From Rome to "Little Tibet": The Perfect Motorcycle Tour of Campo Imperatore (No Motorway)
Forget the hum of the city and the numbing noise of urban traffic. When the tarmac calls, the real answer does not run through motorway toll booths. There is an Italy that slips by slowly, made of dark rock, thin air, bends that tighten your waist and the scent of burning wood.
This is the account of an epic ride: from Rome up to the boundless heights of Campo Imperatore, nicknamed Italy's "Little Tibet", then home along the ancient transhumance route. No overtaking lanes, no tolls: just your bike, the shifting of your torso into the lean and the unspoilt beauty of the Apennines.
The alarm goes off early in Rome. We head east on the historic SS5 Via Tiburtina. As you move away from the capital, the buildings thin out and the road begins to soften. Near Tivoli, we turn onto the SR411 Sublacense.
Here the landscape changes pace: the road starts to climb alongside the River Aniene. We ride into the Monti Simbruini park, skirting Subiaco. The riding becomes fluid, set to the rhythm of constant-radius sweepers through the woods, ideal for warming up the tyres and the senses.
Having crossed the regional border into the Marsica, we head for Tagliacozzo, a perfect hub before plunging into one of the most spectacular riding sections in Italy: the SR479 towards Anversa degli Abruzzi.
Here the road is quite literally wedged into the rock, throwing open the doors to the Sagittario Gorges.
In this canyon sculpted by water, the stone walls soar almost to the sky. The sound of the engine booms off the vertical walls: you drop down through the gears, the pace turns technical, and you trace tight hairpins and drive out of corners on tarmac that demands full concentration and delivers shots of pure adrenaline.
Leaving the gorges, the altitude climbs dizzily. We ride through the stone village of Castel del Monte and, after the last tight hairpins, the horizon suddenly opens up.
No more trees, no more barriers: welcome to the Campo Imperatore plateau. Your gaze is lost in boundless space at over 1,500 metres (about 4,900 ft), dominated by the majesty of the Corno Grande. The feeling of freedom is total.
The Food Stop: The Fonte Vetica Ritual
You cannot say you have tamed Campo Imperatore without performing the sacred ritual of the motorcycle tourer: the stop at Fonte Vetica, near the historic Ristoro Mucciante.
Here the experience is pure, unpolished conviviality. You walk into the refuge, choose fresh meat at the counter and move outside, where the classic fornacella troughs spit out glowing embers non-stop.
- The Arrosticini: Hand-cut skewers of mutton, with just the right balance of lean and fat to keep them juicy. They are cooked to order, turned over a live fire and salted only at the end.
- Bread and Oil: Short slices of country bread toasted on the grill and drizzled with Abruzzo extra virgin olive oil.
- Pecorino di Farindola: A historic raw-milk cheese with a bold flavour, perfect to taste while your bike rests on its side stand, silhouetted against the outline of the mountains.
The Return: The Tarmac Ribbon of the Passo delle Capannelle
1. From the Corno Grande to the Passo delle Capannelle (SS80)Leaving the plain, we put the heights behind us and take the SS80 over the Passo delle Capannelle. This road is a milestone for riders in Central Italy: the tarmac offers excellent grip and an endless sequence of medium-radius bends that let you keep a flowing, extremely enjoyable pace.
From the pass, a short detour takes us to the shores of Lake Campotosto, a stretch of water set among the mountains where the cool air refreshes you before the final ride home.
Back on the SS4 Via Salaria, we pass Antrodoco and ride through the spectacular Velino Gorges. The road widens here, sliding quickly towards the Rieti plain.
From Rieti you ride the last kilometres of the Salaria towards Rome. As the sun begins to sink, slanting across the screen, the trip meter shows a complete journey, without a single metre of motorway, steeped in the smell of embers, rock and petrol.
Route Fact Sheet
- Total distance: ~380 km (about 236 miles), complete loop
- Estimated riding time: 7 - 8 hours (stops included)
- Road surface: Good to excellent tarmac for 90% of the route. Watch out for some isolated dips on the inland mountain sections of the Simbruini.
- Recommended season: May to October. Avoid the winter months because of the risk of snow and ice at altitude on Campo Imperatore and Capannelle.
- Fuel stops: Fill up at Subiaco or Anversa degli Abruzzi; petrol stations are rare on the plateau itself.
