Riding the land of ice

After riding from Italy to the Arctic Circle in Sweden on Ducati Multistrada V4s in temperatures as punishing as -25°C, Alessandro Broglia and Alessandro Mollo decided to do the same in Iceland

- Alessandro Broglia, Alessandro Mollo

There are two options to reach Iceland: drive to the northern end of Denmark and from there embark on the Norröna ship, which in two or three days, depending on the sea conditions, arrives at its destination after a stopover in the Faroe Islands; or sit comfortably aboard a plane that, after a few hours of flight, lands at Keflavík International Airport. The first option would certainly be fascinating, but for a matter of time we choose the second, sending the bikes directly to the place.

Three weeks before departure we go to Ducati and insert the Best Grip spikes on the Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres (and we assure you that, once the job is finished, there are no shortage of blisters on the hands!), after which our Multistradas are ready to sail. On Valentine's Day - the ideal date to leave for a new adventure with our beloved V4s - we, too, take off.

Welcome to hell

Legend has it that Iceland is protected by four landvættir, or mythological guardians - an eagle, a giant, a dragon and a bull who can, depending on the situation, have a benevolent or hostile character towards man. Well, obviously something must have made them angry just before our arrival, because as soon as we set foot on the island we are swept away by a wind that seems to want to uproot us from the ground.

The next day, fully equipped, we are ready to travel. The sun is shining and the wind seems like a distant memory. Because of the snow, the first kilometres seem like hell: the white blanket, crushed by the passage of cars and frozen, makes riding very difficult. In the evening we reach Vík í Mýrdal, a village squeezed between the sea and the glaciers that with its 320 inhabitants stands out - we're not kidding - as one of the most populous centres on the entire south coast of the island.