Finally one of the most exciting days of our trip had arrived – attending Italy’s MotoGP. We left the hotel early in the morning to avoid the heavy traffic to Mugello’s racing circuit. Fortunately, when my GPS optimized the route, it drove us into secondary roads with little traffic so, at 9:00 AM, we were entering the circuit. Anyway we still found an enormous crowd trying to enter the circuit, a typical big Italian confusion. We only arrived at Materazzi stand one hour later, exactly on time to attend the first race of the day, the 125 cc category. The circuit was completely crowded with about 100.000 spectators, one of Mugello’s biggest crowds ever.

Before the race started I had the pleasure to meet Gianlorenzo Caccia, an Italy’s FJR 1300 Club member, whom I had already corresponded with via Internet for some time and helped me to choose where to stay at Mugello stands. He also kindly posted online several detailed routes for nice rides in Sardinia.

After attending the125 cc category race, won by Robert Locatelli in an Aprilia, we got more and more excited while waiting for the 250 cc and MotoGP races. And we were right. The 250 cc race was spectacular, ending in a great victory of Sebastian Port, also riding an Aprilia, followed by the MotoGP race, with Valentino Rossi Yamaha sharing the first row of the grid with Sete Gibernau and Niki Hayden’s Hondas. It was curious to watch before the race the enormous applause that echoed all around the circuit when Valentino Rossi appeared on the circuit’s giant TV screens. Opposed to that, Max Biaggi heard a big hoot when he appeared on the same screen. Being both Italians, we found it at least strange.

The MotoGP race was spectacular. I shall never forget the fabulous roaring of those powerful engines when passing by the "S" bends in front of our stand, where we watched Rossi making three fantastic over takings. Every time he passed in front of our stand the many "tifozzi" stood-up and vigorously applauded their idol. The race was stopped due to rain 6 laps before the end which brought even more emotion and "suspense" regarding who would be the winner; Rossi or Sete Gibernau. But Rossi raced wonderfully and cut the finishing line in first place, leaving the majority of the crowd, including me and Carlos, in total delirium.

After the race we returned back to the hotel in Florence where Elisa and Teresa were waiting for us to go to Rome, in this same afternoon. We arrived at Rome at about 09:00 PM.

When parking the bikes at the Express by Holiday Inn Rome East hotel we got the second fright of our trip. After checking in and returning to the bike to get the luggage, Elisa told me that her spare keys - that also include the alarm’s remote control and the ignition key – which she had left in the top case weren’t there anymore. Of course I panicked because anyone with those keys could steal my bike overnight. We all searched for the keys for about one hour, inquiring the hotel’s door-keeper many times if he had seen someone near the bike while we were checking-in, without any success. I was getting desperate already and about to call the police when Elisa, “miraculously " discovered the keys. They were in one of the many pockets of her coat all the time, despite the several inspections she made to the entire coat. Fortunately this was just one of the many tricks she’s capable of pulling out ...

During those two days we much enjoyed visiting Rome and, of course, the Vatican City. Those are in fact wonderful cities full of fantastic monuments, moulded by thousands of years of history.

Our favourite places and monuments were Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul’s Basilicas, in the Vatican, and the Roman Forum, where we could clearly feel the more than two thousands years that separate us from the Roman Civilization. One great example of this was the magnificent Coliseum, built at the time to receive more than 50,000 spectators.

It was time to leave Rome - one of the most magnificent cities I ever visited - and to head for Civitavechia, 104 km away from Rome. There we boarded one of Moby Lines ferries to Olbia, in Sardinia Island, where we arrived on the same day at 07:30 PM. Because my bad luck hadn’t finished yet, during the trip and due to unknown reasons I suddenly had strong fever. I only got better after taking some pills I always carry on my trips. Anyway, after arriving in Sardinia, I still had some difficulties to ride the 44 km long mountain roads from the port of Olbia to the Stelle Marine hotel, where we stayed, in the peaceful and beautiful Gulf of Arzachena (Smeralda Coast). Fortunately I started feeling better after a pleasant dinner and we enjoyed an excellent beach holiday in Sardinia for a week.

We had a great time in the pretty Sardinia Island. Besides going to several beaches, we also made very nice bike tours in the island, thanks to the detailed routes that my Italian friend Gianlorenzo, from Italy’s FJR1300 Club, kindly provided us. We totalled 1,021 km in Sardinia. Because Sardinia is very large (24,089 km2), we were only able to visit about 20 % of the island; all the North coast, part of the occidental coast up to “Cape Caccio”, and part of the eastern coast - all the Emerald coast including Olbia.

Because Sardinia is quite an expensive destination, tourism on the island is very selective. Also the Autonomous Government of Sardinia seems to take a great care in what concerns tourist development. Nature is very well preserved and the many tourist resorts are very well integrated in the island’s landscape, in a harmony of rare beauty. Also the island roads are of excellent quality. They are quite sinuous, surrounding the many coastal beaches and bays or tilting the mountainous interior of the island, in a succession of curbs extremely nice to ride on a bike. We came across one single motorway that crosses the island from North to the South.

We are all willing to return there to be able to visit the South coast of the island the next time.

After our very pleasant staying in Sardinia, we were sorry to start our journey back to Lisbon. At 10:00 AM we headed to Saint Teresa di Gallura, on the island’s Northern extreme, where we boarded the ferry bound to Corsica, a short trip that lasted less than one hour. After arriving at Bonifácio port, in Corsica, we took the road to Ajaccio, from where we were to board another ferry to Marseille. It was only a 132 km ride but Corsica’s snaky and poor asphalt roads made it an eternity. I soon understood why Corsica Rally is one of the most selective asphalt races of the World. The curves were one after the other and the quality of the road was changing constantly, obliging us to a very careful driving until Ajaccio. At 07:00 PM we shipped one of SNCM ferries bound to Marseille, where we arrived at the 07:00 AM the following day.

After leaving the ferry and stopping for breakfast in Marseille’s outskirts, we started the last stage of our trip, back to Lisbon again. According to the initial plans, we would make it in two days.

We crossed all the South of France at a good speed and had lunch in Spain already, after passing by Barcelona.

At this stage and because I always liked to test my limits, I started to defy Elisa, Teresa and Carlos for a non-stop trip to Lisbon. Although returning home earlier is always tempting when we were out for sometime, at first they didn’t agree with me, of course.

Thus, after riding about 1,100 km, we crossed Madrid at about 07:30 PM efficiently guided by my GPS, on route to Badajoz and Lisbon. Although quite tiring, this non-stop trip allowed us to pass by the always very hot Spanish “Estremadura” in the evening rather than in broad daylight, when the temperature is always unbearable. Anyway, it was still 34 C at 09:00 PM.

After another stop for a fast meal close to Badajoz, we finally crossed the Portuguese border at midnight and arrived in Lisbon at 02:00 AM. On this day we rode 1,755 km for 15 hours! Despite the fatigue, we were very happy to be back home earlier. Our children were waiting for us at the apartment in Lisbon, and happy to see yet another ending of an "adventure" of ours.

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