World President Tour
Well, what an opportunity this was—to be able to take the place of our president and vice president and go on the World Presidents Tour and the World Ducati Weekend! We did arrive a few days early to do the usual touristy stuff by car, but the excitement really started to kick off on Sunday.
Day 01 (Sunday):
Went to the airport to drop off the car. Saw a lady with a Ducati sign, who was waiting for Ducati Club Presidents from around the world, to take them to the hotel. So, we hopped along for the ride and met a few Ducati fanatics for this week’s burning of rubber. At around lunchtime, there was a lot of excitement in the main foyer as they all slowly trickled in. Some had already started celebrating with spritzers! Before dinner, we swapped all our goodies and had a nibble. The chef came out with a special plate just for Sue! Then we all sat down for a late dinner, where some more antics took place, including a few people falling into the pool.
Day 02:
This morning, there was a buzz of excitement. After an early breakfast, we were whisked away to the Ducati Factory for a tour. There, we saw all of the 82 loan bikes parked up, ready to go—including the one Supersport with our name on it! The factory tour was a bit different from the standard one for the general public, as we were invited into the research and development area for the GP bikes. All secret squirrel stuff, so we’re not allowed to say anything other than ——————— which helped ————————- and ———— so it would ——————- . We had a look at the ————— in the wind tunnel and ———— to ————. We then had a brief speech from the head engineer, who presented us all with an awesome gift: a key ring with a valve opening rocker arm, which contributed to the development of the Panigale V4R. After the speech, we had lunch and finally hopped on the bikes for a meander around the Italian countryside. We were divided into four groups of approximately 20 bikes, by colour. Us newbies were red—best colour to warn others, I guess!
First stop was to stretch our legs and get gas. Boy, what a sight it was to see 20 bikes filling up at once at a gas station! Then, just as we were finishing, another group of bikes lined up for a re-fill. Phew! Another stop was at the Osteria Alla Torre for a biological re-fuel (most needed water due to the heat). There, we had a photo opportunity with the Tower of San Martino della Battaglia in the background. The last stop was the hotel in Coccaglio, where we would stay for the next three nights.
82 Ducati's, all lined up for US!
Tower of San Martino della Battaglia
Awesome key ring!
Refuels were mayhem!
Day 03:
Well, what a day! Bit of a slog to get to some windy roads, but it was worth it! We started by asking if we could move up to the yellow group—needed a little more speed and consistency for the Supersport. So off we went, heading toward Lake Idro. But rather than riding along the lake, we turned right and went over San Rocco Pass. Back into the windy roads!
This took us to the top left-hand side of Lake Garda and into peak midday Italian traffic. That was an experience! It was also nice of two policemen to stop the traffic for us so our red group could slip into the main flow. It was a buzz riding in a group of red mean machines along the side of the lake.
We stopped for pizza in Nago-Torbole, which was followed by more windy roads and back-country towns. One place we stopped at was Chalet Novezza for—you guessed it—photos, coffee, and water! Then it was back to the hotel in time to catch a bus to Relais Due Roccoli for dinner and stunning views of Lake Idro. We got back around 11:30 p.m. Long day today.
Riding along the side of Lake Garda. So big it looks like the sea.
Got snapped!
Pizza
View of Lake Idro from the restaurant
Day 04:
Well, after a late night and an early morning start…there were plenty of faces in need of a coffee or two at breakfast! We headed up the right-hand side of Lake Iseo and continued north until a right turn took us over Vivione Pass, leading back to Lake Idro, where we stopped for lunch at Villa La Pausa.
Afterward, we scooted down the left side of Lake Idro and returned to the hotel for a quick scrub-up before dinner. This time, the buses took us to Contadi Castaldi Winery, a Ducati sponsor that produces a wine under the Ducati name. We had a tour explaining the intricate process of winemaking. Phew! Wine production is so technical these days!
We also had dinner there, sheltered under huge umbrellas that kept us dry during a brief thunderstorm. As we left, we received a special gift. Not sure how it would taste on the rocks with Coke though…
Day 05:
Well, this was the longest day yet. We had to leave a little later to allow time for our bags to be packed and sent to the next hotel. After that, we essentially made a beeline straight for Rimini.
The first half of the journey was on back roads, with a stop for lunch in Mantua by Lake Mezzo, and then we hit the highway for the Italian version of "the fastest way to get anywhere." This part was a bit like my younger days, lane-splitting on the Auckland motorways during peak hour—except this time, it was four lanes!
We finally arrived at the hotel with 20 minutes to spare before the bus took us to the D.O.C. President meeting. As expected, a few people were late. Then came dinner and the unveiling of the new Panigale, along with the obligatory photos. Finally, we got to bed... and a well-deserved sleep-in!
Day 06:
Wow. Slept through the alarm this morning! So, we missed the first and only planned event. Instead, we wandered around in awe of all the bikes! Spotted a white Supersport with a sidecar—perfect for the kids or dogs, according to Sue! Lots of products were on display, but none for sale. Ducati had their own store though, in case you wanted any accessories with Ducati branding.
After spending the day exploring, we treated ourselves to a nana nap, then set off in search of a restaurant serving gluten-free pizza. Got lost and ended up on a race track (totally planned, I swear). It was actually an organised ride, letting us do a lap of the Misano track before heading out onto the streets. There were bikes everywhere, with crowds cheering us on from the roadside. The ride took us to an event area in Rimini where there was food, live bands, and burnouts well into the night. Italians sure know how to throw a party!
We didn’t stay too long though, as hunger took over. Finally found a place that served gluten-free pizzas and, bonus, there was a band on the beach playing covers of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and Dire Straits. Nice!
People and bikes EVERYWHERE!
All line up on the track
Day 07:
We saw what we wanted to see yesterday so decided to head out of the expected 36 degree heat. So after breakfast, where I was early enough to see they had Ducati spelt out with pastry, we decided we could try to make it to Florence. Programmed the “fun” route on the Beeline app but it felt like going over the passes on the President tour. But that wasn’t a bad thing. We stopped at Gamberini Restaurant for lunch and the owners were impressed we were from NZ so we chatted and swapped stickers.
It was getting really hot and we were only half way to Florence so decided to bail and head back to Rimini. At the hotel we decided to wobble up the road for dinner. Not riding meant whiskeys in the lobby while waiting for others.
We ran out of kiwi stickers but helped our Israeli friend plaster his stickers all over the place. We also handed them out to anyone on a Ducati or with a Ducati / Club t-shirt. It was amazing how people’s eyes lit up when given a sticker mentioning a Ducati! The hype was intense!
Decided to have our last dinner with some of the president crew at the same restaurant as last night. Then headed back along the beach front and caught up with more of the mad president crew. Ended up a later night than yesterday but the atmosphere was awesome.
Breakfast at the hotel
Gamberini restaurant for lunch
No room on the downpipe at Gamberini - window frame it is!
Last WDW dinner
Last MAD Presidents standing
Dishing out stickers after the last dinner with the dodgy Prezzys
Day 08:
Bit of a sad day today, knowing it’s the last. The whole week went so quickly. We went back at the track to drop off the loan bike and have another look. Then say our goodbyes to the friends we have met. There was a bus ready to take us back to the hotel and pick up our bags. Then onto Bologna Airport. We then took a shuttle back to Bologna Airport Hotel for a well deserved whiskey n coke.
It was our pleasure to take part in this mad Italian celebration of Ducati’s. Sue and I are so grateful of the opportunity that was presented to us by Ange, Darryl and the DOCNZ committee.
Cheers to you all.
Roger and Sue
✍️ Roger & Sue Pereira 📸 Pereira's & Ducati
