Last summer me and my husband, his grandparents and his cousin went to Italy with a campervan. It was soo much fun! And I want to share some of places worth visiting if you are roadtripping through Italy! We spend a little bit more than 2 weeks in this wonderful country, so here it goes..
Venezia
Our first stop was Venezia - one of the most romantic places I've ever been to. Those who say bad things about Venezia - I don't know what is wrong with those people, because I fell in love the minute we arrived. We spent 5 hours in this beautiful city, and it sure wasn't enough, of course, but we still got to feel the true feeling of it.
We booked a 40 minute tour with a gondola - it is not cheap, it was around 100 euros, but I loved it as it is such an authentic experience. Venezia looks totally different from the water. Our gondolier told us facts about this city we didn't know before, for example, the highest water level from the floods etc.
St. Marcos square is really gorgeous - and it is a must visit. But I also loved just walking around quite far away from the main square where it was very quiet and peaceful. Almost no people. We got lost a couple of times, but didn't mind at all. Make sure you visit some of the tiny cafes where they serve beer or aperol spritz - it was an experience like no other when we stumbled upon this small place where locals were shouting ‘uno aperol!’ ‘uno birra!’ And it really is like in the movie ‘Eat. Pray. Love.’ where there is no line but actual chaos, and it is more than amazing!
Florence
Our next stop was the beautiful Florence. This stop started our trip through Tuscany. Florence is really dreamy. We didn't spend much time here, but the shopping is great, and I was very impressed with the main cathedral - those details are stunning! There are also many cute cafes around to just sit and enjoy the beautiful view. We also went over the Gold bridge. And oh, I almost forgot - the best part about Florence in my opinion is Piazzale Michalangelo or Michelangelo square from which you get the best panoramic view of Florence! There are these big stairs you can sit on, so make sure to bring your own wine (everybody drinks wine there and just enjoys life) and a wine opener if your wine bottle asks for it :)
Tuscany
Tuscany was in my travel list for SO LONG. There’s just something about this place that feels so calm and peaceful. Love that feeling. We spent 4 days in Tuscany, and it still wasn't enough. The perfect roads, mountains, grape fields, wineries, old houses, little cafes by the narrow roads where you can get cold local wine that fits perfectly with the hot summer days. We went to San Gimignano which is such a cute little town with lots of history. Many amazing shops with wines, gorgeous tableware and other pretty things to take home as a souvenir. Then we went to Siena, which is a bigger city. It has a beautiful square - there is nothing like it anywhere else.
We chose to drive on the small roads. Of course it is easy to just drive in high speed on the big roads, but you cannot even imagine what you are missing if you do so!
We stopped at a local cafe where the owner suggested a delicious wine. The view this tiny cafe had was more than gorgeous. Place was super simple but so authentic with the perfect Tuscany vibe. We actually stopped at several places like this along the ride. The alleys and mountains as a view - ohhhh.. I miss it!
We really liked the road that led to Volterra - I recommend to include it in your route. And also the Val d’orcia area that is included in UNESCO World Heritage - there cannot be a more perfect Tuscany landscape. Everywhere you look - postcard worthy material. Artists sit on their chairs and paint those views - that is soo cool. I think Tuscany was my favourite part of all of our trip.
And my favourite part of the Tuscany part was this little family winery in the middle of nowhere. I found this stunning winery on Tripadvisor because I wanted to have an authentic experience like this. And I searched for a small one on purpose - I think it is more special and more sweet when a family runs a winery together. This winery had some amazing reviews, so I decided to contact them. It is called The Montefioralle Winery. It is next to this little village/town and it has this town as a view from the terrace. It was a dream! One of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Manila welcomed us and showed us to our table - she was really welcoming and sweet. We had to pay 20 euros each - that includes some appetizers, 4-5 wines and a visit to the wine cellar. I did some research before I booked this tasting and tastings in other bigger wineries were way more expensive - some of them were even 60 euros. I was soo happy that I found this winery - it is so cute! After the wine tasting you can buy the wines you tasted and liked. Keep in mind that you need to book this wine tasting in advance - you can do it through e-mail: visite@montefioralle.wine Believe me - you won't regret it!
Rome
What is a visit to Italy without a visit to Rome? We started with Vatican City, but we didn't go inside as the lines were pretty crazy, but of course, the site is very beautiful, the building is impressive, and it is a must see. Then we went to explore Rome. Trevi fountain is gorgeous, but it was almost impossible to get near - hundreds of people, almost everybody trying to angrily push through the crowd. Maybe it is less crowded at 6am for example, but we weren't here for the perfect Insta shot this time, so we didn't care that much. Despite the crowds, we managed to somehow get a shot without people in it. I guess the less you try, the more you get sometimes.
Of course we had to see the Colosseum - nothing is more ‘Rome’ than this place for sure. We didn't go inside though. We went up to a street with a view over Colosseum, ate some pizza and took some photos. Loved it!
The Roman Forum is also very beautiful with old ruins of old Rome. It is very close to the Colosseum. Then you can wander around the streets of Rome without any particular plan - I always like this part the best - when you are done with the sightseeing and just walk around. Nothing better. We ate some pasta, drank some aperol spritz and went to our campsite in the evening. BEWARE of scammers in restaurants and cafes - sometimes the waiters bring you bills with extra taxes on them written with hand. That is not official and you can call the police if they argue with you. I recommend checking Tripadvisor reviews before you go in any cafe or restaurant - it will save you money and also some nerves.
Rome ir VERY beautiful and I would love to go back, but of course as every big city, it is very, very busy. So I prefer smaller and less known cities and places like the little towns of Tuscany, but Rome is absolutely a must visit.
Sorrento and Amalfi coast
Amalfi coast was the main reason why I wanted to go on this road trip - I bet you’ve seen a lot of pictures of Positano on the gram yourself. Yep. Positano is as pretty as a place can be. The colours are perfect, the views are insanely beautiful - cliffs, buildings, sea, sand.. Positano. I actually started to cry when we got there. It was even more beautiful in person than in the pictures. You can get there either by a bus from Sorrento centre (this is were we stayed) or by a boat from Sorrento. The public SITA bus is almost always full, so you’ll usually have to wait. But the tickets costs only 1.20 euros. You can also take the red sightseeing bus which was 15 euros each way. We took it to Positano and it was actually pretty interesting to hear the stories of each place, island, town along the ride.
In Positano - go down to the beach! The swim won't be that great as there are SO many people and just as many boats everywhere, but the beach is beautiful, the views are amazing. There is a public beach without any entry fees, but if you want a sunbed, you’ll gave to pay 50 euros for one. I think it is a bit crazy, but of course it is more comfortable than a towel. And the colourful umbrellas make it even better.
There are many local souvenir shops where you can get anything lemon themed - tableware with lemons, dresses with lemons, shirts, earrings - everything! So cool. Amalfi coast is a home to hundreds of lemon trees, and some of the lemons are as big as a head of a human.
It is very expensive to stay in Positano, and it is also very expensive to eat there, but we found the best spot ever - Ristorante Bruno - very affordable, the food was delicious, drinks were refreshing and tasty. It has an amazing view over Positano. We really enjoyed this place and would come back.
In Sorrento - if you want to stay in a more affordable and more quiet place, Sorrento is the one. We stayed at a campsite called Nube d’Argento because we had a campervan, but there are also many hotels around. This town is also super cute, has a long street with lots of shops and restaurants. I got the dreamiest dress in one local store. And as I mentioned before - you can easily go to Positano from this place.
Thank you for reading and feel free to add any questions you might have about roadtripping through Italy in comments below! Hope you’ll find this post useful.