1600 Miles, 13 Days, 4 Cities: Everything You Need To Know For A Road Trip Through Italy

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Italy. Approximately the size of New Mexico, this country is filled with layers and layers of rich history, cultural beauty and amazing landscapes that are used for countless movie sets. As a country that consistently is within the top 10 (though normally top 5) most visited destinations in the world, Italy is known for being a siren song to many. Charlie and I also have desired to visit Italy for a number of years and after first moving to Munich, we made a list of places that we would be sad we hadn’t seen before moving back to the States. Not surprisingly, multiple Italy destinations made that list, so, instead of taking a plethora of separate trips, we decided, why not just string them all into one road trip? Thus was born our 1600 mile, 13 day, 4 city road trip. While I will break down things to do in each destination in future posts, if you are interested in stringing together several desired locations, then here is everything you need to know for a road trip through Italy! 

A 13 Day Itinerary 

1600 Miles

Even while most of you probably are not going to be living in Munich to start your road trip through Italy, Munich is a great international airport to fly into to start this trip. The drive from Munich into Italy meanders through Bavaria, Austria and Tirol through the Alps (which is now an area definitely on my bucket list!), so the views are simply stunning. If seeing the Alps are in any way on your bucket list, then I most definitely recommend starting from Munich. That being said, if you are looking for something a little closer, Milan also has a large international airport, so that would be an easy airport to fly into as well. 

13 Days

For us though, we started in Munich with an itinerary that looked like the one above on the left. This itinerary gave us a minimum of 2 nights in each major location (Florence, Amalfi Coast, Rome and Venice), but allowed the bulk of the trip to be in Rome and the Amalfi Coast (4 nights each). While I will dive into these cities further in future articles, along with some of our favorite things we did, here is a quick rundown of each area:

4 Cities

• Florence / Tuscany: Known for their spectacular Duomo Cathedral and vibrant art scene, Florence is a beautiful mix of laid back Tuscan life and artistic exploration through the ages. Outside of the city, Tuscany provides lovely views of tiny villages dotted among the hills covered in vineyards and olive groves. If art history, architecture or wine appeals to you, then this region is a must see! Read more about things to do HERE
• Amalfi Coast: Known as the preferred cliffside beach area of the rich and famous, the Amalfi Coast is much more than just its most popular city, Positano. It actually home to 13 small cities: Amalfi, Atrani, Cetara, Conca de’ Marini, Furore, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, and Vietri Sul Mare. While Positano, Amalfi, Maiori and Minori are the most popular and touristy spots on the Amalfi Coast, we explored the most local (and budget friendly!) cities and villages of the area on the opposite side of the coast: Raito, Vietri Sul Mare, Cetara and Erichie. These areas have a distinct charm as they are built on the side of the mountains that plunge straight into the ocean. Due to its location, the roads are a bit harrowing and the beaches are small, but the experience is unforgettable. Read more about our experience and what we would recommend HERE
• Rome: As the capital of Italy and former hub of the entire Roman entire, the city is layered with remnants of antiquity. From the Pantheon to the Colosseum to Vatican City, the history of Rome speaks to its dominance across the centuries and is a city favorite to many.  
• Venice: Nestled with canals, historic Venice is beautiful to explore. From the Byzantine influenced architecture of St. Mark’s Basilica to watching boats ride off into the sunset, Venice feels like a romantic’s dream. 

While we had a great time on the entire road trip through Italy, we actually ended up enjoying Venice and Florence / Tuscany so much that I think if I was to do it again, a better timeline for us would have been to break up the days more like the example above on the right. This however is totally personal preference and largely depends on what you are interested in doing at each location, but I think in hindsight, the timeline on the right is what I would recommend. 

What To Expect On The Drive

While there are so many benefits for airplane travel, taking a road trip really lets you get to know a place. You have the freedom to take stops as you want, explore back roads, take in the sights, listen to audiobooks and have thoughtful conversations along the way. For our road trip through Italy, I was particularly amazed by the fields and fields of sunflowers and mountainous terrain throughout the entire country. Beyond this though, it can be helpful to note a few other important details for exploring Italy by car, so below are a few things I learned to expect a few days into our trip. 

Tolls

If you didn’t know, several countries throughout Europe have tolled interstates and Italian interstates are no different. That being said, if you are taking a road trip through Italy and therefore spending a couple of hours at a time on the interstates, do not be surprised by a 20 to 30 euro toll fee when you get off at your exit. Thankfully, most of these tolls can be paid with card or cash at the toll booth. As unglamorous and no fun as it is, for budgeting purposes, I would plan for 200 to 300 euros to be spent on tolls throughout your trip, simply so you are not caught unaware. 

Additionally, as a side note, if you are driving from Munich and will be driving through Austria, you also will have to have a toll pass. Austrian interstates are different from Italy though in that they do not have toll booths set up and instead monitor the interstates with cameras. To avoid hefty fees for not paying, you can buy a toll pass in Munich at ADAC (which connects to your license plate in the system), or at a gas station near the Austrian border. If you receive a physical pass though at a gas station, be sure to tape it to your windshield or dash (even if you have a rental car), because the cameras will scan the front of your car to read it and unfortunately will not pick it up if it is only sitting inside the car. Thankfully, the Austrian toll pass is much less expensive than the Italian tolls, so you can buy a two month pass for like 29 euros or a 10 day pass for less than 10 euros. Do be sure to get a pass though because a large (120 euro!) non-negotiable fine will be issued to you if you don’t…. We learned that the hard way after our trip to Salzburg last spring. 

