Italy is one of the best countries in the world for a road trip, a landscape of extraordinary diversity (the Alps, the lakes, the vineyards of Tuscany, the mountains of the Apennines, the beaches of Puglia, and the Amalfi Coast, the most beautiful coastal road in Europe), connected by a network of autostrade (motorways, efficient and toll-roads, not free) and, more importantly, the slower, more beautiful strade statali (state roads) that wind through the countryside, over the mountains, and along the coasts in the great tradition of the Italian road trip. Here are five of the best car road trips in Italy.

Five Italian Road Trips

• 1. The Amalfi Coast (SS163): The most beautiful coastal road in Europe, 50 km of hairpin bends, sheer cliffs, and heart-stopping views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, connecting the cliff-hanging villages of Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Ravello. The road is narrow, the driving is demanding, and the traffic in July–August is a nightmare (parking is essentially impossible, the villages are car-free in the centre). Best experienced by: driving once for the experience (in May or September, very early in the morning, start at 7am from Sorrento), then parking the car and using the ferries and the public buses for the rest of your stay. The view from the water is the view you came for
• 2. The Val d’Orcia (Tuscany, SR2): The most beautiful drive in Tuscany, a road through the classic postcard landscape of cypress-lined hills, medieval hilltop villages (Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino), and vineyards producing Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The SR2 from San Quirico d’Orcia to Montepulciano is the essential stretch. Stop at the Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta (the tiny chapel on a hilltop surrounded by cypress trees, the most photographed scene in Tuscany) and the Terme di San Filippo (the natural hot springs in the forest, free, wild, and one of the most magical experiences in Italy. Bring a towel and swimwear). Allow 1–2 days. Best: April–June and September–October
• 3. The Great Dolomites Road (Grande Strada delle Dolomiti, SS48 and SS241): The most spectacular mountain drive in Italy, 110 km from Bolzano (Bozen) in South Tyrol to Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Veneto, crossing the Dolomites through the dramatic passes of the Karerpass (Passo di Costalunga, 1,745 m), the Sellajoch (Passo Sella, 2,244 m), and the Pordoijoch (Passo Pordoi, 2,239 m). The landscape, the pale Dolomite limestone peaks, the green alpine meadows, the rifugi (mountain huts), is jaw-dropping. Allow a full day. Best: June–September (the passes are closed in winter, the Sella Ronda ski circuit is the winter equivalent, on skis)
• 4. The Costa Paradiso (Sardinia, SP71): The most beautiful coastal road in Sardinia, the SP71 from Santa Teresa Gallura to Castelsardo along the northern coast, a landscape of granite cliffs, turquoise coves, and the dramatic rock formations that give the Costa Paradiso its name. The beaches, Cala Spinosa, Rena Majore, and the extraordinary red rocks of Isola Rossa, are among the most beautiful in Sardinia and the least crowded (the Costa Smeralda is to the east, this is the quieter, wilder north). Allow 1 day. Best: May–June and September
• 5. The Salento Peninsula (Puglia, SP358 and coastal roads): The heel of Italy, a landscape of olive groves (some of the ancient trees are over 1,000 years old), baroque towns (Lecce, the “Florence of the South”, is the most beautiful), and the rocky Ionian and Adriatic coasts. The drive from Gallipoli (the island town on the Ionian coast) to Otranto (the easternmost town in Italy, on the Adriatic) and on to Santa Maria di Leuca (the southernmost tip of Puglia, the lighthouse, the sanctuary, and the meeting of the two seas) is the essential Salento road trip. The beaches, Pescoluse (“the Maldives of Italy”, white sand and shallow turquoise water), the natural pools of Marina Serra, and the dramatic rocky cove of the Grotta della Poesia, are among the most beautiful in Italy, and the food (orecchiette pasta, burrata cheese, fresh seafood, and the rich Primitivo and Negroamaro red wines) is some of the best in the country. Allow 3–4 days. Best: May–June and September–October