GIVI Magazine - Maggio 2017

34  Turismo ITALY TO DISCOVER 1.250 KM OVER THREE DAYS BETWEEN LOMBARDY, LIGURIA AND TUSCANY. WE’VE “DRAWN UP” THE ITINERARY AND ASKED MARIO FRATI TO TRANSFORM IT INTO AN ACTUAL AND STIMULATING MOTO-TOURISTIC TRIP… AND OF COURSE HE AGREED! IN THE SADDLE OF AN AFRICA TWIN HE COVERED BEAUTIFUL ROADS, STOPPED BY WATER WAYS, ARTISTIC CITIES AND SMALL ANCIENT VILLAGES, ALL ALONG WELL- KNOWN PATHS… BUT STILL FULL OF SURPRISES. Departure is scheduled to take place from GIVI Headquarters, heading towards Piacenza. Aconvenient stop on the high-way, adding a good number of kilometres to our calculated daily average. To tell the truth, the proposed trip was born here. From Piacenza, you take the SP645 and after crossing the villageGrazzanoVisconti, re-built in a late 19th century style, you head to Bettola, access route to Val Nure a location filledwith natural beauty. Here, mountains begin to appear and the road becomes truly enjoyable, with a series of wonderful bends that are a pleasure to follow. The view, with mountains on the left and the river on the right, is an extremely pleasant location for motorcyclists. The road rises and after passing Ferriere it transforms into a typical mountain route with bends and decisive hairpins. The crossing of the valley is accompanied by the intense smell of the forest, a detail that makes this stretch of road even more delightful. TOTHESEATHROUGHTHEZOVALLOPASSAGE DAY 1- 451 km covered At Selva the altitude is already 1,000 metres; the SP654 has little traffic and continues towards the ZovalloPass, crossing-point of the LigurianApennines. Between Piacenza and Parma, it widens offering a perfectly treated road surface. Here, while reaching an altitude of 1,500metres, you feel the temperature changing. There’s no propermountain top but near a large bend, a parking lot for cars, motorcycles and caravans opens up and allows hikers to leave their vehicles and enter the beautiful woods for a walk. Fromthis point onwards you begin to descend and soon enough you cross fromParmese territory into that of Liguria. Passing Santo Stefano d’Aveto, Allegrezze andVillanoce. At Rezzoaglio you should take the SP586 andby following it, you should reach Chiavari. This section leading to the sea needs to be followed carefully: the road surface is not ideal and as often happens onmountain roads or through woods, tyres can become dirty or gainwet patches. A stop by Chiavari, city at the very centre of the Tigullio Gulf, allows you to stretch your legs, eat well and taste the Ligurian sea air. If you’ve never seen it, the Parco Botanico Villa Rocca is worth a visit: it is in the centre and offers lush vegetation and a beautiful panoramic view. You take off again entering the SS1 Aurelia, a road which follows the coast andbrushes past well known tourist destinations such as Lavagna, Sestri and Riva Trigoso. We suggest a stop at Sestri Levante, by the Baia del Silenzio. It’s a small beach, surroundedby colourful houses and is considered one of the 20best beaches in Italy. The panoramic view is consistent and stretches for kilometres but it is far fromboring. The smell of the sea and the slow pace imposed by the residential areas allows visitors to take full advantage of the atmosphere. InMoneglia, the SS1 promptly takes us back to the hinterland, touching Brugnato and Sarzana, facing the coast once again at Viareggio. This place doesn’t need any introduction: here you will find liveliness and a bubbly atmosphere even out of season. If, for “happy hour”, you prefer a calm location, we suggest Sarzana: with snacks at Loggiato in Via Bonaparte 11, following by a quick visit to the fortress at Sarzanello: just a 5 minute walk from the centre. Our schedule requires a night in Volterra, with our expected arrival late in the afternoon. If you are in a rush to cover the last 140 km you can follow the FFI-PI-LI, a smooth roadbut filledwith speed cameras. At Pontedera you take a turn and exit towards Ponsacco. Entering the SR439 you brush past Capannoli, Selvatelle, La Sterza and Saline, where the SR68 takes you directly to Volterra. FROMVOLTERRATOCERVIAPASSINGTHROUGH MURAGLIONE DAY 2 - KM 386 km covered Volterra and the areas surrounding it are, on their own, good enough reasons to visit Tuscany. Here historical traditionmergeswith nature in an amazing way. Legacies of the past are to be found not only in the city’smuseums, such as the EtruscanMuseum, but can also be experienced by simply strolling around the city’s streets, all pedestrianised, with medieval palaces, alleyways and fascinating scenery around every corner. The place is filledwith restaurants serving specialities and offering regional dishes with rather inviting names. The food is excellent and the politeness of Tuscan people is the perfect combination leaving you worry-free. If you enjoy artistic handicrafts, inVolterra there’s a unique one: the handling of alabaster. Fromthis beautiful town you can choose to experience Val di Cecina (half a day and just 100 km away or a little more to add to your trip) or you can head directly to San Gimignano. MOTORCYCLE AND SETUP For this tour, we equipped our Africa Twin with “alternative” gear. For trips lasting only a few days, the usual square-like cases can be replaced with waterproof bags. On the other hand, what is extremely important is increased windshield protection and appropriate technical clothing. For our luggage, we selected a pair of 25 litre side bags (UT808), the impermeability observed after 150km in the rain proved excellent: not even one single drop of rain reached the camera we stored inside. The innovative connection system, enables the bags to be kept steady and secure even during motorway journeys. The 40 litre cargo bag (UT803) was attached to the back on the practical EX2M which makes for an ideal base. The small 5 litre bags (T513), can be attached to the side of the engine guards and are ideal for small objects, spare parts a waterproof suit… As for clothing, in addition to the GIVI HPS 40.5 X-Carbon helmet (currently top of the range, is silent and light, ensuring optimum comfort even after 8 hours) we added the three-layer Hevik touring suit, consisting of the Namib jacket and Terrain trousers, which proved to be comfortable even in the rain. Also by Hevik are the California summer gloves (all details can be found on www.hevik.it)