Gas Stations / Rest Stops

When beginning our trip, I fully expected to stop at interstate exits along the way for gas, food, restrooms etc. as one does during a road trip. I was surprised to learn though that stopping at the exits is not much of an option (I think because of getting on and off the toll road?), and even if you could, exits are certainly not crowded with fast food restaurants or gas station chains. Instead, along the way, there will be stops with a gas station, rest stop, restaurant etc. all in one right off the interstate. While the selections of where to go are much more limited, it does provide an easy option for getting on and off the road.

If you do end up wanting hot food at these stops, here is a little note about the process. Most of these stations will have a café area with fresh sandwiches, pizzas etc. available, but you do not order at the counter where you decide what you want. Instead, you decide on your food, place your order at the gas station checkout counter (where you also can buy normal chips, snacks, drinks etc.) and then bring your receipt back to pick up your food at the first counter. As local Italians normally drink their coffee standing up at the bar and the area can be pretty crowded, it can seem confusing at first for where to order / get your food, so just know that you don’t order and receive your food at the same spot. 

If Possible, Take A Small Car

From tiny intercity streets, to the winding cliffs of Amalfi to the mopeds launching out at stoplights to the locals that drive between lanes, driving throughout Italy is always an experience, but certainly one that you won’t forget. If you can choose, get as small of a car as possible as it will give you a much better navigating experience. We did this trip in a Mini Cooper and it was a great size for both driving and parking. 

Where To Stay?

As Italy is one of the most visited places in the world, there are thousands if not millions of suggestions on where to stay when traveling the country. With that, I would suggest considering your budget, desired accessibility, and experience before booking accommodations. Being directly in the center city might enhance your experience and accessibility, however it might be challenging for your budget. On the other hand, finding somewhere more local and off the beaten path might require you to work a little harder to access certain sites. Since you are taking a road trip through Italy and therefore will have a car, you will have a bit more flexibility in where to stay, but still keep parking in mind as well. For us, we chose to split our time between two types of accommodations: hotels and agriturismos. 

Agriturismos

While many people may not be familiar with this option, agriturismos are a fabulous way to travel through Italy. Through government encouragement, agriturismos are working farms that also run bed and breakfasts on site, essentially like a farm stay. While they are not available everywhere in Italy, many olive groves (Tuscany) or lemon farms (Amalfi Coast) have lovely accommodations that normally are budget friendly and sometimes are even geared for extended stays with kitchenettes and living spaces. We stayed at two wonderful agriturismos, an olive farm in Tuscany about 50 minutes outside of Florence (Torre Rasa) and a lemon farm on the Amalfi Coast about a 15 minute drive from Vietri Sul Mare (Il Cavaliere dei Conti Farmhouse). Both provided fabulous local hospitality, parking and breakfast and dinner options onsite, which I highly recommend as it provided some of the best local food we ate throughout our trip. If you are wanting to truly get a taste of local Italian life and don’t mind traveling into the city, then I highly recommend staying at a few agriturismos during your trip! 

Hotels

In contrast to agriturismos, hotels throughout the cities are often just a few minutes walk to key city sights. As Rome and Venice do not have as many agriturismos nearby, we stayed within the city which was a fabulous choice for easy accessibility, even if not for parking. Within Rome, Hotel Damaso is a beautiful hotel nestled right near Piazza Navona which provides a fabulous location for walking the city and rooftop terrace to take in the views. When in Venice, we opted for Hotel Ca Dogaressa which was on the opposite side of the island than St. Mark’s. This proved to be a great decision as it not only cut down on the crowds, but also allowed us to watch the sun set on our side of the island each night. 

A Note On Parking: While these hotels were wonderful, do be aware that neither Rome or Venice allow much driving or parking within the historic areas (Venice for obvious reasons) and unlike the agriturismos, most hotels do not provide parking. While the parking garages are not that far away, they do add an additional expense, so like the tolls, plan for this in your trip budget. Most of the garages are between 25 and 40 euros a day. 

In Rome, we were advised by Hotel Damaso (and received a 10% discount) to park at Parking Via Giulia. This garage was very safe and from there it is an easy 10 minute walk to Hotel Damaso. 

In Venice, we parked on the island at Venezia Tronchetto Parking, as they are one of the cheapest (while still being safe) garages on the island. From there, we took a quick people mover (costing about 1.5 euros per person) and then walked about 15 minutes. As Venice is the last stop of this road trip, I would recommend pairing down into one bag of things you might need before leaving Rome. That way, you only have one bag to carry to your hotel and can leave the rest of your items (though obviously not valuables) in the car. 

Final Thoughts

While there is enough to explore in each of these areas to last a lifetime, being able to see some of the places we have been dreaming of felt so surreal. As our longest and most mobile trip ever, this 13 day road trip through Italy was certainly one to remember. By the end we did feel ready to come back to Munich to crash, but it was such a joy to finally visit these beautiful cities that I studied for so long. I definitely will have more specific itineraries for things to enjoy in each city released over the next few months, but in the meantime, I would love to know, have you ever been to Italy? If so, did you go on a road trip or would you try it? Let me know in the comment section below! 

Happy traveling!

Chloe

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