Here's Terri with our F650GS tour bike getting ready for the first day's ride.

Prepping all the bikes, support van in the background.

Our first lunch stop - a biker friendly hangout.

These Motard riders were scorching the local mountain roads.

In Italian cities (this is Florence) scooters are the number one form of transporttion.

Tuscany is full of statues, there's one in every plaza.

The River Arno separates the old town (left) and the new.

One of the two statues found on the bridge over the Arno.

Further upstream is the 14th century Ponte Vechio. Florence's goldsmithing industry is located here.

Without GPS's our group was sometimes directionally challenged.

Another Florentine statue.

Street musicians put on a great show.

Every town needs a Ferrari store.

There's little logic in Florence's street layout as witness this five way intersection.

First dinner out on tour, a fine (and very expensive) restaurant..

After getting fuel Neil's V-Strom refused to start. The clutch safety switch wire had slipped off.

Florist shop display in Bologna.

We spent the afternoon on a walking tour with Angela as our guide.

The Church of Santa Maria Novela, built by the Dominicans in the 13th century..

Dome of the Medici chapel. The Medici's were the most prominent of Florence's patrons.

This statue memorializes the last of the Medicis, Anna.

There are street markets everywnere selling goods, most of them knockoffs.

Genuine Italian silk scarves (made in China).

Hot roasted chestnuts on a rainy day.

The main entrance to the Duomo of Florence, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

What time is it?

The painting inside of the dome tells the history of mankind.

Another shot of the exterior of this enormous edifice.

Just a bit of the marblework that makes up the entire facade.

One of the spires on the Duomo of Florence.

And finally, one of the Duomo's towers.

The Palazzo Vecchio was completed in 1302 and still serves as Florence"s town hall.

Neptune's fountain in the Piazza della Signor.

The Rape of the Sabine Women by 16th century sculptor Giambologna.

Legend has it that rif one rubs the boar's nose they will return someday to Florence.

A vegetable vendor's sidewalk display.

Jewelry shop on the Via Tounabuoni, Florence's high-end shopping district.

Now for something a little different, evening window shopping.

Piazza della Repubblica marks the site of the forum, the center of the old Roman city.

A round of drinks at the local pub while waiting for dinner.

A shrine of a different sort in the pub.

Expectant diners, look at the size of those plates.

Florence from across the river.

Tuscan view from atop the wall surrounding the castle at the village of Poppi..

Roadside landscape, olive trees in the Chianti wine region of Tuscany.

Statue of Garibaldi in Siena's La Lizzo park directly across from our hotel.

Shops line the old town's narrow, winding streets.

Gelateria's window display (before opening for the evening).

Piazza del Campo. The Torre del Mangia is the bell tower of Siena's town hall.

Still at the Piazza del Campo. This fountain is popular with tourists for the obvious reasons.

This well is in the courtyard of the Palazzo Chigi-Saracini.

She-wolf suckling the infants Romulus and Remus. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus.

First view of the Siena Duomo's dome.

Here's the duomo from the front showing the main entrance and the ornate marble facade.

Mural, stained glass and friezes above the entrance.

Amazing marble carvings cover the entire cathedral.

The central nave of the cathedral. Note the marble floor art.

This duomo is considered to have the most beautiful floors in the world.

Consider this etching in the marble.

This inlaid etching again features the suckling twins.

The ceilings aren't too bad either. This is in the Piccolomini Library.

These are also in the library.

The library houses precious illuminated choir books dating to the 14th century.

Back in the cathedral, this Saint Peter is one of four Michelangelo sculptures surrounding the alter.

One of a pair of golden organs in the cathedral.

Our Oregonian friend David Allen shot this porttrait at the votive candles.

Here's David and his lovely bride Cherlyne after our visit to the duomo.

Back to the secular world. Antipasta for lunch, yummy.

Street art. Trusting artist later walked away leaving his collection trays behind.

Sculpture of Cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, he eventually became Pope Pius II.

On our way to Livorno the following day we briefly stopped at Monteriggioni.

It's considered the most original medieval town in Italy.

Later in the morning we spent a bit more time in the small city of San Gimignano.

There were a number of shops offering beautiful locally made ceramics.

Some detail on the ceramic vessels.

Art students take advatage of the higher levels of the city to produce classwork sketches.

Small market's window display. Not for vegetarians.

These turrets are interspersed along the ancient walls that protect the city.

Late afternoon we boarded the overnight ferry from Livorno to Golfo Arangi, Sardinia.

Just had time to grab a quick sunset shot before we sailed.

A week later we returned at sundown. You might recognize this landmark.

But have you seen this view? The tower is just a part of a much larger complex.

Our last day on tour we visited the Ducati factory museum.

Did you know that Ducati made radios and cameras before turning to motorcycles?

After the war Ducati began making conversions to power bicycles.

The Cucciolo became a big seller and saved the company.

Very quickly afterward Ducati began building entire motorcycles, and of course, racing them.

By 1956 they were firmly established as a racing company.

Through the 60's and 70's Ducati continued to improve their desmo powered race bikes.

One of the two most famous Ducatis, the Paul Smart Imola racer introduced Ducati's famous L-Twin motor.

The Mike Hailwood Isle of Man winner, the other historic Ducati, cemented the company's reputation.

A huge failure. Floyd Clymer wanted Ducati to offer a Harley challenger. Only a couple were built.

Through the 80's into the 90's Ducati built a series of Superbikes for racing around the world.

While the 916 is iconic, the 851 was the progenitor of the entire Superbike line.

A diversion from their traditional twins was the gorgeous Supermono, only 100 or so were built.

Troy Bayliss rode this 1098R to the 2008 World Superbike championship.

Casey Stoner won the world MotoGP championship on this Desmosedici.

The original Ducati factory across from the current one. Note the Rossi fan's flag.

A quick shot of the Ducati factory store located adjacent to the factory. Lots of bling available here.