road heads. These markings are not used to indicate the edge of the road, the centre of the road, to signify positioning or direction on the road nor to separate vehicles travelling in the same direction – shit, not even to separate traffic travelling in opposite directions.

All they do is show the path.

They do of course have some special purpose roadmarkings and some of these are regional or even city specific:
•   White parking bays indicate free parking
•   Blue parking bays indicate metered/paid parking ... unless you are a local but if you are a tourist (particularly with French plates) you are screwed despite what hotel staff may tell you
•   Yellow parking bays indicate ‘special condition’ parking such as local residents, disabled, etc
•   Particularly in Rome pedestrian crossings indicate diagonal parking bays
•   In parts of Milan the ‘centre line’ is used as a guide to parking. If you have a small enough car, big enough balls and precise parking abilities – you can park on the centre line. Extraordinary astrological alignment could allow you to return to your car without it being temporarily relocated or extensively modified by a passing tram ... oh and remember to tuck your wing mirrors in
•   Parking bays are sized according to the smallest, commercially available vehicle and then reduced by a further 15%
•   Intersections (street corners) are also useful places to park – no line markings are necessary

Roadmarkings in Italy are much like the ‘racing line’ marked out for the Olympic marathon on Sydney streets. It indicates the most direct route between designated points using the road ... and this is how Italians use it. But much like the ‘marathon path’ most roadmarkings have been warn away through traffic use or re-surfacing.

It doesn’t matter if it was a pedestrian crossing, lane markings, parking bays or centre lines. They have all seen that much ‘action’ most have worn into practical non-existence – and not even Italians are brave (substitute whatever word you prefer there) enough to stay on the road long enough to rejuvenate them.

This is actually quite orderly by local standards:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7772595230_26a087e122_z.jpg)

Parking is always an exercise in precision:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7772603966_6089d2435a_z.jpg)

On the corner and over the crossing - no parking bays, no problem ... especially if you have horsies on your car:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7772620640_c16af756bf_z.jpg)

DRIVING

But the road is there to be used and the whole road is used:
•   The wrong side of the road provides improved viewing angles as you approach blind corners
•   Lazy drivers (you could substitute the words conservative, safe or those without a death wish) may leave gaps in the traffic large enough to fit a bike or scooter and they should expect them to be filled with a bike/scooter/car/van/truck/bus/articulated vehicle
•   If you are not in a hurry you should not be on the road
•   If you are timid you deserve what you get

However I found that in most cases I didn’t even qualify as timid and was thus unworthy of even receiving pity. Instead I achieved the exalted status of a Volvo driver – everybody else kept their distance – if I simply puttered along I was not even seen as a challenge, not even a moving chicane ... so all was good.

Jukie on the other hand was ‘well-up’ for the challenge ... and she is still convinced she has no Italian blood in her. Certainly seemed to drive like a native ... like a duck to water it was.

Now of course the Italians have a reputation for being the worst drivers in Europe ... something they are actually quite proud of. But in reality, that is only because they cannot publicly admit that they are routinely outdone by the Polish.

The thing is though that the traffic generally flows pretty well. Mirrors are for tourists only – why would you want to know what is happening behind you or beside you when you have somewhere to be? They do seem rather focused on the prize and that is where they are headed.

It is quite refreshing that vehicles move to the outside lanes on multi-lanes roads ... almost without exception and certainly without hesitation. The exception of course is around Rome ... where they are all nucking futs. But so as not to make road travel boring (this is the no hesitation part) they are intent to see how close they can get without exchanging paint ... although I think some secretly hold the ambition of testing the paint adhesion quality in the process.

Oh and my final driving tip for those heading anywhere near a town ... get a small car (you certainly won’t be alone) ... pulling your wing mirrors in to pass is common and a necessity for parking. Three point turns to take a corner can be a little embarrassing if you are in a small hatchback but if you were in a larger car it is quite possible you may actually get stuck.

Boy did someone have some fun coming down the Bocca Trabaria Pass:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7772678586_165c2e0efa_z.jpg)

In Florence they make an effort not to park on pedestrian crossings.
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn174/748s/IMG_0408.jpg)

... and they have their special electric vehicle parking with plug-in stations:

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7780146902_cd86c06fbe_z.jpg)

CROSSINGS

As I have already discussed marked pedestrian crossings in certain locales are used as parking bays – but they can still serve a purpose for pedestrians. The guidebooks will tell you that pedestrian crossings are the place to cross the street – as in, you are slightly less likely to be maimed or killed while using them compared to just crossing the street at any random location.

Of course drivers/riders will not stop or even slow down if they see a pedestrian waiting to cross the road – or, indeed, even if in the process of crossing the road – at a dedicated crossing … or anywhere else. Eyes on the prize remember.

Of course as a wandering tourist you will need to cross plenty of roadways so the key here is not to make eye contact as this can only confuse matters. Whether your eyes show your emotions of hope, insanity, pleading, apologetic surprise or simply life fearing panic ... these emotions can be easily misconstrued. So avoid eye contact at all costs. The tricky bit is when to enter the roadway and for this I devised a cunning plan. The best course of action was to wait ... and watch. But don’t watch the traffic ... what you want to do is watch approaching pedestrians.

What you are waiting and watching for is somebody (typically a local) who is much braver (or possibly infinitely more stupid) than you are who also wants to cross the road. Now all you have to do is follow them. Don’t shelter behind them ... because this puts you in just as much danger as they are – stay offset to the rear. And remember – never make eye contact.

Also in the interests of self-preservation don’t hesitate. This is not only a sign of weakness but also indicates your willingness to become a road statistic and you will summarily be executed as a sacrifice to the Gods of motoring and roadways.

As a cultural experience which can only be understood after travelling abroad I now understand how it can be that people refer to Italian motor vehicles (such as Ducati) as having a soul. It would seem that every soul that is taken as a road statistic is transferred to a vehicle during manufacture. If you are questioning the maths involved here, fear not. Italy attracts more tourists than most other nations and for each soul that is taken via road statistics there are thousands of others who willingly trade their soul in order to ensure safe passage.

This also goes a long way to explain why the ‘soul’ of some of our bikes seems quite different to others – it is all relative to the donor.

But there are other devices used by the Italians to ensure they maintain a constant accrual of souls ... primarily the traffic light. Often these are used to dictate the flow of traffic but blind faith is a rookie mistake – like all things over there, it is not so much a rule as a guideline. I mean, why wait at a red light if you don’t have to ... if you see a gap, fill it – these things are all ingrained in the psyche of the Italian motorist.

Pedestrians don’t even register – traffic lights or not. To further confuse the uninitiated ... there is little consistency across a roadway. On a wider road it is common to have three or four different indicators for pedestrians to make a single crossing and at no time are they ever in synch. If you had mastered the game of Frogger as a youngin’ you may stand a better chance. But regardless we can rest assured there will be a constant supply of ‘souls’ for Ducatis long into the future regardless of the ownership structure.

