This two-week journey follows Italy from the northern lakes to Sicily, moving steadily south through some of the country’s most recognisable landscapes. It begins on Lake Como, where alpine water, villas and mountain roads create a refined opening chapter. From there the route crosses to Venice, best approached through Mestre to avoid the historic traffic restrictions, before cutting west to Cinque Terre and its cliffside villages.

The central part of the journey is deeply Tuscan: Florence, the Chianti hills and Val d’Orcia provide Renaissance cities, vineyards, cypress roads and slow rural views. The itinerary then enters Lazio and reaches Rome, where the car should remain parked while the city is explored on foot or by public transport. South of Rome, the mood changes again with Naples, Pompeii and the coastal drama of Amalfi.

The final section crosses the south towards Puglia, with Alberobello and the trulli of the Valle d’Itria, before the long drive through Calabria and the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina. Sicily completes the route with Taormina, Mount Etna, baroque towns and Ionian coastal roads. It is a varied, scenic and culturally dense route, suitable for travellers who want an ambitious but coherent Italian grand tour.