Switzerland to Italy

Sailing from Ancona

 St Moritz (Switzerland) - Castelnovo di Sotto, Italy: circa 200 miles

Castelnovo di Sotto - Ancona: circa 200 miles

We packed, shared a coffee with Bash, then turned south to chase the sun. The idea was breakfast in Italy, where we also needed to book a ferry for our crossing of the Adriatic in two days' time. Today marks the point of no return into Italy, taking longer to turn around than to move forward.

Traversing mountain passes in the morning in inclement weather, we fell into convoy with two large trucks. I performed a dodgy overtake on my underpowered motorcycle and, shortly afterwards, the truck was engulfed in a cloud of smoke or steam and had to stop, with Sarah behind it. (I assume it wasn't related to my passing?!)

Below, the train directly on the road.

Bernina Express - the moutain train.

At the risk of sounding like a football pundit, today was a game of two halves, a dramatic change from Alpine weather to Mediterranean heat.

We descended back into the valleys and stopped for breakfast in Italy, only to discover later that we were still in Switzerland and had lost Sarah's bike key. We searched everywhere before finding it in my pocket! I'm not sure how that happened. Probably someone else's fault.

First cultural difference, road etiquette.

Are there any road laws in Italy? I'm not sure. The drivers speed, tailgate, overtake dangerously, ignore the road markings and spend more time gesticulating with their hands than they do holding the steering wheel. They might as well just remove the steering wheel from the car.

Lunch views at Pisogne.

I've done little planning on this route as it's really just a reaction to the bad weather. That means everything is new and being discovered with each turn of the wheel. Unfortunately, my sat-nav stopped showing a map altogether. Sarah's sat-nav kept crashing, and then the engine warning light on my bike illuminated. Worrying. (It also did the same the following day.)

The views were fantastic, unless you're in the frequent tunnels

We stopped in the shimmering heat to search for Somewhere To Stay that evening. After a short while, the farmer must have noticed us passing and came down on his Vespa to see if we were okay and offer assistance. Nice guy.

Floating bridge.

Camping at Agricola Giovanardi

We're in the farming region of Italy and Sarah managed to find an agriturismo farm stay. I called them up and, five minutes later, we were heading towards the town of Castelnovo di Sotto and the farm, Agricola Giovanardi. The area is home to Parmigiano Reggiano and traditional balsamic vinegar.

The food shop and beer fridge.

Simone and me (looking knackered the morning after)

Simone, our host, is a third-generation farmer and took great pride in showing us around the farm his grandfather built. His original steam engine is from Lincoln, England, and the entire barn is "barn find" heaven.

Our host informed us that this region is rich in automotive heritage, known as Motor Valley, home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati and Pagani, and also our second-hand Hondas for the night.

We ate Simone's farm-made pasta with tomato sauce and drank wine and beer produced on the farm. Delicious. In the morning, Simone came round and gave us a huge handful of cherries to enjoy for breakfast. A perfect stay.

Knocking the overnight insects from thier helmet home.

Feeling slightly worse for wear because of the organic produce, we wrapped ourselves in our private saunas (motorcycle kit) and made our way through the farmlands of Italy in thirty-degree heat.

Endless Italian Farmland.

Ancona Port

Our destination is the port of Ancona, a gateway to the Balkans since Roman times, for an overnight sailing to Split, Croatia.

Thank goodness I booked a cabin, otherwise you're sleeping on the deck as it 'included in the price'

 The ferry company called us when we hadn't initially booked one and offered us a cabin for £39.

Home. An upgrade from the tent.

I've loved Italy. The people, once outside a car, are really friendly, always stopping to ask questions about the bikes and our journey. I wish I had more time here and we are both so glad we're not sitting in 7°C in Austria right now.

Private dining at the stern whilst the sun sets.

Tomorrow, Croatia