For my son's 26th birthday in May, I am taking him to the Moto GP race in Mugello, Italy. I have been to Italy 5 times, but this will be his first time overseas. In the past I have done the usual, Rome, Positano, Tuscany Venice etc., but this trip I want to do something different. This is all I have so far:
Arriving Rome May 23 3-4 nights
Moto Gp Race in Mugello (near Florence) June 3
Depart Milan June 5th
Considering renting a motorcycle to see country side(scary!!), but I know that my son would love it, he races motorcycles in the US. Any suggestions. I am very impulsive and just decided and booked this last night.. so everything is up in the air at this point other than the arrival and departure dates.
I want this to be an awesome experience for him, so I would appreciate any advise.

Make reservations to see the Ducati factory and museum in Borgo Panigale just outside Bologna. It's a great tour whether or not you're an enthusiast. I did it this year. The Mugello track is only about an hour away. You get to see the entire operation from engine building to complete testing of the bikes. Here's the link for info:

http://www.ducati.com/heritage/museo/contatti.jhtml

I love your spirit!

Motorcycle rentals may be problematic as opposed to Mopeds due to insurance liability - but shops may well enter into a sell and buy back agreement.

Try CIMT (Central Italy Motorcycle Travel) on line. We have used them in the past to rent bikes and help with trip organization. We are avid bikers back home in North America and were less certain about renting in Italy-this compamy made it easy.

Excellent. Thanks for the heads up on the Ducati factory. This is definately going to be a different trip for me.

Too bad you won't be in Switzerland. It's the PERFECT place for motorcycle riding. The passes are sensational.

The Dolomites would also be good.

I'm sure if I mention that fact, we will end up in Switzerland... but, I'm re-thinking being on the back of that bike!!! 150 mph on winding, narrow, mountain roads... I'm a pretty good mom, but I think the cinque terra is sounding real good to me.

Here would be one possibility.

http://www.motorcycletoursitaly.it/

I have not personally done business with people so I am not endorsing them.



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How about parking yourself in Firenze or Siena or a Tuscan villa and letting your son do a couple of days' worth of motorcycle riding by himself while you sightsee and chill?

In response to nessundorma, I can't presume to speak for maryparker, but as the second part of a 2up team (the bikers' term for the involved passenger on a cruising bike) I have more peace-of-mind actually being ON the bike than imagining what is happening with my partner (DH, in my case) when I am not on board! And double that for Italy!!!

I have no information to offer. But I just wish to say I think you're one cool mum.

Yes, I agree, I have more peace of mind if I am with him but being a mom of a racer... at some point you just have to sit back, take deep breaths, and realize that you have no control and you just have to trust fate. I am leaning toward parking myself somewhere though, but I'm not sure where. I was in Rome, Florence and Sienna twice last year, so I am looking for a new experience for myself. He is looking into the possibility of running on track day at one of the tracks instead of renting the bike for the road. That would make me much happier. This trip is in the very early stages of planning as you can see. Thanks everybody for the input, I have been researching all of the tips.

Mary, you are a cool mom! Here are my initial thoughts...

My DH and I just came back yesterday from a 10-day trip to Spain that included the Valencia MotoGP race (GO NICKY!!!), and it was a FABULOUS time. I will have a trip report posted this weekend with more details about what it was like, and I'll link to it here if you are interested.

Also, I have a link at home of another site to rent motorcycles that we considered for a past trip to Italy, so I will post it tonight for you to consider.

I believe that unlike with a car, your son may need a special license to drive a bike there. I am not sure, though, so check that out.

Tickets for the Valencia race sold out quickly. Check MotoGP.com for details about when tickets go on sale. There was not a U.S. ticket merchant for the Valencia race, so I bought tickets from a German agency. It was a little scary, because I didn't know how to be sure they were legitimate. Everything was fine, though, so I'll post the link here tonight.

I also highly recommend the Ducati factory tour, and making reservations was easy.

Finally, as a racer, your son may want to take his own helmet and gear. Look into shipping it over there ahead of time, because a full set of leathers, boots, gloves and helmet could easily eat up your entire luggage allowance.

If you want something different, why not try Liguria? In May it should be lovely. I think being in Portovenere or, if you prefer a train stop, Levanto, would be very relaxing.

If he wants to fly through Switzerland and you are leaving from Milan, how about parking yourself somewhere on the shores of Lake Como where you can really chill out?

Dukey's right. One of the lakes is a great idea, especially in May. I don't know if this makes a difference, but Lago di Como has the windiest roads, but also the legendary beauty. If you'd like magical seclusion, Lago d'Orta is a possibility. Lago Maggiore has Switzerland on one end and Milano (sort of) at the other and interesting excursions. All over the lakes you'll find pampering and such.

Doesn't get much better than that. I stayed in Bellagio a few years ago, and although stunningly beautiful, it was a little too resortlike (sorry, is that a word?) for me. I was only there for two nights, so maybe I didn't give it a chance. Magical seclusion...I like the sound of that! I am reading up on Lago D'Orta and Maggiore. THANKS

I'm still trying to get my arms around the sheer size of those GP crowds! And how do the towns accomodate'em? We passed through Jerez and the train station didn't even have a roof, but the crowd at the track must be 100,000.

Is your son sponsored? The brand he rides, and the distributor over here may have some sway over getting onto a bike in Italy. One of our friends was hooked-up with one of the big Cagiva distributors back east and wound up on a loaned ride for their entire trip.

Also - the Guzzi factory is on the eastern shore of Lake Como - they have a little museum that probably wouldn't be worth a trip by itself, but if you were staying in the neighborhood. We saw a lot of bikes crossing the lake on the auto ferries at mid-point (Varenna-Menaggio)

... and that was 150 Km/hr, right? ;-)