Sicilian

Spring

28 April - 9  May 2027

Sicily needs no introduction. The largest island in the Mediterranean has been settled and fought over by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, and every one of them left something behind — temples standing alone in the hills, gold mosaics, a street-food culture with no equal, whole towns rebuilt in baroque after the earthquakes, and a landscape that runs from salt pans to the snowline of a live volcano in the course of a single day. This is our most complete Sicilian tour to date: a full loop of the island, reached the way the island should be reached, by sea.

We begin in Rome and ride south through Campania — home territory for us, and roads we know intimately — to take the overnight ferry from Naples. We wake in Palermo. From there the tour traces the whole perimeter of the island and cuts through its mountainous heart, with two full days given to Etna and the roads that ring it, before the Madonie and the long way back across the water. Expect serious riding, proper food, remarkable wine, and an island that gives more than almost anywhere else we ride.

As with all our tours, you can follow the tour leader or ride independently with the maps provided, regrouping at the places we have chosen along the way.

Trip at a Glance

  • Medium difficulty

  • 12 days trip / 10 riding days

  • 4–5 hours daily riding average ~2,000 km overall

  • 98% paved roads, 5% dirt road access to rural agriturismo

  • Start and finish in Rome — fly to Fiumicino

  • Overnight ferry, Naples–Palermo return — cabins included both ways

  • Maximum 15 riders

Tour Highlights

  • The only ARI tour that completes a full circuit of Sicily — every corner of the island, not a selection

  • The crossing is part of the tour — overnight ferry from Naples with cabin both ways, no lost riding time

  • Two full days on Etna — the finest motorcycle roads in Sicily, plus a wine tasting at an estate on the volcanic slopes

  • The SS120 — one of the great roads of the island: long, fast, largely empty, running west along the foot of the mountains

  • Ragusa Ibla as a two-night base, with a loop day south to the very tip of Italy and back

  • Lunch on the island of Ortigia in Siracusa, where the cathedral stands inside a Greek temple

  • The Madonie mountains on the final day — the island's finest range, riding the very Targa Florio Race route before the coast road returns to Palermo

Who This Tour is For

Riders who want the whole island, not the highlights reel. This tour was built for people who understand that Sicily is not a day trip and that the interior roads — the ones between the temples and the volcano and the baroque south — are the reason to come. You should be comfortable with 170–220 km days at mountain pace, confident on fast open roads, and happy to spend two evenings on a ferry. If you want to arrive at Palermo airport, tick the usual sights and fly home, this is not the right tour. If you want to experience Sicily from one end to the other, it is.

Riding Difficulty & Road Types

  • Difficulty: medium

  • 12 days, 10 riding days, approximately 2,000 km total.

  • Daily distances 140–245 km, 4–5 hours in the saddle.

  • Well-surfaced provincial and regional roads throughout — twisty mountain passes, long fast open curves, and coastal stretches.

  • The daily kilometre count is deceptive — these are Sicilian mountain roads, and they will keep you well entertained.

  • 98% tarmac. No gravel on this route.

  • Traffic: very low across the majority of Sicily. Moderate in Palermo on arrival and in Naples on the return leg.

Tour Plan

Day 1 (02/10)
‘Welcome to Rome’

Arrivals, bike pickup, briefing and dinner in Rome

The afternoon belongs to arrivals and introductions. We collect the bikes, run through the route and kit, then spend the evening in Rome over dinner — the right way to start an Italian riding tour. Tomorrow we ride north.

Day 2 (03/10)
‘Into The Hills’

Southern Lazio, mountain parks and the road into Molise

We leave Rome passing through the vine-covered Colli Romani, then head south into the Lazio natural parks where the roads tighten and the traffic disappears. Lunch in the mountains, then a run through the Aurunci hills before crossing into Molise for the night. We end the day in Venafro — a Roman city with a standing amphitheatre, a castle and almost no tourists.

Day 3 (04/10)
‘To The Land of Fire’

Mountain park, royal palace and the flanks of Vesuvius

From Venafro we climb into the Matese — one of southern Italy's most rewarding and least-visited mountain parks. A coffee at altitude, then we descend to reach Monte Friento for lunch, before continuing to the grandeur of the Caserta Royal Palace, one of the largest royal residences ever built and rarely on a motorcyclist's radar. We then ride into Naples for a taste of the city's extraordinary energy and iconic squares, before the day's final act: riding up the flanks of Vesuvius itself. Our hotel tonight sits at the foot of the volcano, in the ancient town of Ercolano.

