Great motorcycle roads in Europe: The Futa Pass

Whenever I’m asked what are the best motorcycle roads in Europe, my memory tends to conjure days spent summiting Alpine passes, or cherished moments soaking up spectacular views of the Pyrenees.

Then my eyes usually glaze over as I indulge in memories of spectacular coastal roads on Gran Canaria, and days spent flowing through sweeping bends in Germany’s Black Forest

In truth, I always feel a fraud answering this question because there are so many great motorcycle roads in Europe I’m still yet to ride, thank goodness.

The Futa Pass

During a recent motorcycle tour of Italy I was lucky enough to tick off yet another – the Futa Pass. This magnificent road twists and turns incessantly for 65 miles all the way from Bologna to Florence.

It’s known to be a testing ground for new Ducati models developed at the manufacturer’s factory in Bologna. No wonder the Multistrada is such a magnificent bike. I rode the Futa Pass on a Triumph Bonneville with my wife riding pillion. We both enjoyed two of the most enjoyable hours of our married life (insert your own joke here).

Incessant twists and turns

Once the turns start, they don’t stop as you weave along the super smooth single lane road, a section of which was once used as a race track.

It’s one of those roads that allows you to get into a rhythm as you plunge into corner after corner, constantly flicking the bike from left to right, the only respite being the a series of small villages dotted along the road.

Local Italian heroes on sports bikes whizzed past me on a number of occasions as they pushed the grip levels in each and every turn to the limit. However, I took a more relaxed approach, which my pillion was grateful for, and simply enjoyed flowing through each twist and turn, letting the engine do much of the breaking before trying to judge the perfect place to open the throttle for a smooth exit. It was a wonderful game to play.

Magnificent scenery

Taking it easier allowed us to soak up magnificent views of rolling green hills stretching to the horizon, and catch glimpses of the forest behind the corridor of trees that line sections of the route.

If you want to ride the Futa Pass you can pick up the SP65 in Bologna and ride south towards Florence, or do this in reverse. Around halfway the highway morphs into the SR65 but this seems to be essentially the same road.

Two for one

Looking at Google Maps afterwards, I discovered I had actually ridden two passes, the other being the Raticosa Pass. At the top is a lovely biker café, Chalet Raticosa, which seemed to have every style of motorcycle you can imagine parked out at front.

We parked our Bonnie next to gleaming Harley Davidsons, BMW R1200 GSs, Ducati Multistradas, BMW K1600S and various sport bikes that shot off like rockets. After finding a seat outside, we then spent a fair amount of time drinking coffee while drooling over a shiny new Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports. Talking of coffee, it tasted divine (of course it did, it was Italian coffee) and it was cheap.

If you are ever lucky to be touring Italy by motorcycle, I would highly recommend riding the Raticosa and Futa passes. They truly are up there with some of the best motorcycle roads in Europe I have ridden.