VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P153
community. While the USA has
a history of having a certain
amount of discrimination
against motorcyclists, that is
not the case in Italy. Bikes are
a passion for many people,
and we spent our fair share of
time drooling over Ducatis and
ductions and the first of many
route and safety briefings. Ev
-
eryone was anxious to go check
out our new bikes. Michaela, an
eight-year Edelweiss tour-guide
veteran from Germany, reviewed
some of the best practices for
riding in Italy—and as a group—
and also gave us a heads up
on some things that would be
different from what we were
used to in the USA. For instance,
filling up at gas stations can be
a little tricky if you're not fluent
in Italian touchscreens, and it
seems like every gas station has
a slightly different process for
whether you pay first or fill up
first—and what forms of pay
-
ment are accepted.
Domenico, our lead guide with
more than 12 years of experi
-
ence guiding and the architect
of the tour we were about to
embark on, said something that
became a theme throughout
our tour. When discussing how
motorcycles and cars interact
in Italy, he said that he didn't an
-
ticipate that we would have any
difficulties because drivers are
not aggressive toward
motorcycles
there. That
was the
first of many
perspective
shifts that we
experienced
on this tour.
The realization
that in Europe,
or at least Italy,
motorcycles are a
means of trans
-
portation—and they
are well integrated
into the fabric of the
Our Klim gear
looks great
for road
touring and
worked well
for this 12-
day tour,
where we
encountered all kinds
of weather.
Polignano a Mare is a beautiful stop for
lunch. It's just one of many on this tour.
in Italy, he said that he didn't an
-
ticipate that we would have any
difficulties because drivers are
not aggressive toward
first of many
shifts that we
The realization
that in Europe,
or at least Italy,
motorcycles are a
means of trans
-
portation—and they
are well integrated
into the fabric of the
Our Klim gear
looks great
for road
touring and
worked well
for this 12-
day tour,
where we
encountered all kinds
of weather.