Day 4 (05/10)
‘The Amalfi Coast’

Cliff roads, a secret swim and the great coastal hairpins

A few kilometres via Herculaneum and Pompeii and the peninsula opens up, the first panoramic road above the sea unravelling in front of us. We ride to Sorrento, then continue to a well-kept secret on the peninsula — a historical location and one of the finest swim spots you'll find anywhere in Italy. Refreshed, we take on the Amalfi road itself: one of Europe's great motorcycle roads, all turns, hairpins and drama with the Tyrrhenian Sea far below. Lunch on the coast, coffee and ice cream in Amalfi, then a final run to our hotel above the water.

Day 5 (06/10)
‘Into The Cilento’

Mountain parks, ancient hill towns and an evening above the sea

We leave the coast and climb into the Monti Picentini regional park, where the roads narrow and the views open wide. From there, south into the Cilento National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that remains largely free of international tourism, and all the more extraordinary for it. Expect ancient hill towns clinging to rock faces, churches carved into mountainsides, endless olive orchards, and a lunch stop deep in the park that will stay with you. The day ends high above the sea in the medieval village of Castellabate, where the evening light over the coast is the perfect reward for every kilometre ridden.

Day 6 (07/10)
‘Temples, Mozzarella and The Sannio’

Ancient temples, dairy traditions and a forgotten Roman city

We leave Castellabate and ride north past the ruins of Poseidonia — the best-preserved Greek temple complex outside of Greece, and barely known to most international visitors. From there, a stop at one of the most authentic buffalo mozzarella producers in the region: not a factory tour, but a genuine immersion into a centuries-old tradition. We then climb back into the mountains through the Irpinia hills — medieval towns, castle ruins and dense forest all the way — until we reach Benevento for the night, one of the great underrated cities of the south, and a place the Romans left in very good shape.

Day 7 (08/10)
‘Sannio to the Abruzzo’

Mountain villages, highland roads and the gateway to a national park

Leaving Benevento, we head northeast through the Sannio hills into territory that sees almost no tourist traffic. Our first stop is Cusano Mutri — one of Italy's most beautiful villages, a medieval town perched above the Titerno valley that most Italians have never visited. From there we climb into the western Matese on wide open highland roads with views across three regions, before crossing into Molise and then Abruzzo. Tonight we stay in Castel di Sangro, at the gateway to one of Italy's most protected national parks — a setting that feels a very long way from the Amalfi Coast, and yet totally worth it.

Day 8 (09/10)
‘The Road Home’

Apennine descent, Hadrian's villa and a celebratory dinner in Rome

The last riding day is no formality. We leave Castel di Sangro through mountain roads and drop into Sulmona for a morning coffee — birthplace of the Roman poet Ovid, home to a medieval aqueduct still standing in the main piazza, and the self-declared world capital of confetti (the sugar-coated almond kind, not the paper kind). From Sulmona we continue northwest through the Apennines to Tagliacozzo for lunch — a medieval town built around one of the finest squares in central Italy. The afternoon brings us to impressive Tivoli, where Hadrian built his extraordinary 2nd-century imperial villa and the Este family later added their Renaissance gardens of a hundred fountains. A final short ride into Rome, bikes returned by 5pm, then a celebratory dinner into Roman bustling roads awaits us.

Day 9 (10/10)
‘Departure Day’

Tour ends, departures, or a few more days in Rome

What is included:

  • 7 Days Motorcycle rental

  • 8 nights accommodation in 3-star and above hotels, bed and breakfast (shared double room)

  • 8 dinners (wine allocation included)

  • Visit to one of the region's finest buffalo mozzarella producers

  • 1 historical site visit

  • End of tour dinner party

  • Experienced Italian tour leader (English/Spanish/Italian speaking)

  • Full digital tour itinerary

  • GPX tracks and Google maps routes

  • Roadside assistance

  • Support vehicle - 1 bag per person

  • Third party motorcycle insurance

  • Arrival airport transfer (shared)

What is not included:

  • Flights

  • Fuel

  • Lunches

  • Tolls and parking

  • Optional insurance upgrades (excess reduction, famage waiver)

  • Entrance fees to sites and optional experiences

  • Additional alcohol beyond dinner allocation

  • Tips and ghratuities

  • Departure airport transfer

  • Anything not listed above

Pricing Options

  • Includes roadside assistance and support vehicle for luggage transportation.

