Côte d'Azur & Les Alpes-Maritimes

[Orson]

Team orson embarks on a quickie, one-week venture across the border to the motorcycling playground that is the south of France.

Departing from team orson's world headquarters in Parma, we stick to the backroads as we make our way across the Appenine mountains to the coast. The early fall temperatures combined with the altitude serve to feed the mighty, mighty goose with a horespower boost in the form of cool, mountain air. We reach the coast by late afternoon and get a hotel room near Portofino. I didn't take any pictures, so I'll cheat and use a picture from a previous trip  



In a bid to save time, the next day's route will be a blast up the Ligurian coast along the autostrada, the same stretch used by Richard Hammond to race James May in a cigarette boat. The road features dozens and dozens of tunnels cutting thru the mountains that line the coast. I can't even begin to imagine how long the trip must have taken before the autostrada was constructed.

Just after crossing the French border, we leave the highway and head up into the hills in search of twisties.  As you approach Monaco, you begin to notice an increase in the amount of auto exotica. In a matter of a few hours, I must have seen four or five Bentleys and a couple of Ferraris. Porsches and Mercedes seemed downright pedestrian in these environs. This is the closest they will allow you to get to Monaco on a Guzzi.



With the purchase of an iPad, this would be the first trip where team orson traveled with any electronic devices besides a digital camera. Perhaps lured by the flashing lights and whirring noises of this strange device, the team orson navigator threw caution to the wind and drunkenly decided to make a hotel reservation with the contraption. His reckless action would very soon come back to haunt team orson.

A tip that the ride along the coast to Cap d'Antibes was enjoyable proved to be wrong, as we encountered lots of traffic and very little scenery. With the skies beginning to darken forbodingly, the decision was made to turn inland at Cannes and hit La Route Napoleon. A few years ago, BIKE magazine declared La Route Napoleon to be the "Best road in Europe." While that would be a subjective opinion for sure, in my opinion they weren't far off the mark.



Fast and flowing, La Route Napoleon may be short on photographic charms, but is top shelf stuff for releasing your inner Mike Hailwood   For about sixty blissful kilometers, there are almost no towns or side roads to slow your progress. The mostly open nature of the terrain means that four-wheeled chicanes are easily dispatched.



Approaching Castellane, the dark skies begin to release their moisture with a vengance. In the past, team orson would have retired to the nearest warm and dry hotel room. But now armed with a newfangled i-Pad, team orson felt compelled to continue onto their reserved hotel room, somm 100 kilometers distant. Harsh words were exchanged between the team orson photographer and navigator, as the benefits of modern technology were called into question.

The last fifty kilometers were a slow, wet slog along the road that hugs the northern edge of the Canyon du Verdun. Although it was raining heavily, brief glimpses of its grandeur occasionally revealed themselves. Thankfully, the rain began to taper off later in the afternoon, allowing for a few photographs thru the mist.





The following morning dawned with an improved weather forecast, and I spent the day meandering back along the northern edge of the canyon before returning along the southern edge.





Coming into a small village, I saw a large group of about 20 motorcycles leaving a gas station. My initial reaction was, "Oh great. I'm going to have to work my way thru the slow pokes." Not to worry though. This was France and these weren't a Harley parade. Within a minute, the group had blasted away. France has a fantastic moto-culture. Despite having roughly the same population as the UK, they have twice as many registered motorcycles.





I stayed the night in the picturesque town of Moustieres-Ste-Marie on the western edge of the canyon. The hotel's restaurant was fantastic and I left thoroughly bloated after a six-course meal. Even the dessert had a dessert.

Moustieres-Ste-Marie in the morning light.



We headed north towards les Alpes Maritimes. The south of France is chock full of lazily, twisting two-lane roads.



I was amazed at how little traffic there was on these roads. I stopped to take this picture, and not a single car came by during the entire five minutes that I was stopped.



The mountains begin to grow as you approach Barcelonnette.





At Jausiers, I turn south and head up la Col de la Bonette. The road signs claim that it is the highest paved road in Europe, but Wikipedia disputes this, claiming that it is only the third highest road. As I begin the climb, the skies begin to darken once more. As I reach the summit and begin the descent, I catch a glimpse of the rain waiting for me in the valley below.



Fortunately, by the time I make it to the valley floor, the rain has dissipated and I scamper off to find a hotel room. I awaken the next morning to a blazingly blue sky and turn back north. I'm not sure if this is a castle of maybe a monastery high above the valley floor.



The D-2202 between Annot and Guillaumes...oh my, my   Such a wonderful stretch of tarmac is the stuff of dreams. the pictures can't begin to do it any justice. I rate the French highway system among the best, if not the best in the world. Most of the main roads a paved with smooth, well marked asphalt.