With every street crossing a near death experience, there is little wonder why there are so many churches:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7780203748_d14e317ce1_z.jpg)

No shortage of bling either, I'm certain it's all related:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7780203426_c1485d108c_z.jpg)

Of course not everyone is lucky enough to survive:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7780222312_1440dc82fe_z.jpg)

They even document it with pictures, where do you think these souls are going:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7780327226_83342f2ae3_z.jpg)

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7715131414_9520159c3b_z.jpg)

little off topic, but can anyone tell me Why there is a radiator on an air cooled 2 valver??

I don't know, but speculate... either a hidden oil cooler within the radiator or the radiator cools a water cooled oil cooler (like the Panigale)

It's an ST2 motor... watercooled heads

FOOTBALL

It was interesting that in the first week of our return the final State of Oranges match was on (that would be Rugby League for those unfamiliar) and I remember part of the commentary talking about the crowd generated atmosphere ... apparently it was the best this seasoned commentator had ever experienced. Hmm, I’d guess they have never been to a European football match.

Unfortunately we missed the Serie A season again but we were in Italy while Euro 2012 was on. Although it was being held in Poland and the Ukraine you wouldn’t really know it. The major towns/cities had massive live sites setup and the smaller towns just got by with whatever was at their disposal.

On the tele they have a couple of dozen channels dedicated to football. So if you missed your local Serie C (third division) team playing their sixth round match in 1991 ... just keep an eye on the guides it could be playing next week.

Italy were playing Ireland while we were in Cinque Terre and every second door in town had a TV setup for public viewing with people flowing out into the public spaces. Chanting and singing was constant throughout the match with occasional, exceptional outbursts – both orchestrated and random. It was actually quite interesting to watch the tourists watching the locals – a tourist attraction in itself ... Americans seemed particularly intrigued.

The big one was Italy vs England while we were in Misano – it was the last day of WDW and the quarter-finals of the Euro. We just happened to be watching the game with pommie mates of Geoffduc in an outdoor seaside restaurant. Every business in town had the game showing but apparently using different broadcasters as the cheering from different venues was out of synch – certainly gave us the tip as to who was about to score (or not) in the shootout.

Once Italy had won that’s when the fun really started. Everyone was out in the streets, dancing singing and generally acting like, well, I actually don’t know what else would make people so deliriously happy (remember it was ‘only’ the quarters). People were out ‘cruising the strip’ with passengers hanging out of windows, doors, boots or the roof ... blowing horns and acting like steroid fuelled Olympic gold medallists.

We were just about to board our plane home when Italy were playing Germany in the semis. The Italian fella following the game on his iDevice may have been the only Italian on the outbound flight. I think he realised this midflight as he instinctively leapt with joy upon discovering the Italians had just scored.

They definitely have a passion for the sport which I think transcends mere fanaticism and is now pushing beyond the boundaries of religion. You often find football ‘pitches’ in some of the most unlikely places. It is an essential part of any town’s planning and if it can’t be planned – a solution will eventually be found. The church was meant to be the nucleus of any community but I think it has been supplanted by the ‘pitch’ ... in some cases it is difficult to delineate between them.

I am generally not one for bloodsports so it may have been a good thing we were just a little early for the Florentine football final. They were setting up in the Square when we did our Segway tour – incidentally causing a little altercation and a little spilt blood.

But if I had the opportunity I don’t think I could have avoided the intrigue of watching the game. It is often described as a combination of football, basketball and boxing or handball, rugby and wrestling. Regardless of the description there appears no doubt that it is a brutally violent game akin to an all-in brawl. Many of the locals seem to tolerate it only out of some long held sense of regional loyalty to the historic ways of the past and an obligation to uphold tradition.

Corniglia's church and its  adjoining stairway to heaven:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7798397318_f88ceb6360_z.jpg)

Well, no so much heaven ... but the town's football 'pitch':
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7798397118_28e7cd66fa_z.jpg)

... and that fence/net ain't there for show ... the ballboys have a tough enough job already:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7798396886_cf384de9af_z.jpg)

BIKE RACING

Maybe as passionate but not quite as widespread as the devotion to football is the following received by motorcycle racing. Admittedly bikes are a regular part of the ‘every day’ here so there is not the division which can be so discriminatory elsewhere in the world. Some of the behaviour evident on the streets lends itself to the theory that all riders (from 50cc scooters to superbikes) have, often barely hidden, aspirations to be the best racer in the world.

Of course there are dedicated bike channels on the TV. So you can go from watching mini-moto racing with 8 year old kids being interviewed after they climb the podium to past GP races such as the one I mentioned in a post elsewhere on the forum about watching the current MotoGP stars squaring off in the 125s some years ago.

Unfortunately I often forgot that over there the racing is actually held in the afternoon ... rather than being shown at some gawd-awful time of the morning/night. Combine this with the fact that I was never entirely sure what day it was and we were often out doing the ‘tourist thing’ when the big races were on.

Since the bike racing was not considered one of those obscure sports that nobody follows like Real Tennis or Bog Snorkelling, information was easy to come by. It was not uncommon, for instance, to have hotel staff be able to quote the qualifying times of the front two rows of the grid and the starting positions for the remainder. All a bit different to back home.

Preparing the grid:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7798507170_1f8c3f3ed2_z.jpg)

Because they start 'em young:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7798507380_ab019c7a85_z.jpg)

But even if they grow physically, they never really 'grow up':
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7798511012_606e4a5388_z.jpg)

Loving the thread, pics and commentary.

Many thanks.

GK

ACCOMMODATION

For us we took the easy option booking hotels online before we left and this was primarily due to my fear of not having a plan. The guest commentaries we found online proved to be pretty accurate in most cases so long as you ignore the extreme views of those that simply can’t accept that some things may occasionally go wrong or those unwilling or incapable of understanding that everything won’t be the same as ‘back home’ when you are visiting a foreign country.

Our main concern with finding accommodation was that we needed to be able to park the car – for the holiday we had planned we really did need to have a car even though we did spend a lot of time in the bigger cities. Other than when we stayed out in the hills we were typically within walking distance of the major attractions with free parking in all but a few cases.

We had to pay a little for parking in Bologna but the hotel was so cheap it was of little consequence. We also had to pay in Milan (no surprise there as you pay for everything in Milan) but our car was safely locked away in an automated parking system. Turin was quite expensive (but nothing like Sydney expensive) and a bit of a shit because the parking was a few blocks away from the hotel (they failed to mention that).

