lavender

Background:
Have been studying Italian for a while and thinking of studying at Italian language school in Urbania for 2 weeks. Considering a homestay with family to enhance my language skills. Husband does not study the language but thinking of joining me and doing his own thing for a couple of weeks during the mornings while I would be attending school.

Question

He would like to do short tours in vicinity by motorbike. Any recommendations of companies that would hire motorbikes on daily or weekly basis? Any Fodorites have experience of renting motorbikes in Italy??

He has motorbike experience and this would be our 4th trip to Italy so having visited some of Italy's " big ticket items" previously, we'd now like to experience more out of the way places-

Also anyone done a homestay with family, especially as a couple?

Thanks!

Steve_James

Hi Lavender - If you don't get a personal recommendation here, I suggest you contact the regional tourist offices for info re. local motorbike hire.

I guess you are more likely to find a hire company in one of the larger centres e.g. Urbino or Pesaro

Here are the Tourist Office e-mail addresses for Urbino, Pesaro and Urbania:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Hope this helps ...

Steve

alanRow

Just to point out that it is a legal requirement for him to have an IDP

hetismij

Don't forget too that he will need to take his own helmet and leathers with him. Helmets are compulsory in Europe. Leathers are just plain common sense.

nytraveler

And if you plano n riding thebike you will have to take helmet and leathers too. And I really do not reco riding without leathers - a friend of mine was on a bike cut off by a car and she was in the ER for 2 hours while they picked gravel out of her skin.

lavender

Thanks everyone- I don't intend riding and leathers and helmet were always in the picture- he has his own but of course it would be really heavy- have to check out possibility of hiring?

Anyone been riding in this area?

zeppole

lavendar,

For what it's worth, I want to point out that as far as I know, there is no train station in Urbania. (I could be wrong about that, so double check me). It may not make a difference to your plans, but relying on buses for daytrips can get problematic.

That said, Urbania is in a truly wonderful part of Italy, with Urbino at your doorstep and no end of charming towns. If you can afford a car, that would be ideal. My favorite town in the area is Sant'Arcangelo in Vado, and my favorite restaurant is NeNe, just a stone's throw from Urbino. There is great food everywhere around there.

lavender

Sounds wonderful zeppole- the language school organizes some bus excursions- have to investigate how far and easily one can travel on the local buses. A car may be an option if parking is not problematic in Urbania.

zeppole

Parking, as you know, is problematic everywhere in Italy, but usually if you are having an extended stay in a town, you learn the local tricks. You may not find parking at your doorstep, but you won't mind waking across town to get your car.

It might require some effort to get to a car rental office once you are in Urbania. I think the closest ones are in Arezzo or Pesaro (and if you only drive automatic, even further).

I hope your homestay includes home-cooked meals. And definitely try some warm crescia (a wonderful flaky sandwich stuffed with soft cheese, very popular with students.)

hetismij

Lavender, coincidentally my son has just been looking at renting a motorbike in Italy. He has a Dutch motorbike licence, and was hoping to do some touring in the early spring before his sailing season starts again.

He has decided against it - he could only find rental places in big cities, and they all seem to limit the daily kms to 250 - 300 kms. He felt he would have used up his daily allowances too quickly, even just driving to where he wanted to be based. He also didn't like the idea of having to get used to a strange bike in a city full of Italian drivers .

Some companies will hire both leathers and helmet, some only leathers, some neither.
I would be very wary of renting a helmet as you do not know the history of it it.

iccuf

What's the weather like there in mid-winter? Wondering about driving - in a car - in January. Would like to go to the La Befana festival.