The Milan Motorcycle show. What a dream to actually go. So many bikes… the 848 unveiled. Damn. There’s no way I can make the trip.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t help others if they decide to go. I did quite a bit of research and planning, thinking I may be heading over to Italy for eight days or so. In fact, I’m going to break down the trip I had planned, in case anyone out there has a last minute urge to ditch everything, take off, see the world and a !@$#load of new bikes.
Let’s start with budget. I figured around $1500 would do it, with $900 going to transportation. I used mobissimo.com, which has some incredible deals on flights: Phoenix to Milan, about $750. Better yet though- Phoenix to London, about $550, then grab an easyjet to Milan Malpensa for 30-40 pounds sterling ($60-80).
Milan is a huge commercial hub for northern Italy. It took a little interpretation to figure out exactly where Eicma was being held. Its actually well outside Milan’s city center, at the Fiera di Milano in an area called Rho. Here’s a Google map link, to give a better idea where the convention is at.
The Eicma website lays out a few different ways of actually getting to the event. If I had decided to go, I would have stayed downtown and communted out. Afterall, one day at the show would have been enough, and Milan seems like a pretty sweet place to hang out. Hot model type chicks, Leo da Vinci’s Last Supper, risotto- all good reasons to spend a little time downtown. Milan has a pretty high standard of living, so finding a place to stay could come at a price. Every guide book I read suggested booking in advance. Some of the best budget hotels I came across were:
1) Hotel Malta
2) Hotel Ca Grande
3) Hotel San Tomaso
4) Hotel Aurora
All these hotels are recommended by Let’s Go, the best travel books for folks on a budget and/or after something cool. They average out to be $50-100 a night, depending on a single or double sized room. I wouldn’t expect anything too fancy- just clean, simple rooms.
That’s all the research I compiled for my would-have-been trip to Eicma to see the 848 released first hand. I looked in to heading south to Bologna to do a factory and museum tour (www.ducati.com), but I’ll save all that research for another article.