Maritime Alps

The “Old World Tour”

Two motorcycle enthusiasts from Southern California, USA. Experienced motorcycle riders with some experience in Europe, guided and self-guided.
Excited to discover something unexpected in Europe - even though the Southern California region already has an incredible amount to offer.
So, the bar was set high right from the start …
“Something in the Alps – not in the Dolomites, as those are already well-known.”
Ok …
Riding experience on- and offroad given, so ambitious routes preferred. 4 riding days, 300 km or more each.
Ok …
Full service please: Tour planning, airport shuttle from an airport reachable with not more than 1 stopover, hotels, bikes, guiding.
No probs, our pleasure …
The riding area: Maritime Alps. Milan as the in- and outbound airport, Piedmont as the starting point.
4 riding days:
Piedmont - Grand Route des Alpes - Gorges du Verdon - Provence - Côte d’Azur - Italian “Fower” Riviera - Ligurian Alps - Piedmont
1.100 km, 50.000 meters of altitude x 2, up and down

La Morra - The start- and endpoint

The Barolo region is one of Italy's most renowned wine-growing areas, situated in the heart of Piedmont. La Morra is one of only eleven villages that make up the Barolo area.

At the same time, the Barolo region lies just a few kilometers east of the Western Alpine ridge and north of the Ligurian Alps, making it the ideal starting and ending point for the four-day Maritime Alps tour.

Day 1 - The French Alps

Little needs to be said about the French Western Alps. The real challenge isn't just finding beautiful passes and roads, but picking the right ones.

The big, famous passes are often crowded, and the riding is merely "okay." The smaller, exquisite passes and gorges, on the other hand, are something else entirely - challenging and spectacular.

But that’s how it goes in early summer: thunderstorms build up on warm days, and a couple of big ones caught us.
The views we missed are a good reason to come back!

Day 2 - Grand Canyon du Verdon and Haute Provence

Why on earth would you show a canyon to Americans from Southern California? After all, what could possibly be more spectacular than the Grand Canyon?

The answer is simple: the Grand Canyon du Verdon is - for motorcyclists - far more spectacular!

You ride along the edge of the canyon, with views of rock faces towering hundreds of meters high, separated from the drop-off by nothing more than a low wall.

But the Provençal hinterland has plenty to offer, too. You just have to know exactly where to look...

Day 3 - Ralley Monte Carlo streets to the “Riviera dei Fiori”

You can spend days on your own exploring the hinterland of the Côte d'Azur and the Italian Riviera, just above Sanremo.

Roads connecting nowhere to nowhere, a wide variety of routes, stunning landscapes, and hundreds of hairpins. If you know where to go, it’s pure driving pleasure.

All these roads have one thing in common: they demand 100% of your attention - every second, every meter.

The reward at the end is the view of the steel-blue Mediterranean as you descend from an altitude of 1,000 meters - right down to where you can dive in.

Day 4 - Through the Ligurian Alps back to La Morra

The Ligurian Alps are incredible. As always, you could spend days there - both on-road and off-road.

You quickly gain altitude starting from the coast - very pleasant on warm days - and are spoiled for choice between faster, larger roads and smaller, slower ones that take you through villages where time simply seems to have stood still.

You can quickly cross the small plain lying between the Ligurian ridge and Piedmont. The mountains aren't quite as high there, but the roads - ranging all the way to "paved single-trails" - are simply a blast to ride. Add to that the charming landscape of Piedmont, and the longing for the next trip sets in before the current one has even ended.

The voice of the Customers

Adam Waheed:

“We spent the days carving through endless switchbacks, scaling high-altitude passes, and taking views that a camera just can’t full capture.
Whether you want the structure of a fully guided group of the freedom of an unguided solo route, TOURNANTI absolutely nails the detail.
First-class support and routes designed by riders, for riders”“

Take a look at Adam’ YouTube channel here:

- Day 1 -

Garth Milan:

“I’ve been on a few tours in Europe before - both guided and self-guided - always with one of the major providers.

Tournanti makes the difference: the choice of routes is incredible, the hotels are hand-picked gems, and the service is personal. It’s simply a completely different experience. They truly deliver on the promise of being "for the travel gourmets among motorcyclists."

Klaus is already planning a Sardinia and Corsica trip for us next year. We’ll be back!”

Credits for many amazing photos to Garth Milan - thanks you!
If you would like to see more of Garth's magnificent photographic art, visit www.garthmilan.com.