Tuesday 19.04.2011 - Today we visited the Ducati Factory & Museum - yeah!! To arrange a tour of the Ducati Factory and Museum you are required to book on line, you can't just front up and buy a ticket. So we booked on line. The problem was, and it doesn’t say so on their web page, is that you are required to book a week in advance. Anyway, we booked 3 days in advance and were rejected. So we fronted up yesterday on spec at what looked like a security gate to the factory and asked the question – can we do a tour? Answer – No, call this number. So we did. Question – can we do a tour? Answer – come back at 12.30 pm today. So we did. And were rejected. Question – when can we do a tour? Answer – come back at 4.30 pm today. Not wanting another rejection we called the number again and were told to come back the next day at 10.15 am for a tour, for sure. Question – do you want our name so we are confirmed on the tour for tomorrow at 10.15 am? Answer – OK, if you want. So we were in!

We duly fronted up at early at 10.00 am for the appointed 10.15 am tour just in case. We were told to wait at the gate and at 10.20 am a young girl come over, took us by the hand, together with about 6 or 7 other s and lead us into the museum entrance where we parted with 10 Euro each. We were told quite clearly that we could NOT take photos inside the factory, but in the museum was OK.

The same young girl (aged 20-25 years) then escorted us through both the factory and museum. She was very informative as you would expect and had a good sense of humour. She spoke Italian (of course), English, German and Spanish. She couldn’t speak French because she said she didn’t learn it at school because she said, "I don’t like the French." Join the queue.

We were very keen to check out the MotoGP and Superbikes. They had on display one of their MotoGP bikes since Ducati started racing in the Premier Class in 2002

and one of their Superbikes since that series started back in the 1980’s. Of special interest to us was the number 27 bike of Casey STONER that he rode to win the 2007 MotoGP World Championship, and his 2008 bike sporting the Number 1 as the prevailing Champion.

Troy BAYLISS’s title winning Superbikes from 2006 and 2008 were on display

as was the blue superman cape and leathers he wore for the famous 'Super Troy” photo after his 2006 title win. Check Kerrie out eying off the gear (not Troy she said).

You know you have made it as a rider when you get your portrait on the factory wall at Ducati.

Aussies Casey STONER, Troy BAYLISS and Troy CORSER (also Ducati World Superbike Champion) are there as are the two current MotoGP riders – Valentino ROSSI number 46 and Nicky HAYDEN number 69.

The museum shop has just about any sort of merchandise you could want in Ducati colours with No 46 on it. Not a thing with No 69! Pity if you were a Nicky HAYDEN fan. Given that The Doctor is an Italian icon with 9 World Titles to his credit (and the greatest rider of all time); it is a match made in heaven to have him riding a quintessential Italian bike like the Ducati.

Kerrie managed to snaffle herself a Ducati t-shirt at discount price but Greg missed out because they had none in his size at the discount price.

With Ducati Day over we rode the 40 km back to Maranello with thoughts of our next adventure – the Dolomites!