A close up of the church in the distance.



Looking back at the D-2202 show it snaking its way alongside a riverbed.



After Guillaumes, the road narrows as it begins to climb la Col de la Cayolle. this climb seemed to go on forever.



About 10 kilometers short of Barcelonnette, I came upon this road works. D'oh! Merde Alors! I would have to backtrack almost an hour if I couldn't get by.



Using my high school French, I found out that they would open the road in one hour, so i decided to cool my heels and wait.

After topping up the gas tank in Barcelonnette, I turned south once more and headed up la Col de Maure. While the fall colors aren't as spectacular as New England, there were a few spots of vibrant color.



After a long day slaying mountain passes, the mighty, mighty goose stops to absorb some of the scenery.



The D-6202 is another wonderfully enjoyable road on a motorbike, fast and flowing, with hardly any traffic or pesky switchbacks to slow your pace. This trip to Provence has only served to solidify my belief that, the south of France has some of the best motorcycling roads anywhere on the planet. Wales & Scotland come close, but get knocked down a notch because of their infamously, soggy weather. Northern California and the south of France are the top of the pops in my book.

Once again I awaken to bright, blue skies, but alas, my time is running short. I point the goose back towards Italy for the homeward leg. I take a small detour off the autostrada in Italy to the bridge at Dolceacqua that was painted by Claude Monet.



Further up the road is the picturesque town of Apricale, perched precariously on a hilltop.



Once again, I use the autostrade to blast down the Ligurian coast. Looking back north along the coastline.



I spend the last night in Portofino. The view of Portofino harbor from the hotel room balcony.



In an effort to blend in with the local populace, team orson purchased some spiffy, Italian loafers. Whereas team orson was treated as a furriner before, now people mistake us for locals and stop to ask us for directions.



The next morning, we begin our final leg across the Appenines back to Parma. The scenic road leaving Portofino.



I stop for lunch in a small town and take a final photograph of possibly the most beautiful sport touring bike on the planet. Ten years on and the bike never missed a beat, still going strong after 80,000 km.



Route Map:



Trip stats:

Distance- 2,000 kilometers
Travel days- 8
Rest days- 0
Carabinieri sightings- 3
Gendarmerie sightings- 0
Deer sightings- 0
Bee stings- 2

[garry]

Very nice report. I hope to pop my Euro moto cherry next summer when in Switzerland on business (and probably the summer after as well).

[Rocky]

Wonderful    
Thanks for sharing!

[kendenton]

 

[R Doug]

"File" photos or not, wow.  Simply wow.  

[Orson]

"File" photos or not, wow.  Simply wow.  

just to be clear   the first photo of Portofino is a file photo from a previous trip.

The rest were taken in early October 2012  

[nevinfs327]

Awesome pics.  Cote d'Azur is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.  Would love to return with a moto, and head north as you did.  Hopefully the ride made up for the inability to drive earlier in your time off...

Nevin

[CosmicCowboy]

Your reports always make me sick with envy.

[coho]

Your reports always make me sick Tenni Green with envy.

Fixt  


Awesome report as always, Orson.  

[JimWilliamson]

Trip stats:

Distance- 2,000 kilometers
Travel days- 8
Rest days- 0
Carabinieri sightings- 3
Gendarmerie sightings- 0
Deer sightings- 0
Bee stings- 2
Tablet computing device that gave its life swatting bees- 1

[Papa Lazarou]

I've been there and it is very lovely.  

[MisterSmooth]

Fuckin' A, man!       You know how to live.    

I hate it when the navigator and photographer get in a spat.    

Just gimme a minute to cut and paste that route for the day when my kid gets out of college...

although I'm not sure I can last that long.  I'm scheming about a quick trip to England next year with some motorbike related content.  


Thanks for posting up, Will.  Always a pleasure to open a Team Orson ride report.  

[Daniel Kalal]

very nice!

So, how'd this compare with a longer trip, where you actually ride some distance?  For this one, you stayed in a fairly tight area and covered it pretty thoroughly.  Did you ever get antsy, and want to stretch out the legs of your Guzzi?

[Orson]

Just gimme a minute to cut and paste that route for the day when my kid gets out of college...

There's really no need to cut & paste. Much like Northern California, the south of France is one of those places where you can just throw a dart at the map and hit a great motorcycling road  

although I'm not sure I can last that long.  I'm scheming about a quick trip to England next year with some motorbike related content.  

I've said it before, but I think the UK is the most underrated riding locale across the pond   But the south of France is as good as it gets in Europe. Well maintained roads, good weather and scenery.

So, how'd this compare with a longer trip, where you actually ride some distance?  For this one, you stayed in a fairly tight area and covered it pretty thoroughly.  Did you ever get antsy, and want to stretch out the legs of your Guzzi?

