Moto Paradiso

Tear through Tuscan vineyards on an all-terrain Ducati, then head back for dinner in a 1,000-year-old castle. It’s all part of the Bologna-based motor company’s new Riding Experience Enduro, a master class in off-roading set in the northern Italian countryside

- Chris Nelson

The Ducati’s rear end breaks loose and swings wide on the rutted trail, causing its knobby back tire to sling mud all over some unsuspecting pine trees. I pin the throttle and stand up straight to climb a steep, gravelly grade, shifting my weight over the handlebars as the front end struggles to keep traction. Then, just like that, I’ve crested the slope and shot out from the dark forest, emerging into Tuscany’s rolling green countryside.

A few hours ago, I landed at the Florence airport, and after a scenic 60-minute drive, I arrived at Castello di Nipozzano, a well-preserved stone castle that dates back more than 1,000 years. Though the property is renowned for its winemaking prowess—the acres upon acres of surrounding vineyards have produced Tuscan wine for seven centuries—Nipozzano has recently adopted a far less conventional, entirely louder identity as the backdrop for Ducati’s Riding Experience Enduro. From late spring to late summer, the Italian motorcycle giant hosts eight weekend-long training courses that highlight the off-road potential of its all-new Multistrada 1200 Enduro, a 160-horsepower rocket of all-terrain agility, showing riders like me how to navigate the unpredictable obstacles that appear once you leave the pavement.