From Motovarese, KTM bike, motorbike shop and rental (free pick up at Malpensa Airport), pick the direction to “Sacro Monte” (Sacred Mountain)-Brinzio- Rancio Valcuvia.
When you reach the Cittiglio-Luino road (SS 394), turn right towards Luino. After the city centre of Luino (after the pier), there’s a roundabout where you must turn right (on a uphill stony road) and follow the signs to Fornasette - Italian State border (with Switzerland). After 1 km on your left you’ll find the signs to Curiglia: at first the road runs in the valley, and then it goes uphill and becomes narrower and the forest grows thicker (a good fun trip with its S-shaped curves in the woods, but be careful to the cars going downhill!). Just before the village of Curiglia (right in front of the “square” dedicated to the soldiers dead in First World War), on your right there’s the entrance to the 4-km-trail leading to “Agriturismo Il Roccolo" (“Agriturismo” means roughly “farm-diner”, with homemade cheeses and homemade Parma Ham and salame, and nice freshly cooked food, like polenta or stews): it seems to be in Heidi’s grandfather’s home, a wonderful place where you can eat really good food (in summer you can eat outdoor) and you can spend the night if you like.
If you go to Curiglia you can’t miss Monteviasco, a beautiful tiny village on top of the mountain, with an amazing view of Lake Maggiore and its surreal atmosphere: you’ll reach the village only on foot through a path made of 1000 steps (just kidding! the 1000 steps path is one option only for brave ones, but there’s also a cable-way for the lazy-ones; besides, you can always walk going downhill…)
The journey back goes trough the same way, and when you reach the junction with the road going up from Luino (the very same you did to go to Curiglia), you can choose to follow exactly the same road, or you can turn left towards Fornasette (Switzerland) and reach Ponte Tresa: if so, you have 3 options.
option 1: Porto Ceresio. From Ponte Tresa you can make a beautiful tour around the most beautiful bit of Lake Ceresio (that is the name of the Lake of Lugano): follow the direction to Porto Ceresio and you can drive "happily" on the curved edge of the lake to the village of PortoCeresio itself, where you can walk on the "spiling"-path right on the water.
Please note that from Ponte Tresa to Porto Ceresio you can also turn towards Ardena and fit into the tour number 4 (the Valganna tour).
If you have time, it’s worth to go to Cà Del Monte and have lunch at the “Agriturismo …..”. The Swiss shore of the lake leading to Riva San Vitale is also very nice, and it’s possible to have lunch in the Grotto Pogliana.
option 2: Morcote. From Porto Ceresio you can cross the border and go to Switzerland, in the direction of Riva San Vitale: the road is beautiful, perfectly paved and not very busy, but be careful to cyclists and the Swiss police!.
Once in Riva San Vitale, keep the left following for Lugano (going north, so you’ll have the lake on your left) and after the train station you take the “cantonale” road called Mendrisio-Lugano. At the alt-signal, turn right towards Lugano. After the village of ... ... (with its beautiful porches on the lake) you can make a quick visit to Campione d'Italia to see (from outside) the famous Casino of Campione (Campione is on the eastern shore of the lake).
Otherwise, the road crosses the lake (passing from shore to shore, from the eastern to the western one).
Going back on the “cantonale” road (towards Lugano) you’ll meet the Melide Park (Switzerland in miniature, on the western shore of the lake), then turn right at the roundabout towards Morcote (southwards). This bit of the lake is beautiful, and Morcote is a fabulous town: we recommend a walk through the alleys, and if you have time, a meal by the lake (your motorbike in Switzerland will be very safe!).
After Morcote continue towards Ponte Tresa and close the tour (basically it’s a circuit all around the lake- see map below). Watch out for the speed cameras in the towns of Mulino Maroggia (between Mendrisio and Melide), and on the “cantonale” road leading to Ponte Tresa.
We recommend to stop in Caslano and visit the “Alprose” Chocolate factory, open to the public, where you can have a free taste of chocolate (free chocolate!!) and buy at really low prices, as well as take a look at the production process.
Please note that just before arriving in Morcote you can turn uphill for Carona: the road is very nice and Carona has a beautiful botanical garden and one of the best outdoor swimming pools of the Swiss Ticino Region(Olympic-size!).
option 3: Lugano city. The descending way to Lugano is also very nice. It’s worth a stroll in Lugano city, for its streets and squares, the lakefront, the park, the shops of Via Nassa (the “Montenapoleone Street” of Ticino). You can eat at the “Cantinone Restaurant” (not spending too much), or in one of the many restaurants in the city (pizza is nice, even if you’re in Switzerland). Lugano is also beautiful in the evening. We recommend a cruise on the taxi-boat (cost: CHF 70 = about 46 euros) and to have lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants on the other shore of the lake (reachable only by boat); the nice alternative option is to have a complete boat-tour of the lake and have lunch directly on the boat.
Finally we recommend to visit the top of Mount Brè or San Salvatore (reachable by cableway), from where you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the city.