thanks for the comments
I think it was a couple of things. what twisted said, also a security issue, where we didn't know if we would wake up the next day and find our bikes or not, especially in Italy. Another was Twisted's Desmo hasn't done the 600mile service yet, so it would be pointless to not be able to ride a bike hard in such a place.
No need to ship he bike. all you need is a plane ticket and a place to stay. there a couple of places that do rent Ducati's and MV Agusta's in Switzerland and Italy