Skating Italy

[JoeMamaER]

This summer I'm going to be studying abroad in Siena, Italy. From what I can tell, Tuscany should have some pretty amazing hills and hopefully a lot of opportunity for longboarding. Have any of you guys skated around there before? Any recommendations for places to check out? On weekends I'll be able to travel all around Italy and possibly neighboring countries, so don't rule anything out.

I've mostly been living under a rock and have no idea what the roads will be like where I'll be staying... I've heard there is a lot of cobblestone, but hopefully there will be some hills with good pavement. Anyone know any more on that?

Also, if you were to choose one type of setup to bring, what would it be? I have a downhill board (Kebbek flushcut), an all around cruiser (will be either vanguard or timeline), and my slide deck. I figure I'd be better off with the cruiser since I don't know what to expect except for mellow hills, and I'd like to be able to cruise the cities.

Speaking of that, how do the authorities feel about skating? Can it even be done in the cities, legally?

Thanks! I'm sure I'll come up with more if we have some folks who have skated there

Joe

[Joe & Nick]

Bring the biggest, softest wheels you have. Ever skated cobblestones?

[JoeMamaER]

Bring the biggest, softest wheels you have. Ever skated cobblestones?

Never. I was just planning on avoiding them. But I have some 90mm 78a flywheels sitting around, so I guess I'd be all set there.

[schnetski02]

I lived in Ireland for 6 months and traveled to Italy twice. Some of the roads in say, Roma and Milano were not terrible. It is really hard to know before you get there. In Ireland, the roads are horrible... they feel like you are riding on rice crispies. I had 78a gumballs and they did okay, but it wasn't smooth. Basically in Europe you'll learn to appreciate some of the roads we have here. I found 3 or 4 spots that I really liked and were smooth enough to truly enjoy.


Maybe the roads near your town will be new and it'll be amazing, but it really varies from city to city.

[summerbum8]

I studied in Firenze(Florence) last spring. there are awesome hills outside the city. The mountian straight north of Sesto Fiorentino has the best hill ive ever skated. about 4 miles of a huge variety. mellow carving, extreme downhill with six 180 switchbacks. if you have the balls, you could turn it into a 1500' elevation drop taking prolly 20 minutes. there are a few things you have to get used to though. the drivers can be crazy there. be careful, try to have a good feel of the area first. theres a kind of cool run right across the river in Firenze. it starts at the top of the Piazza Michelangelo. only 3 switchbacks and not to fast, which is nice to just chill and carve on. and at the top there is a tiny little place to slide that is very steep. maybe 25% or more.

[Joe & Nick]

I studied in Firenze(Florence) last spring. there are awesome hills outside the city. The mountian straight north of Sesto Fiorentino has the best hill ive ever skated. about 4 miles of a huge variety. mellow carving, extreme downhill with six 180 switchbacks. if you have the balls, you could turn it into a 1500' elevation drop taking prolly 20 minutes. there are a few things you have to get used to though. the drivers can be crazy there. be careful, try to have a good feel of the area first. theres a kind of cool run right across the river in Firenze. it starts at the top of the Piazza Michelangelo. only 3 switchbacks and not to fast, which is nice to just chill and carve on. and at the top there is a tiny little place to slide that is very steep. maybe 25% or more.

I saw a guy on 3dm wheels there last year, down near the Duomo. Was it you?

[JoeMamaER]

I studied in Firenze(Florence) last spring. there are awesome hills outside the city. The mountian straight north of Sesto Fiorentino has the best hill ive ever skated. about 4 miles of a huge variety. mellow carving, extreme downhill with six 180 switchbacks. if you have the balls, you could turn it into a 1500' elevation drop taking prolly 20 minutes. there are a few things you have to get used to though. the drivers can be crazy there. be careful, try to have a good feel of the area first. theres a kind of cool run right across the river in Firenze. it starts at the top of the Piazza Michelangelo. only 3 switchbacks and not to fast, which is nice to just chill and carve on. and at the top there is a tiny little place to slide that is very steep. maybe 25% or more.

this sounds incredible! definitely going to be making the trip there. did you bring a quiver of boards for the trip? no trouble flying with it? and did you ever encounter any trouble with the police or anything? sorry for the twenty questions, haha

[grimble]

i've visited siena. it's a lovely spot!

one place worth cheking out is montepulciano. the views are splendid. good food too!
but i didn't skate there at all...

there were definitely some well rideable roads, butthe smaller towns have got alot of cobbles in the interior/old centres.
you'll find plenty of places to ride outside the cities.

bare in mind that drivers will be surprised, maybe even angry to see you riding there.
some wont, some will be thrilled to bits!
it's like drivers everywhere.
boys may want to pretend to their ladyfriend that the little fiat they are driving is much cooler than your long ride too, so watch out for that as that might bring out a bit of the old macho competitveness... uf! got to love the flyboys.

if i were you i'd take a dropped deck (good for cruising and also for hitting some speeds), some versatile trucks - holeys/randals, with a variety of bushings to cater for different activities and a couple of sets of wheels (some harder radiused ones and some grippy lipped soft ones).
that way you keep down on baggage, and have some variety when you arrive.
you could even pick up a cheap set of 90 odd duro wheels for some sliding at a skateshop or sports supermarket when you arrive.

there is an online shop that works out of italy can't remember their name but a quick search will get you their page... (they stock lush and you can find them on the lush website under distributors). might be worth trying to contact them.

i reckon you'll have a blast, enjoy it!