No real complaints about any of the hotels and we would probably stay at most of them again if the need arose. All offered the same basic facilities regardless of size, type of building or location. Only one didn’t have the air conditioning switched on (although a couple of others may be described as impotent) and we only had to pay (a nominal fee) for wifi internet once. The internet was the major change from 3 years ago ... previously we (I) only had free internet in one hotel and it was hideously expensive everywhere else.

A somewhat typical room:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7114/7813450752_966829d90b_z.jpg)

A not so typical exterior:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7813443528_f66af7b075_z.jpg)

There was always some public space to chill out:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8305/7813443890_bdb0ddf465_z.jpg)

Although the decor was a little out-dated in some:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8445/7813444074_b4e304980b_z.jpg)

The facilities generally weren't too bad:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7813443740_e6e7e55e6a_z.jpg)

HOTEL STAFF

Other than our little incident with parking in Rome we didn’t have any issue with hotel staff. They were generally friendly, helpful and accommodating – particularly considering our lack of Italian language skills. Our occasional wearing of some Ducati regalia often caught the attention of hotel staff and often involved a little discussion – most were surprised that we had Ducatis at home and as the conversation evolved astonished to find out we also have the Lammie and the Bambino.

A few interactions worth noting:

In Siena Lorenzo was a Harley rider (lightly modified with a touch of airbrushing) ... he said he could never own a Ducati as they are too fast and too powerful.

In Florence one of the guys remarked how his sister had a Monster. When I said we had four Ducatis he correctly guessed that Jukie had a 600-series Monster but was astounded that such a little girl would also have an S4Rt.

In Milan the hotel manager Flavio was a complete bike nut. He rode an R1 and said he could never afford a Ducati but was about to get his young son into mini-moto so they could share the passion together. At previous hotels on the East Coast he had close encounters with (Sir) Troy Bayliss and Valentino. His most prized possession was a shirt signed by Bayliss which he gave him off his back – apparently it has never been washed and is the first thing he shows to any guests to his home. As we chatted the iPad came out and we showed him some photos including Jukie with Mick Doohan (he is a God).

In Cinque Terre they had a Lambretta serving tray that they used for breakfast. Unfortunately during discussions about our collection we asked where we might be able to find one – which meant they would have known where it was if it just happened to disappear. Apparently the poms now own all the marketing rights for the Lambretta nameplate ... so it is extremely difficult to find any souvenirs.

In Misano the interactions with the staff from a bike point of view were only worthy of note because they were unaware of anything to do with WDW ... ‘oh, umm, we do have a couple of people staying with us that are on bikes’ was about the best I could get. This was a large hotel only a couple of kilometres from the track and with a row of Ducatis out the front ... apparently the staff were unaware of the event and oblivious to all the flags and banners decorating the nearby streets.

A couple of other interesting things happened on our last couple of nights but they related to dinner not bikes. At our hotel in Arezzo we were each given a menu, but they were different – a ‘his’ and ‘hers’. Perhaps it is merely an indication of my lack of experience in this type of establishment but I had never encountered that before ... it doesn’t happen at the Pie Shop or MacDoobies. As it turns out the female version of the menu does not have any prices listed ... but that’s OK ‘cos Jukie always paid the bills anyway.

On our last night in Perugia, we had an interesting time at dinner and again it was menu related. Our poor waiter couldn’t speak a word of English but he only provided us with an English menu. Of course when our meals arrived they were completely wrong ... not even close to what we ordered. It felt like an episode of Fawlty Tours ... but no harm done. We felt so sorry for the guy he had already had a torrid time dealing with an elderly American couple with very specific demands and they refused to even attempt to converse in Italian. Next time we’ll just ask for an Italian menu.

Lorenzo's bike:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7813437522_e109456bb6_z.jpg)

'That' tray:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7813447262_53a86d2801_z.jpg)

THE CRAZY pregnant dog

The car we had leased had an in-built Sat-Nav but it seemed a little sparing with the information sharing, so we left it off and used the screen for trip info. We had never really had a GPS before and we bought one specifically for this trip ... since we had pre-programmed all the hotel addresses in before we left it made sense to use our own . However she did earn herself a name ... ’the Crazy pregnant dog’ (this may clarify things for those of you who, until now thought my references to the Crazy pregnant dog were directed at Jukie).

Most of the time she was quite helpful but occasionally she would just lose the plot - but I will admit that I couldn’t have got by without her (or one of her kin). One of the things that caused a lot of frustration was the pronunciation. It is some twisted version of Anglosized-Italian which just sounds plain wrong as they try to speak as the words are written not how they should be pronounced ... but sometimes they are not even pronounced as they are written. Weird.

It all becomes a bit frustrating after a while and I was even tempted to change over from English to Italian but was certain that I would at some point confuse my sinistras with my destras in the heat of battle and there would be carnage. Long street names, abbreviated street names, lack of signage, confusing signage, streets too close together and too many streets running off roundabouts all caused confusion at some stage ... but somehow we managed to survive without incident.

I have since been informed that the lady in the GPS is an Aussie girl ... but the Americans don’t like being told what to do by foreigners so they run the voice through some sort of digitiser so it sounds more like a machine. Apparently the Americans refuse to follow directions from foreigners but will blindly follow the directions of a computer. Interesting.

Believe it or not, this is not the 'Crazy pregnant dog':
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7813650108_f500ac65ae_z.jpg)

‘WORKING’ PEOPLE

Our first ... umm ... exposure to this was on the approaches to Turin. My first thought was that the poor girl had broken down and had taken the opportunity to sit out in the sun – I thought that perhaps her clothing may draw some unwanted attention on such as busy roadway. But then it dawned on me ... attention was exactly what she wanted to draw with her choice of clothing (or lack thereof).

Our initial impressions were that the standard was somewhat more aesthetically pleasing than what was common near our childhood homes back on Canterbury Road. These girls were far from shy, beckoning passersby to slow down or approach as they displayed their wares ... and display they do.

We had heard that the Ducati factory was located in a ‘red light’ district but had never seen any evidence of that ... until our third visit. Maybe we were a little naive previously or perhaps Turin had opened our eyes. But I think that working for Ducati must be a stressful occupation with employees in constant need of relief as the ‘girls’ in the area seemed to have led a hard life.

Not to be outdone we also saw a bit of ‘activity’ around Tivoli (outside Rome) which was effecting the flow of traffic – frustrating when you need to get your car back to the depot so you have time to make your flight. I s’pose it also confirms what people are actually ‘up’ to when towns shut down for hours in the middle of the day ... at least I know somebody is working during these hours.

Now although this girl was working, she was not 'working' in the manner suggested in my post. I simply wanted to point out the innovative use of cable ties:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7813692382_3e048daaaf_z.jpg)

DOGS

Not related to my previous posting, but there are quite a lot of dogs in Italy ... well, perhaps there is actually less (per capita) than at home but how and where you see them is the difference.

