Misadventures in Italy

[Betty]

... this bit probably should have been at the end of PART 1 (for those of you that don't know we have a bambino) ...

In addition to the traditional scooters the FIAT bambino also enjoys favourable registration conditions to try and keep them on the road. There are still quite a few of the old Cinque’s on the road but the new FIAT 500 is the popular fashion choice … they were everywhere.

... now ... being continued ...

PART 2

Anyway our trip rolled on and all the advice about the relentless pace of a coach tour was largely unfounded … particularly when compared to our first couple of days. Obviously you spend a bit of time on the coach as thousands of kilometres need to be travelled and you sometimes wish for a little more time in some locations, but I found it a good compromise to see the major sites/sights without having to worry about logistics. In quick succession we had visited Rome, Vatican City, Pisa, Florence, Milan, Lake Maggiore including a quick trip into Switzerland. Then we went though Verona to Venice, Assissi, Pompeii and Sorrento before returning to Rome.

There was a smattering of Ducati memorabilia in the trendy centres of Milan and Florence including ‘Ducati’ watches for sale on the Ponte Vecchio starting at a mere 650 euros and posters of a leather-clad Casey Stoner flogging Oakley sunglasses.
 
Our first sighting of a Streetfighter which was still some time from its Australian release was in, of all places, Switzerland. Our two hour stop at Lake Lugarno had us seeing more moving Ducatis than at any other time of our trip … again a little embarrassing really. We also came across a poor unfortunate 1198S owner at Lake Maggiore who I thought may have been a little surprised at being molested by a slightly unbalanced Aussie girl. But in hindsight the Ducati was a rarity in Italy (particularly anything higher up the pecking order than a 620 Monster) it is quite feasible he was well rehearsed in a response. Unfortunately his English was not quite as good as our (practically non-existent) Italian and communication consisted of shrugging shoulders, a little groping and pointing at Julie’s Ducati shoes.

Our coach tour was coming to an end around the time of the MotoGP and we came across a group of Monster riders heading in the opposite direction on their way to the races. Communication was a little easier when we had some digital photos to show … the Monster boys seemed quite impressed, not so the bus-load of tourists we kept waiting though.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop back in Pisa as we had scheduled a final fitting for our new leathers. We had figured it would be bad enough carrying helmets, boots and gloves around for a month so took the opportunity to get our leathers while we were there and just bring them back home. Unfortunately, as we found out, a scheduled appointment may not mean what you expect. With a public holiday on the Tuesday our ‘leather lady’ had decided there wasn’t much point in working on Monday and as we were told … this is Italy, that’s what happens.

So with our Ducati Tour starting on Thursday and our fitting re-scheduled for Wednesday the trip to Cinque Terre was cancelled. Joe (the Ducati Tours owner) in an apologetic fashion put us up in his apartment for a couple of days so we could get everything sorted. In a way this was a good thing because Julie had a chance to rest and if I had dragged her up and down the mountainous coastline of Cinque Terre it is quite possible her head may have exploded. As we were staying within the walls of Lucca it also gave us the chance to experience a less ‘touristy’ Italian town.

... more again later ...

[Betty]

Some more photos for Heather



Technically not an Italian ... and a fake ... but a rock hard body




Julie and the molestee at Lake Maggiore




Smokin' hot Italian in his prime (assuming its a bloke) ... is it still poor taste after 2000 years ... yep your right. From Pompeii




Meeting the Monster boys at the Autogrill

[Betty]

Well ... that was obviously inspiring.

Its OK people, go about your business ... I'll just keep myself occupied.


PART 3

Seeing Joe’s garage was the first chance for us to see more than a couple of Ducatis in the one location with basically the entire current range represented. Although they are fleet rentals, the bikes are well maintained but ‘aesthetically pleasing performance modifications’ are kept to a minimum … particularly by Ozmo standards. But hey, it was quite a display and there was the odd open clutch and Termi or Zard exhaust to pique the interest of the enthusiast.

Our first fitting (when it finally occurred) was a little entertaining as it seemed the measurements had become a little muddled, Julie’s pants (she requested a one-piece) were probably sized a little too big for me. Suffice to say some small adjustments needed to be made … and fast. We had a quick visit to Ducati Pisa to help pick up an 848 and it was a good thing to now be seeing a few Ducatis including a Bayliss Edition 1098. Later on I was asked to help pick up the Streetfighter which had just had new tyres fitted.

I think I had already agreed before I realised I didn’t have any riding gear and that I was about to be riding in Italian traffic. I am normally an ‘all the gear, all the time’ kinda guy … but when in Rome … ahh Lucca, do as the Wog-boys do - so a borrowed helmet and gloves was as good as it gets. Prior to this the most powerful bike I had ridden was my sweet and innocent little S2R800 which for those of you who have been on a run with me will know I ride at a pace that would hold up the stereotypical Morris-driving Granny.

Just sitting on the Streetfighter it felt right – I had this strange feeling that it was built for my odd proportions, but maybe it was just because I was unencumbered by the usual riding gear. So with obvious trepidation I set off into the inner city traffic with only one thing on my mind: don’t lose sight of Joe, don’t do anything stupid, remember you are on new tyres, right/wrong side of the road, probably too much power at your disposal (reportedly more than twice that of my baby), bloody hell this clutch is heavy … now what was I saying, oh yeah one thing on my mind.

