Everyone will have their opinion, but this could be the ultimate Italian road trip! Other road trips are, of course, possible. Let me know where you’d love to visit or the road trip you’ve already done. This trip is around 900-100km in length and could take you a couple of weeks. The takes you from Rome northwards to Tuscany, Florence, Cinque Terra, Lake Como and finishes in Milan.
Although you start in Rome, I wouldn’t pick up the car until you finished in the city – have you see the driving in the city!!! You won’t actually need it here anyway, just use public transport to get around the city. There are obvious places to see in Rome – the Colosseum, St Peter’s, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain etc. But there is more to the city than the famous sights like this, look out for some less well-known places https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g187791-Activities-zft12156-Rome_Lazio.html
Once you’ve picked up your car, then head to Tuscany. I’d recommend basing yourself somewhere in the countryside and then take day trips out to beautiful towns like Siena, San Gimignano, Montepuliano and vineyards everywhere.
Your next stop is the beautiful city of Florence. Just park the car at the hotel and head out to explore. Its a very walkable city. Don’t miss the Ponte Vecchio and imagine what it was like in medieval times. The shops on the bridge were originally butchers, tanners and the like. Now its full of tourist shops and jewellers. You can’t, however, miss the Duomo, visible from all over the city. As you can imagine, there are lots of hidden gems here too – a quick Google search shows churches, museums and more.
About 2.5 hours drive from Florence is the coast where I suggest you visit the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. The five picturesque villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are stunning but you can’t drive in there. Leave your car in La Spezia or Levanto and use the train or ferry to explore Cinque Terre. Levanto is probably the best as it has good train links through the Cinque Terre. Find a good hotel and base yourself there for a few days of exploring and hiking the coastal trails between the villages.
Once you’ve finished here, then the next drive takes you to Lake Como. Non-stop the drive would take 4-5 hours. However, you’d then miss a stop in Genoa if you carried on driving up the coast – its a lovely city for an overnight stop. Again, leave the car at the hotel and walk or use public transport to explore the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Or travel inland towards Lake Como, stopping overnight in Parma – the home of Parmesan Cheese, Parma ham as well as beautiful architecture.
Then travel northwards, skirting round Milan, maybe with a stop in Monza if you’re an F1 fan as you can book a circuit tour here. Another hour of driving brings you to Lake Como. Stay in Bellagio and then get the ferry to other towns on the lake, like Varenna and Maneggio. You can explore the lakeside towns easily by ferry and also by car.
The final stop on this road trip is Milan – I’d suggest dropping the car off at the airport and then just use public transport in the city to explore. Visit the Duomo, La Scala and the San Siro stadium for a true mix of Milanese culture!!
I can help you plan a road trip like this anywhere in the world, not just Italy. Just call me on 01252519669 or email olein@diamondtravel.ltd.uk to start your plan.
Thanks to chris-czermak-7ybKmhDTcz0-unsplash.jpg mike-l-GQe23-3-Lf8-unsplash.jpg bobbie-ware-glXwwqYf0wc-unsplash.jpg caleb-stokes-xEQLO9EGu64-unsplash.jpg alessandro-stech-JIBYUHTvQhs-unsplash.jpg for the images on this post. And to https://pixabay.com/users/vrolanas-7124588/