No. The area north of Nice had so many fantastic roads, that I never felt compelled to move to another area although, I considered returning to Parma thru the Piedmont Region. Otherwise, staying in one area was not much different as far as daily mileage. I was limited to 8 days, so rather than busting my ass to see as much as possible, I figured I would just relax and meander around one area.

I only averaged 250 km per day, down from previous trips. I'm not sure if I'm just getting old, or whether my accident has decreased my endurance. Some days, I struggled to get on the road by 10:00 A.M.

I've always had a sort of tunnel vision, focused on riding, hence most of my trip reports show road pictures, as opposed to FJR-UK's trip reports full of pictures of beautiful churches and market places. I've often told myself that maybe I need to stay in one place for a couple days to afford a more leisurely experience  

As far as stretching the legs of the Guzzi, there wuz plenty of that   La Route Napoleon and others, with their fast, open sweepers seemed a custom fit for the Guzzi   Fast sweepers in combination with very little traffic provided a Nirvana-like setting   Fantastic stuff  

[Ralf]

Orson, you never fail to deliver the goods!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Thank you for sharing, orson! I appreciate the map as well, as it gives me the "dart board" at which to aim  

 I've often told myself that maybe I need to stay in one place for a couple days to afford a more leisurely experience  

Next year you'll have to take advantage of Haus von Dante and set your rides from northern Switzerland. I hear that the Black Forest is lovely  

[FJR-UK]

I envy you a dry run though the Canyon du Verdon. I've been twice on a bike (both wet) and once with the family in a car (dry).

We just got back from a week to Antwerp and Paris. We did it by train, as my thumbs seem to be getting arthritic and clutching and braking can be problematic.

It's hell getting old!  

[Daniel Kalal]

I was there in Spring when the rocks are wet and constantly dripping even when the sky is  blue.

[stromgal]

sigh.........

[DogBoy]

Read this report last week and having been working on a reply ever since but I couldn't find enough superlatives. So, uhh...this report is like...real good. Like really good in a good way, you know? Uh...nice.

[DkKnight]

Wow just Wow - awesome report as always Orson !
I truly envy .......
DK

[Mac]

Very nice. Great pics as well.

Was language much of an issue? I'm assuming you speak Italian, as you live there, is it a good substitute in Fr or would you recommend Spanish?

I've only been to Marcelles and Paris, so English wasn't an issue.

[james_g]

Read this report last week and having been working on a reply ever since but I couldn't find enough superlatives. So, uhh...this report is like...real good. Like really good in a good way, you know? Uh...nice.

 


james

[Montyburns]

Another amazing trip and report.  Orson, your ride reports inspire me to be a better, more adventurous motorcyclist.  (Now if I can just find people who can inspire me to be a better husband, father, professional, etc., I'll be in great shape  ).

[BIWOZ]

Dearly Beloved wants us to rent a gite for a month in France, probably in 2014, then rent (or buy) a motorcycle and use the gite as a base from which to explore. I was a bit "iffy" about it ... but after seeing this ...  

[nantahala]

sigh.........

x2...

Nice Orson!  

[Roadhandlerxx]

Thank you for sharing! I've always enjoyed your perspectives when you post up and now I see your just as good with your camera.  Just beautiful!

[Orson]

Was language much of an issue? I'm assuming you speak Italian, as you live there, is it a good substitute in Fr or would you recommend Spanish?

Sorry for the delay in responding...I lost my innernets.

I speak Spanish, so I can muddle along and get the gist of what's being said in Italian.

I took a couple years of High School French...just enuff to order a meal or get a hotel room

[groundhog]

My wife and rode that area two years ago and I agree that it is the best riding that I have ever seen.  We really loved the Castelane and Verdun Gorge area.  We stayed in Castelane several days exploring the area.  I think we are going back next year.

[rauchman]

Always look forward to your ride reports.  They do indeed inspire.  Awesome as always!!!

[Scoop]

Orson, that's another awesome trip.  This time, I'm not going to stew in my own envious juices for long.  My wife and I are planning a trip to the GP in Mugello in June.  Will be staying in Florence for the first week, then want to take another week or so to tour around.  That route looks like a winner.  Any tips, suggestions?  I speak enough French to do OK there (being from Canada, eh).  Would you suggest that route, or is there somewhere better that you might suggest?  Ideas on bike rental in the area?  All help from Team O humbly appreciated

[Orson]

Please to see my response in your other thread  

[tomss25]

Great report and pictures.  Thank you.  As a teen I lived in France for nearly three years.  Military brat.  Especially liked the map.  
Tom

[Vfourfan]

Orson, some of us who are stuck in less glorious and exotic places love to live vicariously thru your wonderful trips and pics.