City streets, cafes and restaurants, occasionally churches and tourist destinations, shops, handbags and hotels ... pretty much everywhere. Of course wherever you have dogs, you have dogshit ... so you need to be vigilant.

Of course this brought about another of those moments of clarity and this one had a biking theme. When I was warned to “watch the dogshit” – the biking related doctrine that sprung to mind was target fixation. Although I didn’t circum myself ... I post it here as a warning for others – don’t watch the dogshit!

Taking photos of dogs isn't really my thing, so you'll have to settle for a ferret ... apparently Milan must be almost as trendy as Newtown:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7817367566_d289200e9e_z.jpg)

What part of Italy was this one taken Mark....?

(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac55/braando54/Rentaldocuments001.jpg)

Well that was at Italian Pits. And they both made it to eastern creek and back. And i was sure i sighted you mv mate on the way back and this just proves it. A great day out for all [thumbsup]

Yeah, 'twas interesting that despite MV F4 RRs & Panigale Tricolores in the parking area these two seemed to be getting all the attention. 130 mile round trip ... the Lammie had a slight edge on looong hills, but didn't quite have the top end for keeping up with the Bambino on the motorways - fair to blame the respective pilots there I think.

But I reckon they held their own considering the combined engine capacity of under 650cc and combined age over 90. Unfortunately we missed our lap around the track but we managed to get driven around in Morgans ... that new section has definitely changed things up a notch.

Now back to business ...

SMOKING

Similar but far more confronting to the presence of dogs is the presence of smokers, in fact smoking was so commonplace I was somewhat surprised to see dogs rarely smoking when out in public. But it seems that everyone else smokes ... everywhere!

It has to be one of the compulsions of the ‘nanny state’ back home that I can actually be grateful for (apologies to any drug addicts reading). The sheer number of people makes cigarette smoke impossible to avoid. Although the church is claimed to be the focal point of the community surely it is actually the Tabaccheria. Whereby tobacconists are practically extinct in Australia nowadays they are everywhere in Italy and such a cornerstone of everyday life that authorities and utility providers have taken advantage of their presence to expand their networks.

The Tabaccheria is the place to buy your ciggies obviously - but typically (as not all or always) is a place to re-charge your phone credit, buy your tickets to tourist attractions or public transport and pay your infringement notices.

Of course for the true addict needing a fix during the couple of hours a day that the Tabaccheria is closed or for those unable to walk the 23.4 metre average between them you can always depend on vending machines which are available to everyone.

Although nothing like the Japanese infatuation - vending machines appear to be becoming increasingly popular with vending machine ‘shops’ popping up in the towns ... these are completely unattended and mostly offer all sorts of foodstuffs both hot and cold. Of course the vending machine that doesn’t quite rival the cigarette but runs a close second is the condom vending machines ... every second corner seems to have one ... a necessary convenience when all the shops are closed during ‘business’ hours.

The smoke was so thick in places, it was difficult to see the big names out on track:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7825558692_43ea1aef64_z.jpg)

Oh and the Boss wanted me to add this one to show how the addiction appears to have impacted on their architecture and advertising placement:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7832717576_6de7ee6969_z.jpg)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Although we had the car and did a shitload of walking (even when unnecessary) sometimes it was best to take public transport. It was not always a simple or painless experience ... but neither of us were raped, murdered or mugged at any time despite warnings posted on travel advisories. The Metro lines would have to be my tip for the easiest most efficient and surprisingly cost effective method of travel – Australian governments could learn a thing or three from these type of systems.

The Metro in Rome is meant to be a pretty scary experience but we had no trouble on this or our previous trip. Sure it is starting to look a bit grotty and run down ... but hey, it’s Rome. It is also quite crowded and this obviously presents opportunities for the unsavoury to take advantage of the unwary.

Our taxi trip out to Vittorio’s museum in Rodano near Milan was expensive but saved us a lot of hassle. We decided to then test the rail system on the way back.

The train back into Milan was a bit tough. At a suburban station servicing an industrial area it was not exactly geared towards tourists. Broken ticket and validation machines as well as a complete lack of signage or network maps made it a challenging experience. With four platforms and no idea where the trains were headed it was interesting. Once on the train we could converse with some locals (so we knew we were headed in the right direction) but they could not understand why we would be willing to walk a kilometre or two back to the hotel when we could simply buy two more tickets and change on to three more trains to get within a couple of hundred metres of the hotel.

We also caught the Metro in Milan mainly as a time saver as we tried to get out to Ducati Milano before it closed. Perhaps a step up on the system in Rome but a little more confusing for the uninitiated with the number of lines.

The Metro in Turin would have to be the pick though ... relatively new so clean and presentable rolling stock. The driverless system is different but very efficient its only problem being the annoying warning buzzers at the closing of doors.

In contrast the train in Cinque Terre was a complete pain in the arse. When trains run late and out of order they don’t change the order on the arrivals board ... this was how we ended up in La Spezia. We caught six trains in Cinque Terre and only one was on time, of course this was the one we made allowance for late running in our planning so we arrived for our dive way too early – early arrivals is another thing Italians simply can’t comprehend.

The ferry along the Cinque Terre coast was fantastic ... close enough to on-time running and you had the opportunity to hop on and off to visit the towns. The views back along the coastline weren’t too bad either and considerably easier than walking the paths.

Timetables were completely useless for the bus we caught in Misano and it was bloody crowded – and if I was to guess – I would say most were not there for WDW. This stretch of the coastline is like Italy’s Gold Coast ... and it seems to be the place Italians go for holidays.

The forward view aboard the driverless Metro in Turin:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7832673276_75968bd465_z.jpg)

The ferry being loaded at Vernazza in Cinque Terre:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8292/7832691230_c700aaf881_z.jpg)

The path the ferry takes on the way into Portovenere:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/7832683702_e7bd0b954b_z.jpg)

THE BEACHES

We had a little taste of the Italian beach scene on our last trip during Jukie’s recovery and it was rather uninspiring. So much so that we didn’t really feel the need to experience it again – but I will re-cap for you lot.

Last time we were taken to the beach where we had to fight for shade under an inadequate umbrella. The umbrellas are hired and the beaches (almost all of them) are private so you pay for the privilege of sharing the beach with thousands of others all crammed in under identical umbrellas (well the colours vary from one private beach to the next). You are constantly being bombarded with hawkers trying to sell their fake sunnies and handbags.

If you venture down to the water, there are boats trawling up and down the coast just off shore with their loudspeakers blaring out advertisements. Relatively few people were actually in the water, but each private beach has their own lifeguard. The role of the lifeguard is two-fold: they are responsible for selling/hiring flotation devices and also to make sure nobody gets into trouble in the water.

