The perfect road trip through italy

Road Trip Italy

a road trip through italy is especially beautiful because there are many routes along the coast photo: getty images

By francesco marino | 31. August 2021, 11:28 a.m

Numerous cities full of cultural, architectural and archaeological highlights, a fantastic coastline with great beaches and idyllic fishing villages – if you are planning a vacation in italy, you will be spoilt for choice as to where exactly you want to go. Why not see a bit of everything – on a road trip through the country? TRAVELBOOK writer francesco marino has put together a route that will take you once around the boot in about two weeks.

Starting from rome, the journey leads south along the beautiful amalfi coast to tropea in calabria, then on to the heel of the boot in apulia, from where it goes north again along the adriatic coast to cities worth seeing such as urbino, verona and bologna. the centuries-old coastal villages on the italian riviera are on the itinerary of this road trip through italy, as well as tuscany with its medieval small towns.

Road trip through italy- the stations at a glance

ÜOverview

starting and ending point: rome

If you travel by car, you should start the road trip in verona. Otherwise, I recommend Rome as the starting and ending point. From the città eterna, the "eternal city with its unique history and architecture, you can never see enough. in addition, italy’s capital has two airports, so you’re sure to find a cheap flight. Both in ciampino (will be u.A. you can easily rent a car from ryanair and wizz air) as well as from the main airport in fiumicino, but i would definitely recommend not to drive in the center of rome- too chaotic! Instead, you can either rent a car after exploring the city or park it in the coastal suburb of lido di ostia. From there, the roma-lido train line takes you to ostiense station at porta san paolo, with a direct connection to the subway that takes you right into the center.

you should plan at least two days to discover rome, better three. The good: rome’s historic center, though large, but with comfortable shoes it can be done very well on foot explore. an ideal starting point for a first tour is the spanish steps, because you can quickly get to other sights such as the trevi fountain, the pantheon, piazza navona, the forum romanum, the colosseum and peters square. Find more great insider tips for rome here.

Road Trip Italy

Rome has so many sights that a lifetime is hardly enough to see them all photo: getty images

Naples

On the onward journey towards naples you should definitely make a detour to castel gandolfo which is about 40 minutes by car south of rome. The village, above Lake Albano, is famous above all as a summer residence where popes have spent their vacations for centuries. next to it there is a small old town worth seeing.

On the A1 we continue south, the drive takes about two and a half hours. Naples, the picturesque city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, is famous for its slightly chaotic liveliness and the joie de vivre of its inhabitants. You can not leave the birthplace of the pizza without having tasted one. Get ready, it will be the best pizza you have ever eaten! not for nothing was the neapolitan pizza recently included in the cultural heritage of unesco. From naples you can also make a trip to the ruins of this ancient city pompeii on, which were damaged during a devastating eruption of vesuvius in 79 n. Chr. Buried was.

Road trip Italy

view over naples with vesuvius in the background photo: getty images

Tropea

The continuation of the journey south is on the legendary SS163, probably the most beautiful panoramic road in Italy. The so called amalfitana, the gulf of naples and the gulf of salerno is about 40 kilometers long and offers fantastic views of the sea and the coastline. After driving on the highway (most italian highways are toll by the way) through several national parks, we finally reach the region that forms the tip of the italian boot: calabria.

The perfect road trip through italy

The coasts and beaches of the tyrrhenian side of calabria are simply indescribable. Tropea is one of the most popular seaside resorts in calabria and is ideal for those who love sandy beaches. Here you can enjoy sunny days, gentle sea breezes, crystal clear waters and delicious food. Tropea is also the ideal place for divers and snorkelers.

The perfect road trip through italy

the church of santa maria dell’isola stands on a sandstone cliff on the coast of tropea photo: getty images

Lecce

on the way we cross calabria, first drive north towards salento and then turn off towards lecce. The capital of the Puglia region is known by many as the "Florence of the South" because of its artistic heritage and its magnificent baroque buildings describes. lecce is a great place to relax, eat fresh fish and drink delicious wine. Moreover, very close by there are some wonderful beaches.

Piazza del Duomo with the cathedral in Lecce

The piazza del duomo with the cathedral in lecce photo: getty images

Vieste

As a stopover on the long drive between lecce and urbino, i chose the former fishing village of vieste on the "spur" on my road trip through italy of the italian boot chosen. The city is spectacularly built on rocks jutting into the water, here you can sit wonderfully in a bar and watch the sunset.

Road trip Italy

the cozy town of vieste in apulia is ideal for a relaxing stopover on a road trip through italy photo: getty images

Urbino

The next morning we continue along the adriatic coast towards the north. The next stop is urbino in the brands. the marche is a region in central italy with places full of charm, history and tradition that played an important role in the italian renaissance. Urbino is a real jewel of this region and is a unesco world heritage site because of its architecture and cultural history. The palazzo ducale is the most important building of the city. The slightly elevated location allows a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside.

Urbino

Medieval buildings in urbino photo: getty images

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