5 Incredible Italian Road Trips for a Dash of Driving Dolce Vita

Photo: Maserati

Bella Italia. Is there any other country where the Romance of the Road Trip is so strong? Every turn has a tale, every village a culinary speciality and all accompanied by some of the most sensational vistas in Europe. There’s simply so much on offer that when planning a driving adventure you’re spoiled for choice. Try these five for starters.

Photo: Lamborghini

Emilia Romagna

Italy’s motor valley is home to the most famous names in motoring; Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Pagani, and its roads are regularly prowled by the latest supercars and their test pilots. Although Detour’s Lambo Mambo drive was definitely made all the more memorable thanks to a selection of Ferruccio’s favourites the route we traced would be epic even in a humble hire car. Click here for the full story and route map.

Photo: Shutterstock

Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is insanely popular, so you’ll need patience to explore its postcard-perfect towns and beaches. We’d also advise a compact car to negotiate the narrow streets of Positano and Amalfi before heading up into the hills for an epic outlook on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Click here for the full story and route map.

Photo: Maserati

Lake Maggiore

Less touristy than nearby Como, Lake Maggiore is no less magnificent. From making a Pit Stop on one of its many islands to tackling the legendary Mottarone Road into the nearby hills for a view of all seven lakes in the region and the snow-capped peaks of the surrounding mountains it’s a varied and vivacious drive. Click here for the full story and route map.

Photo: Shutterstock

Basillicata

Between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas is the Basillicata region where you’ll find ghost towns, Bond locations and the remarkable Redentore road (above) that “immediately ups the ante with a series of precipitous hairpin bends leading to a narrow straight hugging the mountainside with a vertiginous view of the cobalt sea below.” Click here for the full story and route map.

Photo: Maserati

The Heel

Heading south through Puglia to Santa Maria di Leuca right to the very Heel of Italy where the Ionian and Adriatic meet is a dramatic coastal cruise. “It’s a slow ride, but a breathtaking one, running parallel with the water, waves crashing ashore and spraying the road.” Click here for the full story and route map.

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