Europe: the crossing of the Alps

Starting from Grenoble, in France, and arriving in Venice, in Italy? And on the way do you travel more than 2,000 kilometers between hairpin bends, passes, descents, pastures and huts? Why not. Above all thinking that it is summer, or the right season to choose the Alps as a destination for the holiday motorcycle tour. In Europe the suggestive itineraries abound, but the most imposing mountain range of the continent cannot miss in the rider's palmares. Especially if the final destination, immediately after the Dolomites, is Venice with its lagoon and its gondolas. Just the right place to rest limbs and muscles still aching from the long journey.

Oceania: south island

There is a reason why director Peter Jackson decided to set his film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" in New Zealand -apart from the fact that he is from those parts-. And the best way to discover it is to ride on a motorcycle and make a journey along the so-called "Southern Alps", the mountain range that crosses the South Island of New Zealand. You will surely be amazed by Lake Mapourika and the Franz Josef glacier. And who knows, in the desert silence of those places, between one roar and the other of your two wheels, you do not happen to hear the echoes of the screams of the Orcs, the hissing of the arrows of the Elves and the laughter of the Hobbits.

Asia: Tibet on top of the world

It's not that in Asia there are no unforgettable motorcycle itineraries. Indeed, there are dozens. But if you really have to choose one, well, the Tibetan highlands literally end up at the top of the list. Also because you will hardly find motorcycle routes at higher altitudes. The 3,500 kilometers that separate Lhasa from Kashgar offer dreamy Himalayan visions along roads that are not always sublime, but perpetually exciting and foreshortenings that, with the rarefied air, will make you doubt the reliability of your eyes. An example? Lake Pangon which is "only" at 4,350 meters above sea level.

North America: Route 66

The most celebrated, sung and told street of America and perhaps of the world. John Steinbeck called it "Mother Road" and connects Chicago to Los Angeles - and yet vice versa but in the popular imagination the meaning is always one: from east to west -. It goes from the icy winds of Lake Michigan to the sunny Californian beaches through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. It would be better to say you "passed" because in the official maps the Route 66 is no longer indicated and in many places it is so bumpy to make the journey uneasy. But physically it still exists and - good news - you can still taste its magic while riding a motorcycle.

South America: Ruta 40

he Strait of Magellan, the Perito Moreno glacier, the lakes of the Los Lagos region, the Salta vines, the Talampaya national park. Argentina certainly does not lack naturalistic attractions. And the beauty is that many of these can be admired along one road, or rather "the road". Which? La Ruta 40, of course, which crosses the South American country in almost all its length for 5,300 kilometers. From Cape Virgenes, the southernmost point of the American continent, to Quiaca on the border with Bolivia. And since geography is not an opinion, the route runs parallel to the Andes. Which means wonderful vistas and twenty national parks. Translated: about twenty more reasons to ride.

Africa: Cape Town

The climate is ideal. The suggestive scenarios. The fantastic roads. Result: South Africa is one of the most suitable places for motorcycle tourism. And among the many itineraries in the country, one of the first to be listed is the one that leaves and arrives from Cape Town proceeding east along the coast to the Addo Elephant National Park -with relative possibility of shots to the pachyderms- and then returning towards the city they cross the semi-desert region of the Karoo. Meanwhile, a break to enjoy a few glasses of good wine around the town of Robinson is an option that can make the journey even more enjoyable.