By this stage I had been closely monitoring Italian traffic for a few weeks so I knew the protocols … rules are simply very broad guidelines and bikers are EXPECTED to lane-split and filter through to the head of the traffic (moving or not). Not much chance of me doing that I had no idea where I was and no idea where I was going. Moving along, a quick glance to the right showed a white van pretty close, a corresponding glance to the left showed a truck even closer. Looking back ahead it was clear I was in the centre of my lane … it was the heavy vehicles doing the lane-splitting. Easing on the throttle should take me clear I thought …holy shit (oops, I mean gee-whiz) this thing has some power … are they sure it is only a twin? Before I had finished that thought process I was clear of the converging traffic and the 10 minute ride was soon over.

... I'll keep going until you make me stop ... more again later ...

[Betty]

Sorry Heather I am getting a bit short of photos of the "HOT Italian men" you requested



Managed to find one of Manuel* our waiter in Stresa - judging by the amount of sweat he could produce, he was pretty hot




Service Manager at Ducati Pisa (Joe on the right is not Italian) ... and I thought it was the Greeks us blokes were meant to worry about




Maybe just to pad things out a bit I will throw in a picture of Joe's garage ...




... and a picture of this little pretty, you likey?




* Not his real name

[heatherp]

Oi where's my photo?   Just joshing ya.  Keep up the good work  

[heatherp]

Buggar you were reading my mind whilst I was typing the last post - weren't you?

I said Hot guys - not gays!!!! 

Nice bikes tho.

[FIFO]

Well ... that was obviously inspiring.

Its OK people, go about your business ... I'll just keep myself occupied

Oh no Betty all very good.
Carry on

I was waiting till the final chapter to  pass comment  on what i think will be a very good story.As possibly others were to.
But a name change to the thread  could be in order

Miss and her adventures in Italy

[goldFiSh]

awesome Mark, keep going!

[Spider]

loving it.....and I'm booking in Italian tours as I read and type....Lucca is coming up next, does Joe rent them out for a single day trip?

[Betty]

awesome Mark, keep going!

Its all here, but I was told instalments ... so I'll post again in a few days.

loving it.....and I'm booking in Italian tours as I read and type....Lucca is coming up next, does Joe rent them out for a single day trip?

Yep ... and generally (I think) either Joe or Jamie will 'show you the way' if that's what you want. You don't want to be paying all that money and missing out on the good roads ... and don't worry they won't be holding you up.

[NFG]

Very much enjoying the story, do keep it coming.  =D

[FIFO]

Hey Betty

Heather has had pictures of Hot Italian guys

How about some pictures of all those Hot Italian Babes you took.

and don't tell me you don't have any

[Betty]

Sorry Rob, not only are there no photos I didn't even see any "Hot Italian Babes" ... but I have been reliably informed I walk around with my eyes closed most of the time.

I do have a lot of photos of one particularly hot female specimen but she isn't Italian either.

[heatherp]

That'll get you in the good books Betty.   

[Betty]

Alrighty, I figure I'd better start getting these out a bit quicker so I am done well before Turismo.

PART 4

Next we were off for the second and final suit fitting. Mine was OK, Julie’s was now sized correctly and only one piece but still needed to be stitched together … it was not going to be ready for the first ride later that day. So our first ride was off into the hills around Lucca. I was on the brand new 1100S Monster and Julie was on the 696 with the Termi pipes. I had never worn leathers before only textile style gear and I felt quite restricted (still do actually). Julie was only wearing jeans and the borrowed ‘divorce’ jacket. We were joined by three others Jamie (the guide) on his hot and streetfightered 1098 and the two Als one on the Streetfighter, the other on an S4R.

As we moved out of town and the accompanying heat we started to get a feeling of what was ahead … as the traffic thinned, so did the roads and as the altitude increased, the corner radii decreased. Some of these roads were quite technical - hairpin after hairpin and watching the guys with us we could see that the riding style was quite different. The approach to a right hander (remember wrong side of the road) was made on the left hand side of the road … not the left hand side of the lane … well there were no marked lanes, but you know what I mean. It was a concept that self-preservation always over-ruled and we knew we were never going to keep up on the tight twisty sections.

By the time we had come to a stop at a coffee shop at the top of a mountain it was quite chilly, the snow on the adjoining mountains was quite a contrast to the 30-odd degree temperatures we had been experiencing a short time ago in town. We were soon back in town to discuss the merits of the ‘new-style’ Monsters which were quite different to our ‘old bikes’. It was interesting that we were both struggling a little … it seems there was a more ‘front-weight-bias’ than what we were used to but with a similar upright seating position it made the back of the bike feel slippery and unsettled. Odd for us but the sportsbike riders prefer the ‘new-style’ Monsters to the ‘old-style’.

Next day was to see us visiting the Ducati factory and museum which was probably THE ‘must see’ of our entire trip. So we would again enjoy a trip through the hills before jumping on the autostrade to get us in to Bologna. Julie now had her leathers so was feeling a little less vulnerable but we were both still being careful on the bikes.

And that was when it happened.

... well it will happen next time ...