DK Eyewitness - DK Eyewitness Road Trips Italy

g

HOW TO USE THIS eBOOK

Preferred application settings

For the best reading experience, the following application settings are recommended:

• Orientation: Portrait
• Color theme: White background
• Scrolling view: [OFF]
• Text alignment: Auto-justification [OFF](if the eBook reader has this feature)
• Auto-hyphenation: [OFF](if the eBook reader has this feature)
• Font style: Publisher default setting [ON](if the eBook reader has this feature)

g

About this Book

The 24 drives in this book capture the diversity of the Italian peninsula, stretching from the snow-capped mountain ranges it shares with France and Austria to the sun-baked beaches and scirocco-scorched towns of the south, where Africa seems only a breath away. A modern, industrialized nation with its finger on the financial pulse of Europe, Italy is also a country where traditional Mediterranean values hold and the pace of life is still refreshingly slow outside the cities. These drives do not shun Italys world-famous art towns, but rather than treating them as isolated spots on a weekend break, they are included in tours that allow a wider exploration of the history, culture and landscape that gave birth to them. Other drives go completely off the beaten track to remote mountain outposts, wild sandy beaches, hidden rocky coves, and to rarely visited archaeological sites and towns allowing visitors to explore facets of Italy that many never experience.

Getting Started

The guide begins with the practical information needed to plan and make the most of exploring Italy by car: how to get to Italy; whether to bring your own vehicle or hire one; and the documentation required. The guide offers motoring advice, from the quirks of Italian driving and road-signage to where to buy petrol and what to do if the car breaks down. Health, money and communications are also covered and there is an overview of dining and accommodation options. A language section at the back lists essential words and phrases, including key driver-related vocabulary.

The Drives

The main touring section of the guide is divided into leisurely drives, ranging in duration from two to five days. Most of the roads are paved, and where they are not, they are good-quality roads, which should present no difficulties to a standard vehicle.

The drives have been chosen to encompass every region of Italy. To help visitors choose and plan a trip, each drive begins with a list of highlights and a clearly mapped itinerary. There is advice on the best time of year to do the drive, road conditions, market days and major festival dates. The drive pages contain detailed descriptions of each sight and activity, linked by clear driving instructions. Side panels offer information on places to stay and eat. Tinted boxes feature suggestions for extra activities and background information. These might be details of a local festival or speciality; tips for a wine-tasting tour; or where to find the quietest beach. Each drive also features at least one mapped town or countryside walking tour, designed to take a maximum of three hours at a gentle pace with stops along the way.

The flexible nature of the tours means that some can be linked to create a longer driving holiday; or simply dipped into to plan day trips while based in one particular region.

Top left The Cinque Terre town of Manarola, in Liguria Top Right Wisteria pergola in the La Foce Estate Garden, Tuscany Centre left Rustic cart and bottles in a Sesto vineyard Centre right Hilltop town of Montefolonico, Tuscany Below left Classic Fiat 500 in Greve, Chianti Below right The beautiful rolling landscape of Tuscany

Driving along the quiet roads of Umbria

g

Introducing Italy

The best way for visitors to discover the real Italy is to slow down, leave the busy austostrada and explore the countryside via its back roads.