I went touring to Italy for 10 days at the beginning of June this year. I had just been knocked of my Blackbird, (bought the Busa to replace it) and had to do it on a loan bike, (Triumph Trophy 1200).
The one thing I didnt like was the weather, it was waaaaay too hot. If you are on a bike you HAVE to do the Alps or better still, the Dolomites, theres nothing else like them in the world, you go from sun to rain to snow and back again in a couple of hours.
Driving round the cities is a big no, no. Italian car drivers really dont give a f**k when it comes to bikes. Get out around the lakes, (Garda etc), its more tranquil and you can take your time enjoying the scenary.
The other thing we didnt do was to pre-book hotels, there are loads of them, simply ride till your fed up or find somewhere you like and stop there. I have done tours before where you pre-book and you end up regretting you cant stay in a little village you pass through because you 'have got' to get to the hotel youve booked in the next tow.
Make sure you have plenty of insurance coverage and all the usuall brake down contacts, watch out for the nutters on scooters and most of all, have a great time.
P.S. If you would like, you could send me over a bag of cash and will personally take time of work, hop on the bike, drive over and show you around..