When I say ‘make sure nobody gets into trouble’ I mean: make sure nobody goes any deeper than their waist in water. Now you have to remember that the sea here is dead flat most of the time – ‘surfing’ only exists at internet cafes. I was reprimanded for putting myself (and quite possibly the lifeguard) in danger by recklessly adventuring too far from shore – when I stood up the water level was no higher than my navel ... and I’m a short arse.

So, as I said ... we didn’t really feel the need to pay for the privilege of ‘going to the beach’ again. But don’t worry, there is no shortage of takers – the beaches are always crowded. People seem quite content to pay for their umbrella and just lay there all day ... quite often not even using the umbrella just laying there leathering up (oh, and smoking). Although it was typically really hot when we were near the coast with rarely a breeze the sun just doesn’t seem as intense as it is back home.

So a typical Italian holiday seems to be to drive the family out to the coast, stay in an overpriced hotel (quite often with a pool), then pay for the special rate the hotel has negotiated to hire an umbrella at the beach across the road probably owned by the same people. Then you lay in the sun all day. Once you have done this everyday for a week or so you pack up and head home again.

Not the best photo to show a typical beach scene ... but headland to headland umbrellas with barely a person in the water:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7832677776_9439fd9b8f_z.jpg)

Beach grooming takes place after closing:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7832691682_08b0045e60_z.jpg)

When things are a bit quieter:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7832696844_4d62dfd21d_z.jpg)

Do you have safe parking IN the hotel?
 - yes!
So, I'm able to park my moto there and it's closed during the night?
 - no, it's in the street.
So, you don't have parking in the hotel?
 - no.

Do you have safe parking IN the hotel?
 - yes!
So, I'm able to park my moto there and it's closed during the night?
 - no, it's not closed.
But it's in the hotel?
 - no, it's near by.
So, you don't have safe parking in the hotel?
 - no.

No matter how specific I was, they always tried to decorate the true situation.
Just a little annoying - no biggie.
One of the hotels told me to send an email, which I think is business-Italian for 'make the beast with two backs off'  ;D

[laugh]

Now stop in time
 don't you know that Yes means No and No means No

KERMIT

He wasn’t green (thankfully), but he was a little Frog. Kermie was the nick-name our lease car was given ... a little DS3 Citroen. Part of the attraction of leasing was that we could basically choose which car we wanted ... so long as it was French and offered under the short-term leasing setup, but anyway you knew what was available by looking online.

Leasing gave us a couple of advantages – we weren’t paying through the nose for a slightly higher spec model, the car is brand spanking new, we didn’t have to pay extra for sat-nav, we didn’t have to pay extra for a second driver (up to 50% more for some of the hire agreements we saw), the thing was fully insured (with road assist) and no excess. No excess could be a big win as you won’t end up arguing over some bullshit claim for damages from the hire car mob when you really do have a plane to catch (and they know it).

Also by choosing a slightly higher spec model it came as an auto (with a clutchless manual change thingy if you felt so inclined). Now you may all view this as the soft-cock option ... but most reasonable cars available in Australia nowadays aren’t manual – our daily driver hasn’t had a clutch pedal for a few years. Of course it all falls into place when your left hand falls on a manual gearstick ... but over there some idiot seems to have moved all the steering wheels on to the wrong side of the car.

With trying to remember which side of the car to get in on, which side of the street to drive on, trying to find our way and mindful of the maniacal drivers/riders ... using the wrong hand to change gears would practically guarantee failure. So I am comfortable with the less than manly choice.

The manual over-ride did come in handy on occasion especially when out on the twisty roads in the hills. Occasionally the poor thing would get caught out on a steep climb or coming out of an uphill corner ... so the manual allowed you to hold a gear or shift before the turn as appropriate. Plus it was much more fun that way.

The four speed did seem a bit limiting at times but that is probably only because it is so noticeable if you are accustomed to 6 or 7 speed boxes. It was also the first time I had driven a car with a flat bottom steering wheel which feels unusual to begin with ... but I think it helps to hold a line through a corner. No doubt this is not really the intention ... but merely some half-arsed attempt to make it like a race car. I mean it’s a 1.6l turbo with a 4 speed auto and an adjustable steering column ... for Pietro’s sake ... this ain’t no race car.

But it was certainly comfortable and enjoyable enough for our purposes. It seemed to handle well, coped with our luggage yet was small enough to get where we needed to go. All good I’d say.

Kermie at handover/pick-up:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7843116318_dfc0ce5b75_z.jpg)

Aerial view of his froginess:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7843118780_f4ce354c04_z.jpg)

And in a prime parking spot:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7843125914_de8996e22b_z.jpg)

THE END

So, if there is anybody still out there reading this crap, I assume you have had enough of me by now ... I think I am done. But if you have any questions or comments, criticisms or piss-taking ... fire away.

Hmm and just to prove what a little exposure on the DMF can do for your career (if there is still anybody around that can remember back that far) ... look who we found performing on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7843122148_393dd192aa_z.jpg)

It's our old mate Claudio:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7843122270_3b9de0dd95_z.jpg)

You ain't finished yet :P
What about the cost ???

*Car lease /hire
*Fuel prices
*What you would expect to pay for accommodation.
*Food restaurant prices best places to eat.
*Most important Booze/alcohol/cigarettes [wine]
*Entry fees to Musems/Historical sites.
*Any recommended travel web sights or agency.

Can you please quote prices in Aussie Dollars :P ;D

 [popcorn]

Planning something Rob?

I'll get back to you ... have to see what I can dig up (just a bit busy at the moment).

$1939 which included credit card charges and $320 for delivery and return from France - lease period was 32 days ... so about $60/day.

As I mentioned you could hire for less but we wanted a bit more certainty and flexibility and also didn't want to go too small being mindful of the distances we would travel and the luggage we would carry.

It was organised through Global Cars in Crows Nest (recommended by one of Jukie's workmates) and it was pretty seamless - very simple actually.

Around 1.80 euro a litre (a little less sometimes). So about $100 or so for say 47 litres.

That was petrol ... but I can't recall which type as we always had 'driveway service' (you may be old enough to remember that Rob) - sometimes we even had the windscreen cleaned for us.

Really depends on what you are looking for, what you are expecting (from a facility point of view), which city/town and its relative proximity to 'stuff'. Because I am the way I am, I had a budget which was based on our previous experience over there and we used this to help find something 'appropriate'.

Typically we stayed under $200 per night (cheaper than Turismo!) for the two of us. Cheapest was in Bologna @ around $125/night and that was not their cheapest room. Misano was just over $200/night ... but it was coming on to the full holiday season there and it is where the Italians holiday (oh and it was during WDW). Our last night we splashed out and spent almost $230/night for the suite in the castle.

