DK Eyewitness - DK Eyewitness Road Trips Northern & Central Italy (Travel Guide)

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About this Book

The 25 trips in this book capture the diversity of Northern and Central Italy, from the snow-capped mountain ranges on the borders with France and Austria to the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria; from the dramatic coastline of the Ligurian Cinque Terre to the lakes of Lombardy and the Veneto. A modern, industrialized nation with its finger on the commercial and cultural pulse of Europe, Italy is also a country where traditional values are maintained, and the pace of life outside of its cities is still refreshingly slow. Our trips embrace the regions world-famous art towns, but rather than being treated as isolated spots on a weekend break, they are included in tours that encourage a wider exploration of the history, culture and landscape that gave rise to them. Other tours go right off the beaten track to enchanting villages, remote mountain outposts, hidden rocky coves and rarely visited archaeological sites allowing visitors to explore facets of Northern and Central Italy that many never experience.

Getting Started

The guide begins with all the practical information you need to plan and get the most out of a driving holiday in Northern and Central Italy: how to get there; tips on bringing your own vehicle or hiring one; details of the documentation required; and motoring advice, from the quirks of Italian driving and road signage to where you can buy petrol and what to do if your 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 driving-related vocabulary.

The Trips

The main touring section of the guide is divided into leisurely trips, ranging in duration from one to seven days. Most of the tours are on paved roads, and where they are not, they are on good-quality unmetalled roads, which should pose no problems for a standard vehicle. The trips encompass every area of Northern and Central 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 trip 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 include details of a local festival or speciality; tips for a wine-tasting tour; or where to go hiking. The flexible nature of the tours means that some can be linked together to create a longer driving holiday, or simply dipped into to plan day trips while based in one particular region. Each trip also features a mapped town or countryside walking tour, designed to take no more than three hours at a leisurely pace with stops on the way.

Top left Manarola, a Cinque Terre town in Liguria Top right Fishing boats moored at Lazise, on the eastern shore of Lake Garda Centre left Grey-stone houses in the medieval heart of Abbadia San Salvatore Centre right The rolling Tuscan landscape near Montisi Below left Fiat 500, Greve in Chianti Below right A fresco in the Neo-Classical Villa Melzi, Bellagio

Above Driving in the Upper Tiber region of northern Umbria

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Introducing Northern and Central Italy

The culture, cuisine, traditions and landscape of Northern and Central Italy are best appreciated close up, and there is no better way to home in on this endlessly fascinating part of the world than to slow down, leave the busy autostrada and explore the countryside by its back roads. Follow one road to a vineyard and meet a prize-winning winemaker; pull over on another to let a shepherd pass with his flock; or take a third to experience the genuine hospitality of a B&B owner proudly introducing you to regional specialities at the breakfast table. In Northern and Central Italy whether driving through the Alpine peaks of the Alto-Adige, over the rolling hillsides of Le Langhe or along the Adriatic coast in Le Marche the visitor will never be far from beautiful towns rich in culture and history, evocative landscapes and gourmet delights. Travelling the back roads reveals how, beneath the contemporary surface, a world that many thought had ceased to exist half a century ago is alive and well, and as alluring as ever.

The pretty resort village of Limone sul Garda, on the shores of Lake Garda

When to Go

Each trip includes a recommendation for the ideal time to make the drive. This may be because the scenery is at its best or the rivers are at their highest, or perhaps because the azaleas or apple blossom are in bloom. There might be a local festival taking place, or it could be that a certain food is in season. The weather, of course, is also a factor. The northern half of Italy has a varied climate falling into three distinct geographical zones: in the north, expect cold, Alpine winters and warm, wet summers; in the vast central Po valley, summers are hot and humid and winters damp, foggy and freezing; Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche enjoy a more clement climate, with long, hot summers and relatively mild winters. In general, the best times to visit Northern and Central Italy are spring and autumn, ideally between April and June or September and October, when the climate should be mild with-out being too hot, and the whole region is generally much less crowded than in high summer.

Times to Avoid

As far as possible, roads and airports should be avoided at the beginning of August and in the days just before and after Ferragosto (15 August), the national summer holiday. The start of school holidays also sees a great surge in traffic levels. Schools break up for summer in mid-June and resume in mid-September. The Easter holidays usually begin on the Thursday before Easter and end on the Monday or Tuesday afterwards. Summer weekends and days around public holidays can also be very busy on the roads.

Festivals

Festivals and fairs take place all over Italy throughout the year. As well as the Easter and Christmas festivities, every town and village has a patron saint, and each one marks its saints day with special celebrations. Spring and autumn are the best times for sagre , festivals devoted to local foods. Mushroom, sausage, olive oil, chest-nut and wine sagre are common in autumn, while spring sagre are often devoted to seasonal fruits like strawberries or cherries. Carnevale sees masked and fancy-dress parades in many towns and villages, most spectacularly in Venice and Ivrea. Ferragosto is marked by free outdoor concerts, dancing and often fireworks.