Why this ride
A 331 km round trip from Portovenere - roughly 4 h 45 in the saddle. The stops in between: Piazza del Duomo, Villa La Magia and back through Piazza del Duomo. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Isola del Tino and Villa La Magia
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 331 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Isola del Tino
Isola del Tino is an island you are almost never allowed to visit. It lies just off the southern tip of the Ligurian coast, a short distance beyond Portovenere and the island of Palmaria, and it belongs to the Italian navy, which keeps it as a military zone. The one exception is the feast of San Venerio, on the thirteenth of September, when boats ferry visitors across and the public may walk on the island for the day. Venerius was a hermit who lived on the island, and the ruins of a medieval monastery built in his honour stand among the pines and rocks.
Read the complete Isola del Tino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Isola del Tino is where the day begins. Next is Piazza del Duomo.
2. Piazza del Duomo
Nothing prepares you for that first glimpse through the gateway. A wide green lawn, and set on it like ornaments on a cloth, the white marble cathedral, the round baptistery, the cemetery cloister of the Camposanto, and of course the bell tower, leaning at an angle that looks wrong no matter how many photographs you have seen. The Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, also called the Field of Miracles, was one of the first places in Italy to be listed by UNESCO, back in 1987.
Read the complete Piazza del Duomo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Piazza del Duomo comes up about 91 km into the recorded legs. Next is Villa La Magia.
3. Villa La Magia
The Medici loved the countryside, especially when it came with hunting grounds, and Villa La Magia at Quarrata was one of their country retreats at the foot of the Montalbano hills, a few kilometres south of Pistoia. Francesco I de' Medici bought it in the sixteenth century to use as a hunting lodge, and it belongs to the World Heritage inscription for the Medici villas and gardens of Tuscany. The villa is a solid rectangular building around a courtyard, more farmhouse than palace, with a park that has become home to contemporary art installations, a rather unexpected touch for a Renaissance hunting lodge.
Read the complete Villa La Magia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 166 km into the recorded legs you reach Villa La Magia. Next is back through Piazza del Duomo.
4. back through Piazza del Duomo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Piazza del Duomo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Piazza del Duomo, late in the day. Next is Isola del Tino.
5. Isola del Tino
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Isola del Tino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Isola del Tino. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Isola del Tino to Piazza del Duomo
Isola del Tino → Piazza del Duomo is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Piazza del Duomo to Villa La Magia
Piazza del Duomo → Villa La Magia is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Villa La Magia to back through Piazza del Duomo
Villa La Magia → back through Piazza del Duomo is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Piazza del Duomo to Isola del Tino
back through Piazza del Duomo → Isola del Tino is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Isola del Tinetto and Villa La Magia · 331 km
- Isola Palmaria and Villa La Magia · 331 km