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The 10 best motorcycle roads in Italy

Italy has the passes, the coast and the food. These ten roads, north to south, are the ones to build an Italian trip around.

Published 6 October 2026 · facts fetched from Wikipedia on 6 October 2026

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  1. 1 Stelvio Pass

    Stelvio Pass
    Photo by kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Stelvio Pass is a mountain pass in northern Italy bordering Switzerland at an elevation of 2,757 m (9,045 ft) above sea level. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, 7 m (23 Wikipedia

    The obvious one, and still worth it. Pair with the Gavia and Mortirolo for the Giro d'Italia triple.

    Written about in 32 languagesStart a trip here

  2. 2 Gavia Pass

    Gavia Pass
    Photo by Gabri80 at Italian Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Gavia Pass (el. 2621 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps. Wikipedia

    Narrow, high and wild. The best of the three.

    Written about in 16 languagesStart a trip here

  3. 3 The Sella Ronda

    The Sella Ronda
    Photo by This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Sella Pass (2218 m) is a high mountain pass between the provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol in Italy. It connects the Val Gherdëina in South Tyrol and Canazei in the Fascia Valley in Trentino. Wikipedia

    Four Dolomite passes in a loop of 50 km. Ride it clockwise in the morning before the coaches.

    Written about in 17 languagesStart a trip here

  4. 4 Lake Garda's western shore (Gardesana Occidentale)

    Lake Garda's western shore (Gardesana Occidentale)
    Photo by Photo by Guido Adler. Upload by Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. Wikipedia

    Tunnels cut into the cliff from Riva to Salò. Best in the early morning.

    Written about in 79 languagesStart a trip here

  5. 5 The Ligurian coast and Cinque Terre

    The Ligurian coast and Cinque Terre
    Photo by Bruno Rijsman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Cinque Terre is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. Wikipedia

    The SP370 above the villages is narrow and spectacular; leave the bike in the villages and walk.

    Written about in 53 languagesStart a trip here

  6. 6 The Chiantigiana (SR222)

    The Chiantigiana (SR222)
    Photo by Francesco Sgroi, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Chianti is an Italian red wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany, principally from the Sangiovese grape. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco. Wikipedia

    Florence to Siena through the vineyards. Not twisty, just beautiful, with a wine stop in Greve.

    Written about in 35 languagesStart a trip here

  7. 7 Amalfi Coast

    Amalfi Coast
    Photo by Bruno Rijsman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located in the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy, south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Wikipedia

    The SS163, early and out of season. Buses and scooters own it in August.

    Written about in 50 languagesStart a trip here

  8. 8 Gran Sasso and Campo Imperatore

    Gran Sasso and Campo Imperatore
    Photo by Fiat 500e, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Gran Sasso d'Italia is a massif in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Its highest peak, Corno Grande 2,912 metres (9,554 ft), is the highest mountain in the Apennines, and the second-highest mountain in Italy outside the Alps. Wikipedia

    The "little Tibet" plateau in Abruzzo: an empty road at 1,800 m, two hours from Rome.

    Written about in 43 languagesStart a trip here

  9. 9 Sardinia: the SS125 Orientale Sarda

    Sardinia: the SS125 Orientale Sarda
    Photo by Aesopposea, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Sardinia, officially the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Sicily, and one of the twenty regions of Italy. Wikipedia

    The east coast road from Arbatax to Dorgali through the Supramonte. Empty, twisty and warm in October.

    Written about in 167 languagesStart a trip here

  10. 10 Sicily: around Etna

    Sicily: around Etna
    Photo by BenAveling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Mount Etna, or simply Etna, is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania. Wikipedia

    The road up to Rifugio Sapienza and the loop of the volcano through the lava fields. Sicily in spring is motorcycle weather.

    Written about in 115 languagesStart a trip here

Riding or driving it

Milan to Naples by the roads above is ten days. Roadlegs lists the vignette-free Italian motorways you will use to connect them, the fuel stops, and the ferry to Sardinia if you add it.

Open the plan in Roadlegs How the planner handles this vehicle.

About the facts and photos

The descriptions in italics are the opening sentences of the Wikipedia article for each place, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, fetched on 6 October 2026. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licence named beside each one. "Written about in N languages" counts the Wikipedia editions that have an article, from Wikidata; it is a measure of how well known a place is, not a rating. Everything else is the author's own opinion. Roads close with the seasons: check before you go.

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