The Best Italy Road Trip: The Amalfi Coast, Lesser-Known Routes, and More

19.07.2024 - 15:08 / cntraveler.com / Belle Epoque / Lake Geneva / Lake Maggiore

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Italy has more than its share of legendary drives for the perfect Italy road trip. Many of the country's most spectacular routes are well traversed, first by the Romans and then by the subsequent civilizations and peoples who followed, carving out picturesque paths that offer much more than a means of getting from A to B. While some are particularly iconic—the well-trodden Amalfi Coast Road among them—there's plenty more to discover on your next Italian adventure, including one resident Italophile's dreamy tour of Franciscan monasteries in Tuscany. So fuel up and set off, allowing time to stop off for incredible meals, new encounters, and lots of snaps along the way on your Italy road trip.

Approximate time: six hours

Start in the old, noble city of Palermo, where honey hues and crumbling stone splendor blur into a balmy labyrinth of restaurants and al-fresco wine bars. Dodge Vespas and zoom past old palazzos before heading west. Sip on cocktails at Trapani’s Scopello beach and marvel at the sandy meadows, olive groves and ancient columns of Agrigento further south. Then work your way up the east through Ragusa, Modica and Noto to Taormina, a dramatic town in the shadows of Mount Etna that’s home to an Ancient Greek amphitheater and an annual film festival. Finally, hop on a boat to explore the sleepy Aeolian islands, where stretches of vineyards are peppered with white houses and craggy rock formations drop down into crystal-clear waters. —Rosalyn Wikeley

Where to stay: Set in the Ragusan countryside a 35-minute drive from Sampieri, contemporary hotel Relais Chiaramonte offers a brief hiatus from baroque façades and frescoed ceilings.

Approximate time: four hours

Starting on the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva and ending in Milan’s cobblestone streets, this rugged mountain tour is a cross-country extravaganza. The drive begins zigzagging around the hairpin bends of the Alps, through forested mountain trails and across the wine region of Chexbres before reaching the sleepy, medieval villages of Italy. Stop to explore the walled town of Ricetto di Candelo for family-run restaurants and panoramic views, or spend a day among the Belle Epoque villas of Stresa and the Borromean islands on the crystalline shores of Lake Maggiore. Round off the trip in Milan’s bohemian Brera district, where sand-hued buildings turn shades of orange and red in the light of the setting sun. —Sophie Knight

Where to stay: Bvlgari Milano, in downtown Milan. The hotel hosts fashion bashes showcasing the latest handbag or high-jewelry watch, the driveway is always