[damiche]

There's a big freeride event in Switzerland, just at the border with Italy during the summer...
near San Bernardino pass.
Giòasteka Freeride 2007 - Home

and there's a great race (some of my buddies went there last year) in Padova in august.
EUROSKATE 2007 - 3 - 5 Agosto Teolo (Padova) - IIDA World Cup In Line Down Hill - World Championships In Line Down Hill. TMB Tecnomeccanica Betto Inline Downhill 2007 IIDA World Cup.

you should check riderz.net 's events calendar from time to time.
These two events are already announced, and dozen more also all over Europe:

Riderz.net :: Voir le sujet - CALENDRIER (provisoire) 2008
Association Lausannoise de Freeride :: The Wobble Spirit
(same info on the two)

[grimble]

great links! thanks for posting those.

damiche, you know anything about Tossa del Mar?

[JoeMamaER]

...post... !

Thanks Grimble, this is exactly what I'm looking for! Someone mentioned the crazy drivers earlier, I was hoping it wasn't entirely true. Oh well, I'll keep an eye out. I take it this Montepulciano place is in the hills/mountains somewhere if you mentioned the view, so maybe it would be good for skating too. It's going to be hard for me to try and do things other than skate!


Those races look like they'd be an awesome experience for me, I've never competed but always wanted to. But I'm only going for a month in the beginning of the summer, so it isn't going to line up. Maybe something else will work out

[grimble]

no worries.

enjoy the food and try to speak as many of the old men sat in the shade as possible!

[damiche]

great links! thanks for posting those.

damiche, you know anything about Tossa del Mar?

No worries for the links, that's the least I can do.
As I said: check the calendar!! You'll find links and so on...
That's the spot:
YouTube - Downhill Tossa de Mar


Some of my friends from south-west went to Tossa last year... the Bordeaux crew.
They told me it was great and I should come: Warm weather in January, nice roads, beaches, ...
We, parisians, were supposed to go there this january... but the spanish crew kind of screw up:
It's not a longboard event, but a soapbox event (very popular in Spain),
and we were supposed to have the road for less than one day.
and then they simply cancelled so be cautious next year!

[grimble]

yeah, we were heading up for this one.
i was hoping to take part!

i was wondering if you knew of a re-sceduled date. guess not.

cheers!

[damiche]

yeah, we were heading up for this one.
i was hoping to take part!

i was wondering if you knew of a re-sceduled date. guess not.

cheers!

Nope, nothing I know of... Check this sometimes, look for updates on Tossa's topics:
Riderz.net :: Voir le Forum - Events Longskate

I'll see you on another event in the Pyrenees I hope!! Peyragudes, Mente, Tourmalet, anywhere...

[AJ]

Damiche, can you cofirm the Padova race for 2008, i might have a wedding in Italy this year and i wouldnt mind taking the train ride up.

[damiche]

Damiche, can you cofirm the Padova race for 2008, i might have a wedding in Italy this year and i wouldnt mind taking the train ride up.

Well, it's announced... but anything can happen, right? I'm not organising it.
Association Lausannoise de Freeride :: The Wobble Spirit
I'm sure there will be some other event in Europe this WE,
just in case.

[grimble]

I'll see you on another event in the Pyrenees I hope!! Peyragudes, Mente, Tourmalet, anywhere...

that would be nice!

i will try and get my sheeet (and skillz) together.


cheers!

[charger_doc]

There are few places that are rideable in Siena (i.e. only the periphery of town, as the historical centre is unrideable), but there are great hills around it, you just have to go find them. I myself live on a nice spot (summerbum8 skated it with me last year).
As for the drivers, yes, you gotta watch out: they can be crazy in the city (although there are much worse cities from this standpoint) and they won't expect to encounter you on the hills (and the roads are not so wide). Authorities are usually easy on skaters, but you need to keep in mind that skating on the streets/roads is still forbidden.
As for boards, i'd bring an allrounder/carver plus (definitely) a slider!

Get in touch!

[summerbum8]

this sounds incredible! definitely going to be making the trip there. did you bring a quiver of boards for the trip? no trouble flying with it? and did you ever encounter any trouble with the police or anything? sorry for the twenty questions, haha

i only brought one board. i hand made a 34" hybrid because i was going to be traveling my foot(skate) alot and needed to cut weight down as much as possible. it ended up being just about perfect. it could cruise, slide, bomb carve and was small enough that it didnt get in the way too much when i went on train or in a building. the only place i had problems was when getting on a plane. i had a decent sized back pack like 5400 in^3 and if i had to it ws just big enough to put the board inside. but usually i just checked it. they wont let you carry it on. (since us longboarders are soooo dangerous) anyway. i did bring a skate tool and i had a pair of 70mm flashbacks and i brought a set of hard skate wheels for sliding. i had a a helmet and pads, but only ended up using them a few times. i guess when i go again, ill have to dedicate the trip to mostly skating or mostly camping. both of which i love doing, but dragging all that gear around when you hike, can make you pretty tired after a few weeks. but you get used to it. i mean, you;re skating around europe. how much more badass can it get.

hope that helped