ON THE ROADS OF TRACI

We will meet with the participants and the motorcycle guide at the Port of Ancona at 01:00 pm for bureaucratic procedures and boarding on the ferry to Igoumenitsa. Departure from the port of Ancona at 05:00 pm with accommodation in an indoor double cabin. Dinner on board and overnight stay.

Breakfast on board. Arrival at the port of Igoumenitsa scheduled for 09:00 am. Departure with own means of transportation in direction of Kalambaka. Meeting with the local guide to visit the Monasteries of the Meteors; these unique sandstone rock formations host the famous monasteries on their tops, which, suspended between earth and sky, contain authentic historical and religious treasures and precious masterpieces of Byzantine art. Lunch at your leisure and then we will continue to Bulgaria. Meeting with the Bulgarian guide (who will travel by car) on the border. Arrival in Sandanski, accommodation in hotel with SPA center. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure towards north-east with a visit to the village Shiroka Laka, not even a thousand inhabitants huddled in stone houses on terraces located on the edge of an almost homonymous torrent (Shirokolushka) that flows intubated in a narrow valley between the inhabited valleys of Pamporovo and Devin. Lunch at your leisure. We will continue with the visit to the Bachkovo Monastery that was built in 1083; this monastery is known primarily for its original architectural form and for the treasures and book collections it holds. The most interesting aspect of the monastic complex is represented by the series of frescoes that entirely cover the monastery, the churches and the ossuary. It is considered to be the second largest monastery in Bulgaria. Arrival in Plovdiv and hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Before hopping on our motorcycles, we will visit Plovdiv, the European Capital of Culture 2019 together with Matera. Lively and cosmopolitan city, Plovdiv offers the opportunity to visit an entire neighborhood made up of ancient buildings built in the style defined as the "Plovdiv Baroque". Following the cobbled streets that develop along this hill we will be able to admire the many houses that have hosted the most important families of the city for decades. Today one of these houses built in 1847 accomodates the splendid ethnographic museum. A short distance away, we can find the church of Saints Constantine and Elena, built in 1832. Lunch at your leisure. After lunch we will ride towards the Black Sea, along the "Trakia" highway. We will then visit Nessebar, located about twenty kilometers north of Burgas, one of the towns to be included in an itinerary to discover Bulgaria. Located on a peninsula extending over the Black Sea and connected by an isthmus to the mainland and with a historical center that overflows with splendid medieval churches (in the past there were actually 80!), some of which are frescoed. It is protected by UNESCO. Hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. We will leave to visit Jeravna, a suggestive and picturesque Bulgarian village located in the heart of the Balkans where the traveler is projected back three centuries. Arrival in Veliko Tarnovo, perhaps the most fascinating of the Bulgarian cities; it extends over three hills and is rich in architectural references to the periods of splendor experienced in the past. Visit of Mount Tzarevez where the testimonies of the greatness of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom are still tangible, walk along the craftsmen's way. Lunch at your leisure. We will then continue to visit the Arbanassi village, a fairy-tale village founded in the 15th century by Albanians fleeing the Turks. Hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the entirely frescoed Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi. We will ride towards Troyan for a stop at the 16th century monastery, famous particularly for the works of the great Bulgarian painter Zahari Zograf. An important political and cultural center of the Renaissance, it hosted one of the revolutionary committees of the national hero Vasil Levski. Lunch at your leisure. We will then continue through the "Beklemeto" pass which culminates at 1,565m with the 35m high Arco della Libertà, dating back to the communist era from where we will be able to admire a breathtaking 360 ° view of the entire valley. Descending south we will arrive in Koprivshtiza, one of the most suggestive places in Bulgaria as it still preserves the atmosphere of the 19th century Bulgarian village. Visit of two houses – vintage museum. Arrival in Sofia and hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the center of the Bulgarian capital with a visit to the Rotonda di S. Giorgio (3rd century B.C) considered to be the oldest church in the city, the church of S. Sofia (12th century), and the splendid cathedral dedicated to the great Russian hero Aleksandar Nevski, inaugurated in 1912. Lunch at your leisure and we will have the rest of the day to enjoy ourselves in this beautiful city. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will ride towards the Rila Monastery considered the most important monastery of the Balkans. Founded in the 10th century this monastery has represented for centuries a fundamental cultural landmark of the country and one of the main centers of Orthodox Christianity. We will then continue to Thessaloniki. Hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. We will meet with the local guide and start our day by visiting Thessaloniki, which boasts a history of 2300 years from the time of its foundation at the hands of the Macedonians through the centuries of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman domination. We will visit the White Tower, the Arch of Galerius, the Rotonda, the old city and the walls from which we will be able to enjoy a splendid panoramic view. Lunch at your leisure, after lunch we will departure for Vergina. Located a few kilometers from Veria, the royal necropolis of Vergina was discovered in 1977 and what is believed to be the tomb of Philip II of Macedonia. We will visit the archaeological site and the annexed museum which houses all the material found in the area and which is considered among the largest archaeological collections in all of Greece. We will say our goodbyes to the guide and we will transfer by private vehicle to Igoumenitsa. Dinner at your leisure, boarding and departure at 11:59 pm in the direction of Ancona. Overnight in private cabins.

Breakfast and lunch on board. Arrival at the port of Ancona scheduled for 04:00 pm. Handling of customs procedures and return on motorcycle at home. End of services.