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Amy Baker is making me want to hop right back over to Italy to check out some of these spots! This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that Lake Garda is a can’t miss location.
Ever hired a car on your travels before? If so, you are likely to have hired one for a day trip, perhaps to traverse the hills or see the lakes by your hotel. But why not compare car hire and allow for a more extended adventure? It’ll be like you’ve teleported your own car to the airport and it showed up having had a makeover along the way.
So where to go? One of the greatest drives is from the French border with Italy, across the north of Italy, or in the direction of its heart. From the border the long Mont Blanc tunnel stretches into the country, cutting its way through the mountains and lending the idea of driving the Batmobile through it to your imagination.
Once you come out on the Italian side, continue on to Lake Garda. One of the most breathtaking lakes on the planet, it’s worth staying here for at least a night. It’s the largest lake in Italy and is beset on all sides with wonderful red-roofed green-shuttered Italian houses as well as vineyards and olive groves. There are numerous restaurants around the lake positioned high up to get the best view of it. And there are all kinds of watersports for trying your hand at (or enjoying if you’re more experienced) as well as climbing and pony trekking.
From Lake Garda, carry onwards to fair Verona, where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was set. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, having gained the status to protect its architecture including structures like the Roman amphitheatre, the Arena. The Arena is more like the Colosseum in Rome than the few leftover steps lots of amphitheatres have been reduced to. This contributes to the reason Verona is referred to as ‘Little Rome.’
From Verona, you have two options: head across to Padua and Venice or go south to Bologna and from there, Florence.
Padua is pretty old, perhaps even the oldest city in Italy and its university is Italy’s second oldest. It’s a student city, so if you’re after a lively nightlife you’re in the right place. Venice is an Island, and a fragile one at that. There are no cars there so you won’t be able to drive the hire car to it. Stay in a town nearby instead and leave the car behind while you go and explore the Grand Canal by gondola, see the Bridge of Sighs, San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica.
In the other direction, Bologna has not only Italy’s but the possibly the World’s oldest university, the University of Bologna which was founded in 1088. Bologna is also Italy’s culinary capital. Then there’s Florence, one of Italy’s finest cities. Visit the Uffizi Gallery, filled with the great masters of the Italian Renaissance. Here is Michelangelo’s David and Brunelleschi’s Dome. When you have had your fill of Italy, drive back the way you came, drop the car off and enjoy your carefree journey home after that.
Author Bio: Amy Baker loves to write about her travels, ranging from guides to Disneyland through the eyes of Mickey Mouse to articles about drinking snake blood in Vietnam.
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7 comments
Ever since I was young, Italy has been one of the top countries in the world. I love its culture, its contributions to human history, the pasta of course! And since I am pretty much of a historian, I would also like to go to University of Bologna. You really have a wonderful post.
Lovely post, I finally decided to concentrate on Southern Italy – need more posts on where to go there!
Oh fun! Well all these pictures are from Lacedonia which is in Southern Italy. Most of our time was spent in Lacedonia but we did spend a few days in Sorrento which was cute.
We stayed in a great little hotel that was 50 euro a night and had breakfast and internet – Casale Antonietta. There were several campgrounds there too. The hostels were more than 50 euro for 2 people so we didn’t check them out. Where are you going in Southern Italy and for how long?
@Ayngelina,
Gorgeous photos – even the one of the street signs is beautiful!! I didn’t rent a car the last time I was in Italy, but I probably will the next time – walking and public transportation gets old pretty fast, especially if you want to get around more places!!
Heidi
Thanks! Those were all taken either in Lacedonia or on the way there. Yeah, Italy is great by train but a car is necessary to get around to some of the off beat places. 🙂 @Tours Of The Vatican,
I actually have NO idea where I am going to go! I narrowed down to Southern Italy because people said it was cheaper so in the next two weeks I need to find a place to WWOOF (not necessarily there) and find out what there is to see there. Pompeii? Sicily? I have no idea!
The first photo “clouds and landscapes” very good indeed. And photographs villages with houses that are very characteristic, … really make the eyes want to see it constantly.
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