    • Moto Guzzi Guzzi V7

    • Aprilia Tuareg 660

    • BMW F900R

    • BMW F750/800GS

    • Yamaha Ténéré

    • Ducati Scrambler 800

    Security deposit €1500

    Optional HP Insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €1500)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €500, theft €1000)

    • Ducati Desert X

    • Ducati Multistrada 950 V2

    • Honda Africa Twin

    • Guzzi V85 TT

    • Guzzi V100

    • BMW F850/900GS

    Security deposit €2000

    Optional HP Insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €2000)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €700, theft €1100)

    • Moto Guzzi Stelvio

    • BMW R1250GS / R / RS

    • Triumph Tiger 1200

    • KTM 1290s ADV

    • Ducati Scrambler 1100

    Security deposit €2500

    Optional HP Insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €2500)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €800, theft €1250)

    • BMW R1300 GS / RS / RT

    • Ducati Multistrada 1150 V4

    Security deposit €2500

    Optional HP insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €2000)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €700, theft €1100)

    • BMW R1300GS Adventure

    Security deposit €3000

    Optional HP Insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €3000)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €1250, theft €1500)

    • Harley Davidson Ultra Glide

    • Harley Davidson Road King

    • Harley Davidson Street Glide

    Security deposit €3000

    Optional HP Insurance excess €25 p/d (damage/ theft €3000)

    Optional VIP insurance excess €40 p/d (damage €1250, theft €1500)

  • You can select any of these extras on the Rider Form you wil receive after completing the booking.

    • Single room supplement €100 p/d

    • Optional HP insurance €25 p/d

    • Optional VIP insurance €40 p/d

    • Modular helmet €35 (one off)

    • Spidi tech jacket €50 (one off)

    • Spidi gloves €10 (one off)

    • GPS €15 p/d

    • Telephone support €18 (one off)

    • Lowered seat 15 p/d (only some models)

    • Start/finish: Rome city (fly to Fiumicino)

    • You can follow our tour leader, ride independently with the provided maps, or both.

    • The route difficulty will be mostly medium, 95% tarmac, 5% gravel.

    • Minor itinerary changes possible due to roads conditions, weather, hotels availability.

    • The first day will be dedicated to arrival, registration and welcome dinner. You can fly in at any time you like and will be picked up at the airport. Hotel check in is from 3pm.

    • Refundable deposit to secure your tour place is €1500.

    • Balance settlement at 60 days to the tour start.

    • Motorcycle security deposit and any extra insurance will be paid directly to the rental.


If you have any questions get in touch here, or send us a message on What’sApp.

What Riders Say About This Tour

“Just completed the Amalfi Coast tour. INCREDIBLE! The views and routes changed daily. This holiday way exceeded our expectations. The wild mountain route was awesome, the roads on this route are generally great.”
- Joanne

Read all reviews on our dedicated Reviews page.

FAQ

Q: What makes this different from a standard Amalfi Coast tour?
This is a riding loop, not a coastal sightseeing trip. We use the Amalfi cliff road as the centrepiece of just one day — the rest is mountain roads through the southern Apennines, the Matese, the Cilento, the Sannio and the Abruzzo, where the riding is at its best and the traffic disappears completely.

Q: How experienced do I need to be?
This is our more technical tour. Daily riding is 4 to 6 hours on mountain roads with constant hairpins, narrow lanes and elevation changes. You should be comfortable with sustained twisty riding before booking. For an easier first ARI experience, our Sardinia tour is the better option.

Q: What is the weather like in early October in southern Italy?
Daytime temperatures are typically 18 to 24°C, cooling in the mountains. The sea is still warm enough for a swim on the Amalfi day. October sits in the sweet spot — the summer crowds and heat have gone, the light and colours are at their best, and the roads are practically empty.

Q: Do we really ride through Naples?
We do, deliberately and briefly. We ride up to the heart of the city for the experience and the iconic squares, then continue south toward Vesuvius. The traffic is part of the character — and the tour leader has been navigating it since he was a teenager. You can opt out if you prefer.

Q: Is this tour suitable for those riding independently?
Yes. We provide expert-vetted GPX files and Google Maps routes so you can ride at your own pace and meet the group at the lunch and overnight stops.

Can pillions join?

Yes. This is a particularly nice tour for couples riding 2 up. You must be comfortable on the described roads though.

Guide Bio

This tour is curated and led by Fabio Affuso, founder of All Routes Italy. Born and bread in Naples, Fabio has been riding these roads since he was a teenager, and will share his deep local knowledge and very favourite spots with you.
Find out more on our About Page.