All the places we stayed were hotels and included buffet breakfasts. Some of the smaller places were a little limited in their offerings (breakfast for most Italians is a coffee and a biscuit), but it is all relative - the bigger places were generally better for breakfast. We generally stuffed ourselves to the extent of only needing a gelato for lunch ... but I like breakfast, your mileage may vary.

Parking was extra in a handful of places (between 10 and 20 euro per night I think) ... say $12.50 to $25.

Most of the big cities (but not all) also had a 'city charge' that you pay when checking out ... basically a bed tax to help the economy I think. It was between 2 and 4 euro per person per night. Some of these incidentals can add up but it isn't a huge issue if you know they exist and budget accordingly.

The places we stayed were 'convenient' but not always completely 'central' - cost being one reason and the car another. Until the Boss' feet blew out we didn't mind walking ... and other than when we deliberately stayed out of town we could walk to many of the tourist spots.

If you like, we can talk more about specifics when your plans are more defined ;)

I'll skip to this one as I will need to do some scratching around for the other ones ... no promises I'm afraid.

As I mentioned above the car was booked through Global Cars and included transfers from the airport (it wasn't too far to the depot).

Flights were booked dierct online with the airline (Emirates in our case), but using Webjet and the like to compare options.

Accommodation was also all done online before we left using Expedia. My head would probably explode if I was not certain we had our accommodation booked before we left. We had used Expedia for a booking previously in Australia and it all went well so used them again - there are several similar online booking sites which appear to have similar offerings and similar pricing. We didn't find any cheaper deals by going direct to the hotel.

All but one of the places we paid when we booked online which was quite simple and apparently secure and the pricing was in Australian dollars. The one exception was Monterosso in Cinque Terre where the booking was confirmed online but we paid (in euro) when we checked out. Cinque Terre as a whole is probably not quite up to speed with this sort of thing.

Using this type of facility gives you the option to take your time researching the hotels (either through the 'portal' or elsewhere) and you can book them individually as you see fit. Using the one 'service' added the benefit of automatically creating an itinerary online with reminder emails sent a couple of days before you were due to arrive (at each place).

Most of these type of services have their own customer reviews and may also link to external review services such as Trip Advisor so there is no shortage of information. But as I mentioned previously sometimes you need a good serving of salt when you read them.

Can't really provide you with a lot here as I am not one to imbibe and don't do drugs.

Whether or not the Italians have grasped any appreciation of austerity I can't be certain ... but I think it is safe to say that ciggies are more affordable than in Australia by some order of magnitude.

As for the grog ... my delightful travelling partner did, on occasion, sample the local offerings. But this was generally only done by the glass. OK, so sometimes this 'glass' was a whole bottle but the glass size did vary and it was not something we monitored separately.

Beer really only got a start when we were with others ... post-dive drinks and, I think maybe, at WDW. Prices I reckon would have been similar to Australian pub prices - seemingly low enough for a tight arse like me to not be concerned about a 'shout'.

Occasionally we received an aperitif (sometimes a digestif as well) this may or may not have been included in an coperto (cover charge), but was not billed separately. Hence there was no reason for me to turn them away and it just added to the frivolity on the other side of the table.

Regardless, the Boss' typical inclination was for the local di vino rosso. These would vary in price depending on whether the 'local' drop was simply an anonymous local wine or a more renowned Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino or Nobile di Montepulciano ... and of course your chosen dining establishment. It also may have determined whether wine was offered by the litre (or part thereof), glass or bottle.

From memory prices ranged from 2.50 euro (say $3-$3.50) to 8 euro (say $10-11) for a glass/quarter litre and from about 8 euro (say $10-11) to 22 euro (around $30) for a bottle. But it is really going to depend on where you choose to dine.

Of course most plonko is readily available at 'supermarkets' which would be cheaper but hotels tend to be more expensive ... in some cases it is cheaper to use the minibar than the hotel bar - but in some cases (like all things) you are paying for the ambience and/or view as well.

'Supermarkets' are quite common (because the population is pretty centralised) but they may not be as 'obvious' to the foreign tourist. In towns, you can't expect the huge Coles/Woolies ... most are smaller and may be carved out within the lower levels of several adjoining buildings. A lack of signage makes them practically anonymous and you have no idea of their size (still relatively small) until you venture inside.

what a write up, thanks so much for the effort, we were last there in '06 but we're chomping at the bit to get back now.......

I should add in here about 'my' drinks as well, but I will stick to euro costs as the numbers aren't that big ... add approx. 1/4 to 1/3 on to the price depending on what exchange rate you want to get to Aussie dollars.

Soft drinks were probably most expensive in hotel bars ... up to 4 euro, but normally 2 or 3 if you were 'dining' somewhere. Probably similar to Australia I would suggest.

Bottled water is typically a lot cheaper but prices can vary dramatically. It was rare to see 500ml for more than 2 euro but 1 euro seemed to be the norm. Could be as low as 30 euro cents from a vending machine or 39 euro cents for a couple of litres in a supermarket.

Hot chocolates (we tried a couple) which were essentially melted chocolate cost around 2.50 euro.

We don't drink coffee, but I don't think it was expensive. We also managed to stay clear of the bicerin. Again, as always, prices will vary depending on where you are ... not only which city/town, but also whereabouts in town for example the main squares and tourist hotspots will tend to be more expensive.

Well there are no shortage of places to eat ... but I wouldn't be able to tell you the 'best' places to eat, as we didn't really consider that an option. Firstly I should say that we are not 'foodies'  and rarely 'eat out' when we are at home. Secondly we are not big eaters so you should keep that in mind too.

As I mentioned before we typically had a pretty big breakfast at the hotel but the options did vary. Ordinarily you could get a 'proper' coffee with breakfast if that was your thing. Food normally included bread/toast/rolls, fruit/cereal/yogurt and some sort of tarts/cakes/pastries ... some included hot stuff like bacon, eggs and sausages. All this depends on where you stay and some offer an additional a la carte menu if you are willing to pay.

As someone that is well versed in breakfast before 6am, having a large breaky from say 8am onwards didn't really have me hunting for lunch places until most were closed. So lunch was often a gelato or maybe we would share a panini which you could pick up anywhere for around 5 euro. Pizza slices are also pretty easy to come by, if that is your thing.

On occasion I may have also pocketed a packaged biscuit or nutella (they seem to love the stuff over there) at breakfast which could fill the mid-afternoon gap. Gelato spoons were particularly useful for these little snacks.

Places like Autogrill serve food at all hours ... and may not be a bad option for a quick bite because these type of places don't charge extra for a seat. Sitting down still costs you more in most places but there are a few of the bigger places (like Autogrill) will advertise no charge for sitting down. When you are wondering around in the heat of the day it can be a welcome relief ... also a toilet can be an even greater relief.

