Let’s make this summer all about grand plans, about meals in the car, driving for hours, soaking in the Italian sun, walking through quaint streets, having the best pizza, and what not! A road trip through these six cities in Southern Italy will be the showstopper on your list of adventures for a very long time, until you bungee jump or go into the Amazon, that is. So once you have your car rented, put on your hat and glasses, and off you go! By Shubhanjana Das
1st Day
Naples
There can be no better place to start your journey than at South Italy’s star-child and the then capital of pizza. A few things to do in Naples in a day (you could always stay longer if you like), are starting your day off with pizza at Gino Sorbillo (duh!), climbing to the top of Mt. Vesuvius for views like no other, visit The Royal Palace of Naples and Gesu Nuevo, and finally call it a day with a drink at piazza Bellini. We don’t know about you, but we sure feel charged up just discussing this itinerary.
2nd Day
Amalfi Coast
At a distance of just 71 km lies every tourist’s dream — Amalfi coast. Some places are clichéd and a ‘must-visit’ for a reason and Amalfi coast is one of them. The place is unbelievably picturesque and could easily be a live painting. However, you’ve gotta be patient with the crazy rush and traffic, especially during summer. Can’t blame all these people for rushing to what is one of the most picturesque coastal towns in all of Italy, if not Europe.
3rd Day
Matera
Next day, drive 230 km from Amalfi and leave the crowd behind to land up in “la Città Sotterranea” or the Subterranean City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The minute you step out of your car and set your eyes on this surreal little place, you’ll know why it is associated with so much mystery. Having been inhabited since the Paleolithic age, Matera hides many of its structures, including houses, restaurants and even museums, underground. The latter will have you shook for how often do we really witness art that has never seen the light of the day? P.S. If you have seen Mel Gibson’s Passion of The Christ, you may be able to recognise parts of Matera.
4th Day
Arborello
From Matera, drive another 70km to end up at Arborello, the largest collection of Trulli stone house, which have been amazingly maintained. At Arborello, you can spend half a day strolling about the streets, a luxury in itself. It is said that the people who were brought in from Itria Valley to work built these stone houses to avoid paying taxes as they could be dismantled easily as soon as the tax appraisers came.
5th Day
Taormina
On your second last day, be prepared to drive 413 km to the end of the boot of Italy at Reggio Calabria to take a car ferry to Messina in Sicily, which takes hardly half an hour. Once there, your destination Taormina is hardly an hour away. Here, the cultural diversity and plethora evident in the architecture will leave you stunned and speechless. As a result of a long history of colonisation by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Normans, Spanish and others, Sicily now prides itself in being one of the most culturally diverse places in whole of Italy.
6th Day
Palermo
The last leg of your journey will find you at Palermo, after a 260 km drive from Taormina. At Palermo, you will be greeted by authentic Italian food, markets, palaces, and splendid architecture, among other things. There’s no better place than Palermo to contemplate and celebrate your successful road trip of South Italian, perhaps while munching on arancini (fried rice balls).
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