The official stopintime & ungeheuer motorcycle tour of Alpine Europe 23

[stopintime]

...........   

Getting through the security gate was an amusing exercise.....  
"Nah, mate I can't let you in.... it's more than my job's worth"...  
"... just to take a photo. please? "  
"Sorry pal"....    
"...but I came all the way from Australia with this Ducati... just to come here..."
"Australia?.... ahh... Si  "

And in we went  

Short video of our factory gate arrival here (I cant seem to post the actual video, only a link to the URL)  

https://clipchamp.com/watch/oueYBUtMN83

Grazie tanto Signor Guardia Giurata.

That video is priceless. "If I can't be King or professional footballer, I can at least be King of this little hill. It's small, but I rule over it." 
You'll find them everywhere and the first encounters leave an impression that the Italians are arrogant, but in fact are just desperate for attention and ackowledgement. If given a little bit of that, they immediately warm up and include you into their realm. Maybe just like people from many other places on earth, but the way the Italians do it, the style they do it with and how transparent it is - makes it into... a series of small operas.

[ungeheuer]

Audi after Audi after Audi... in the Ducati car park... at least half of them with "IN" Ingolstadt German license plates (just in case we were wondering who's boss right now).

Who would have imagined that being allowed into a factory car park for two minutes to take a photo of your motorcycle in front of the factory wall .... would be such a buzz.  I needed to do it.  The pilgrimage complete. 

The "King" of his domain made my day 

[koko64]

Bravo to all the cast involved

[ungeheuer]

After our flying visit to the Ducati factory we pushed on beyond the suburbs of Bologna to our destination - the small town of Castel del Rio.  Calling in at Mugello race circuit along the way...

Compared to the local 2 wheeled Bolognians... we're feeling a little over dressed 


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Still a vehicular bridge... which we rode over




and arriving at Castel del Rio






Lars know the gas station owner in Castel del Rio.... the gas station owner has a couple of old bike to show us...

[monsta]

MAGIC!  I love Italy!
Wife and i Have travelled twice from Australia. When I visited the factory they said "Welcome back Mr Rossi" hahaha  (thats my last name, but no relations in Italy)

I'm enjoying the photo's. Keep em coming.

[stopintime]

This will throw you a little back and forth, but here are some of my pictures.

Bear in mind that while some of our pictures give a nice impression, the reality is of course even better.

Vai, vai, vai   the bucket list is written, it's up to you all to empty it  


The historically significant Gotthard Pass. Oldest written traces are from ~1200 a.c.








Garda lake sorroundings






Italian AutoStrada over the Po plains and river Po is, in itself a little stressful, and has EVERY year been travelled in +/- 40 degrees plus sun. This year, just after an even hotter heat wave, it was +/- 30 degrees


"My" little Italian town, Castel del Rio
If you forgot a prayer in the town church, here's another, 600m up the road


My old bike-handwashing fuel station owner








Over the hill, almost Firenze, Mugello, Scarperia, passes Giogo, Raticosa and Futa


Last spring rain storms flooding and land slides, the week before we arrived a horrific heat wave








Back north, to Cortina in the Dolomites
Giau


Pordoi




Sella




Falzarego




(from Cortina, Jaufen towards Austrian Innsbruck and my train north through Germany)


Gelato break in Cortina, nicely parked outside the police station


This year's last leather-suit-beer



 

[ungeheuer]

I love your bloke at the castel del Rio fuel station...

[ducpainter]

I love your bloke at the castel del Rio fuel station...

The dog?

[stopintime]

I love your bloke at the castel del Rio fuel station...

The dog?

Old war dogs. I have never communicated as well with anyone without a common spoken language. Except, perhaps, for the last few years with my demented father. Show me your scars and your emotions. From there it's simple, but not easy. Body language, open face and transparent heart.

[DarkMonster620]

Great photos, in one garage, 2 motorcycles were worth than the car in it and the other, the car could be as valuable as the motorcycles ... Wished I could do a trip like this

[Mhanis]

Is the trip complete?

Mark

[stopintime]

Great photos, in one garage, 2 motorcycles were worth than the car in it and the other, the car could be as valuable as the motorcycles ... Wished I could do a trip like this

You should! Italy is packed with all things interesting - people, food, wine, history(!), religion, drama, idiots, industry, roads a.s.o.

Is the trip complete?

Mark

We're home, but the DMF story telling has a couple chapters more. Ungeheuer will stop by soon

[DarkMonster620]

You should! Italy is packed with all things interesting - people, food, wine, history(!), religion, drama, idiots, industry, roads a.s.o.

We're home, but the DMF story telling has a couple chapters more. Ungeheuer will stop by soon

While I was in Germany, early 90s, I went to Desenzano del Garda, an uncle lived there and we drove around, it was Dezember 1991-1992, so, lots of 'tourist places' were closed, but, I enjoyed it, specially the food(wonder why)

It would take me winning the lotto to be able to do something like this ... In a good way, I envy you both and happy for you ... 

Actually, if I go back to Europe, I would NOT come back to Panama ...

[stopintime]

Thank you

Flying in to any south German / north Italian major city. Rent a bike (from grown up Vespa to large Multistrada) ~3,000 600 - 1,300 a week. Depending on which standard (Air B&B to nice hotels) ~150 to 250 a day. Sleep, eat, ride.

[ungeheuer]

Long hot ride from Castel del Rio, across the flat country of the Po Plain in the baking sunshine      Sharing - for want of a better word - the northbound Autostrada with Luigi and the entire family packed into the FIAT for their annual pilgrimage to the coast for the August ritual which is Italy on Vacation. All of Italy on Vacation.

And then - just like that - as soon as we headed away from the Venitian coast and back toward the mountains.... the sparring for a piece of precious bitumen became less frantic....  and more just the usual Italian semi-organised, more or less any speed, regardless of the posted speed limit (and in defiance of the dysfunctional and plentiful static speed cameras) driving behaviour 









For the next couple of nights Cortina way up in the Dolomite mountains  - & one time playground of the jet set - is our home...



Jet Set beware  


I dare not imagine the purpose of this strange Italian bathroom appliance.... 











One of these is the Dream Car of Lars.... You be the adjudicator...