A couple of times we ate dinner at the hotel ... this was usually because: we were absolutely knackered and didn't want to walk any more; it was the simplest/easiest option; it offered a nice view; or we were too far out of town to go elsewhere. A couple of times we even opted for room service ... once because we just couldn't be bothered deciding where to eat. It's safe to say this was never the cheapest option.

I'd say the most we paid was probably about 60 euros for the two of us and would have included a drink each, main and dessert. Almost always dinner included bread (maybe complimentary, maybe included in any coperto, maybe a nominal cost) and we usually only opted for dessert if there was something interesting or if we were eating at the hotel as there would be no opportunity go grab a gelato on the way 'home'.

A couple of times we shared an entree (once it was even complimentary) but a lot of walking and the heat had the effect of suppressing the appetite so we really didn't want to eat much. Of course none of this is really helpful for you lot.

Normally I'd say we paid around 30 euros for dinner but as always this will vary depending on the circumstances.

As for recommendations I couldn't really say as we didn't really take note. We were directed to some nice places (read: reasonable food and price) after asking for recommendations at the hotel reception. Alternatively just look for places that seem to be busy and popular with the locals - this will normally get you the most authentic local cuisine and the most reasonable prices. The only issue may be the limited English you may encounter with the waitstaff. This isn't a huge problem in itself but they may also have a huge menu (with many intricate differences) so deciphering all that may take some effort if your Italian is as bad as ours.

A couple of places that I can remember (and not necessarily for the right reasons):

The Ducati Caffe in Rome had pretty ordinary food as far as we were concerned - it seemed as though they were trying to cater for tastes that they didn't really understand ... and as you would expect for a Ducati branded place - it was not cheap. Our initial intention was to try the 'aperitivo' ... as a drink and snacks, but wanted to sit down and enjoy the place (quite sad really) - I think the aperitivo would have been the better option and cost 8 or 10 euro.

An ex-workmate recommended his favourite restaurant in Siena ... so I can forward that recommendation for the Osteria le Logge. It is just of the the Campo (main square) and the food was pretty bloody good and somewhat cheaper than I was expecting (was probably 30-something euro for the two of us). But it did seem quite difficult to get a table ... I think we were lucky in arriving early (by Italian standards) - we found most places don't really open for dinner until around 8pm.

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria in Bologna was recommended to us by one of the girls in the hotel. It was so good we went back. Good, cheap (and bloody huge) pizza and the staff were really patient with us despite their workload. Dinner was between 15 and 20 euros.

In Milan we stuffed up when we really did know better. We were wandering in town, it was drizzling, we were tired and hungry so we succumbed to a footpath spruiker on the main square. They then wanted to up-size our meal which we declined (repeatedly) ... and they still tried to charge us for it - it probably added about 60% to the cost. Eventually I got them to change the bill, but like I said we really did know better - this was the only issue of this type that we encountered.

Kuoki in Turin which combined Italian and Japanese offerings. This was the source of our best ever arancini ... unfortunately they only had one serving left on our return visit. The owner was passionate about Turin and freely provided 'tourist' information. Dinner probably cost 20-odd euro for the two of us.

That was all a bit of a rambling mess ... so I will keep the important part separate.

Gelato was reasonably easy to find in most places. Easy in Rome, fantastically easy in Florence, surprisingly difficult in Bologna and Misano ... some of the smaller towns were great - others not so great. You could get it served in a cone or a cup ... some offered take-home containers for those with storage facilities.

Prices generally varied from 1.40 euro to 2.50 for a small serving and increased according to size. I found, in most cases, it was slightly better value to buy multiple smaller servings rather than go-the-whole-hog ... particularly considering the heat. You could expect to pay up to 6 euro for a 'huge' serving.

Generally speaking the quality was pretty good ... but I am no expert. However I can make a couple of recommendations:

- If the gelato seems to be a side-offering (as in not a core business / specialist gelataria) then it will probably not be the best. However this may be the only option in some places.

- There are few 'chains' so the consistency and quality may vary ... but hey this is part of the experience. Grom stores do appear in most of the main cities and seemed to put out a nice product however.

- The big extravagant displays of piled up gelato are there to draw the tourists in ... typically these are not the best options.

- Price is no indicator of quality ... but, as always, may be a reflection of location.

I am still avoiding currency conversions as the costs are relatively small and will throw up some odd numbers ... so I'll stick to euros generally (unless noted otherwise). Just add a quarter or something if you need to ... just be mindful that there have been massive currency swings over the last three years or so.

The Segway tours were our big expense but we booked and paid for these before we left home ... just under $100 per person in Florence and just over $100 per person in Milan. We did this in Rome three years ago and were willing to pay for the unique experience. It was such a fun thing we wanted to do it again ... so not cheap - but for us it was worth it. Also if you are used to dive holidays it is not bad value for money as an 'experience' type activity.

Obviously not everyone agrees with that way of thinking as each time we have booked onto a group tour and that group has included two people on each of the three occasions ... so we have had a guide to ourselves - very helpful and informative. The tours go for over three hours and you get to chat to a local. Like I said before it is an excellent orientation. This time we were able to sign a waiver to go helmet-less, but the machines were speed limited.

Most (but not all) churches were free to visit, but there may be charges for viewing 'other' areas. Of course you have plenty of opportunity to make 'offerings' on the inside too. Gypsies collecting money at the door are not associated with the church (they are beggars) - if you have to pay to get in, security will let you know.

Those that charge for 'admission' include Santa Croce (but we still haven't managed to get in) and San Lorenzo (the Medici family church) in Florence, the Cathedral in Siena and I also remember places like Saint Mark's in Venice. Generally this can be put down to who is entombed within and/or the significance of the church or the artworks contained within. It is also a very simple method of crowd control.

Saint Peter's is free but the queue to get through security is huge. The rest of the Vatican including the Sistine Chapel will cost you, but we did this last time and it was included in our tour so I don't know about cost. The Duomo in Florence is free but they control the number of people allowed in at any one time, so there is always a huge queue.

You will also find that many places (particularly places of worship) will not allow photos or video but they are always prohibited during mass. It is also worth noting that some have a dress code and may be vigilantly enforced - covered knees and shoulders is generally enough (for both sexes).

Generally we didn't really go to art galleries, museums and the like. I am simply not cultured enough to appreciate that kind of thing. For a common, uncultured bozo like me there is more than enough artwork to be seen in churches (ohh, look at the pretty painting) and in car and bike museums (modern art) ... I don't need to spend hours wandering through halls of paintings making comments like 'oh, is that it?', 'painted by who?', 'yeah its alright i s'pose, just not really my thing' or 'i thought it would be bigger'. You can probably find the cost of most things easily enough online and for some it may be best to pre-book this may save on queuing time (think the Vatican and Uffizi gallery) Some you may not even be able to buy tcikets as a walk-up so if something in particular interests you - do a bit of research first.

The following prices are all in euro per person (epp), audio guides would be extra if you wished:
- St Peter's dome 7epp if you catch the lift. You can save 1 or 2 euro if you are true tight arse or sadist (of which I am both, but my wife is neither) if you walk all the way. The lift takes you to the roof saving you a couple of hundred steps but it is still another 320 to the dome
- Combined ticket to the Roman Forum, the Palantine and the Coloseum 12epp. We only wanted to see the Roman Forum but needed to buy the combined ticket so went back into the Coloseum - ticket is valid for two days. My tip would be to buy the combined ticket at the Forum and save yourself from lining up just to buy a ticket at the Coloseum
- Metro in Rome 1.50epp valid for an hour or so (validated on entry)
- Places like the Pantheon are free and of course many 'tourist places' are in open air such as the piazzas, spanish steps, etc
- The thermal pools at Saturnia were free
- Combined tower & museum ticket in San Gimignano 5epp (all stairs)
- Siena Duomo 3epp which includes the Biblioteca but not the baptistery, combined tickets are available
- The Tower in Siena 8epp (again stairs only)
- The belltower in Florence 6epp (from memory the dome was cheaper three years ago, but I would expect it to cost a little more). The stairway on the belltower is a lot more open than the stair inside the dome ... good to know if you are claustrophobic, can't help you with the height though
- We were given free entry to Orsanmichele museum in Florence
- Combined Bascilica and Museum ticket to San Lorenzo in Florence 3.50epp. It was another 4epp to visit the Medici mausoleum (and museum) if you are looking for tips on how to spend the after-life, these guys knew how to do a crypt
- Vespa museum was free
- The tower in Bologna 3epp (satirs)
- I think the Ducati factory and museum costs about 8epp. The factory was closed due to the earthquake and the museum was free as part of WDW celebrations
- Ferrari Museum 13epp ... this does not include a ride in a Ferrari
- Ticket to the roof of Milan's Cathedral 13epp this included the lift (1 euro less to take the stairs) plus entry to the baptistery and treasury. I really wouldn't bother with the Treasury if you bought a combined ticket. Entry to the Cathedral itself is free though but they have heavily armed guards enforcing the dress code ... didn't stop Jukie hugging the guy with the machine gun. Oh and you can't buy the ticket at the Cathedral itself you have to do to the newstand up the road
- Vitorrio's Lambretta museum was free
- Train into Milan 2epp, remember to validate your ticket before boarding
- Metro in Milan 1.50epp
- Metro in Turin 1.50epp valid for 90 minutes validated on entry
- National Auto Museum in Turin 8epp
- Lift up (you can't walk) the Mole in Turin 6epp
- Palazzo Reale in Turin 6.50epp
- Cinque Terre National Park day pass including unlimited train use between the five towns 10epp ... as with all trains remember to validate your ticket before you board. You can also get a two day pass
- Cinque Terre ferry including the five towns plus Portovenere (and 3 islands ferry at Portovenere) 25epp for a hop-on, hop-off day ticket
- World Ducati Week free for non-Europeans
- Bus ticket in Misano 2epp + a 'buy on board premium'
- Fort, Palazzo & Museum in Castiglione del Lago combined ticket 5epp
- Villa d'Este 11epp
- Hadrian's Villa 11epp but you would probably want to know what you are letting yourself in for before committing

That's all I can remember at the moment.

I'll try again ...

Thanks for the write up Betty. I finally got around to reading it start to finish.

I have never been but would love to go. In the meantime I can always come back here to dream.  [thumbsup]

Phew, caught up with it all.  That's a lot of info Mark.  Thanks for taking the time and effort to write it all up.  [thumbsup] ;D

 ;D Hey you guys know me ... I can bullshit for hours














... or days and weeks apparently [laugh]

Hmmmm

Awesome write up with great pics you guys....  [thumbsup]

Been following you from afar....  [coffee]

Who needs the "Lonely Planet" with Betty on the go....  ;D

See you all in January (be back for a visit....)  [clap]

Cool can't wait to see ya. Trev has also changed a little bit Shhh. So he will be waiting your arrival

Very good Betty.
Could you please summarize it. ;D

Do you think January would be a reasonable time to travel there? ie low season i believe,and cold i don't think any worse than our winter?
I can  forsee an impending purchase will cost me a trip to Italy. [roll]

A great read there. I love Italy and visit quiet regularly, a perk of living in the UK, Europe on my door step.

This year we went back to Florence for a week and again enjoyed it. Prices have risen a lot in a few years I noticed, but it is a tourist attraction so I can see why. We also visited Piza for an hour, thats all it's worth really.
Last year we did the Amalfi Coast, based in Sorento. The coast road is amazing, I tried renting a Monster from the local hire shop but it was out for the week.

If any of you are heading to Rome, and it's worth it. The Cisteen chapel is free to visit on Sundays but you enter through the back door, not through the Vatican.

 [laugh] ... you wish ... that was just my precis. Wait until I get started on the full report [cheeky]


I reckon it would be cooler than a Sydney winter but obviously depends on where you want to go. Up north will be particularly cold with a lot of white stuff around ... but we did see some photos of Florence carpetted in snow so that must happen as well.

But I think the biggest issue would be the length of the days ... well daylight anyway. I think you might have less daylight hours than you would expect from a Sydney winter which may impact on your sightseeing. Personally I'd avoid winter ... and the Boss wouldn't even consider it.

Well Julie and Mark I've just stumbled on this thread, wow have I missed a really good write up.

WDW this year was really great in that a lot of forum names became faces, Mark you know that you're other half is alittle daunting the first time you meet her but once your used to her she is an absolute star (god bless her) she certainly has a unique way of welcoming new friends.

The bike I took this year was my streetfighter and not the S4Rs and it shared the garage at the villa with Jerry (Raux), Lar's (Stopintime) and Chris (Mr Desmoworld) monsters and Pauls very special sport classic.

Thanks for the report, It was great to meet up with you and hopefully we'll all meet up again perhaps with a few more of the forum members.

Geoff... [coffee]


BTW  the young guy (Robbie Brown) who all us poms were cheering for in the 848 races won the championship by a country mile... [beer]

Pfew!!.. but what a great way to spend a rainy Friday, the added benefit being I managed to avoid the packing/planning chores that should have been done yet again. So thanks Betty for the armchair pilgrimage and the laughs.

Quick non-mathematical calculation,.. I'm definately not going to attempt reading the 90ish page write up on another forum of the coast to coast US trip on a Pannigale, much as I might want to, if it's half as good as this I'll need a month to do it.

Great write up, loved it.

Two/three hours if you only read the author's posts. No, it's not half as good, but still a good atmosphere  [thumbsup]