On holiday driving from Como to Naples...what route?

[Bill K 111]

We're taking our little Elise to Italy next week. Arriving in Calais Monday night and over the next 2 days driving down through Switzerland. On Thursday morning we wake up near Lake Como and are then planning to head to the Amalfi coast. For this drive we need some advice please.
We dont much fancy spending a day of our holiday just pounding down the motorway(A1)but then again we cant meander along the backroads too much or we'll never get there. Does anyone have a suggested route that is scenic but fairly swift? (I quite expect it may involve bobbing on and off the A1.)
Or...would you just nail the A1 to Salerno in a day to get to the Amalfi coast as quickly as possible?
Your advice would be appreciated. Many thanks

[blueyes]

Bill K 111 said:

We're taking our little Elise to Italy next week. Arriving in Calais Monday night and over the next 2 days driving down through Switzerland. On Thursday morning we wake up near Lake Como and are then planning to head to the Amalfi coast. For this drive we need some advice please.
We dont much fancy spending a day of our holiday just pounding down the motorway(A1)but then again we cant meander along the backroads too much or we'll never get there. Does anyone have a suggested route that is scenic but fairly swift? (I quite expect it may involve bobbing on and off the A1.)
Or...would you just nail the A1 to Salerno in a day to get to the Amalfi coast as quickly as possible?
Your advice would be appreciated. Many thanks

hmmm... it's about 550 miles and from experience it'll probably take you about 8 hours minimum if you stick to the motorway. Last time I did it It took me 10 hours going down and 12 hours coming back due to other people having accidents and bits of the motorway that are 2 lanes only (roughly bologna to the other side of Florence).

If you start dicking about on side roads it's going to take you into a very long 1 day trip or maybe an overnight stop. Problem is then you're into Friday and the roads get really bad after midday.

If I had to do it, I'd be leaving at 6am and booting it, motorway all the way.

[Bill K 111]

Thanks for replying. So Friday's are extra busy then? Hmmm....I suppose we could always stick to touring the lakes/North Italy and save the Amalfi for a flight/hire car job another time? Our ferry home again is on Wednesday evening, so assuming we hang out on the Amalfi coast area for the weekend it's a heck of a lot of miles in a short time back to the ferry for Wednesday.

Thanks again.

[blueyes]

Bill K 111 said:

Thanks for replying. So Friday's are extra busy then? Hmmm....I suppose we could always stick to touring the lakes/North Italy and save the Amalfi for a flight/hire car job another time? Our ferry home again is on Wednesday evening, so assuming we hang out on the Amalfi coast area for the weekend it's a heck of a lot of miles in a short time back to the ferry for Wednesday.

Thanks again.

Generally most people head off somewhere for the weekend starting at noon on Friday.

If you're up in Como you could head East and visit Bergamo (old part of the town) then go up Lago D'iseo (lots of nice tunnels!) then North east to Madonna Di Campiglio and then South down through Lago Di Garda. After that you could head for Verona, and (maybe Venice) then down to Ferrara and then Modena.

That should keep you occupied for a while.

[Bill K 111]

So...we've decided to give Amalfi a miss on this trip. Driving around the lakes you suggest on Thursday now, staying in Bologna on Friday night, possibly visit San Marino, Ferrara area then off to Viareggio on Sat night. Might wing it a bit after that.

Thanks again for your advice.

Bill

[crofty1984]

The lakes area is lovely. I live near Lago Maggiore, beautiful. And if you DO go to venice, park at, er troncetta?? can't remember, well as soon as you come off the fookin' long bridge, it's right towards the dock. Park there and get an all day ticket for the waterbus. FULL of tourists, but it's still worth a visit.

[Bill K 111]

Great. Many thanks.

[Nikkie]

If you're into wine, this is Vendemmia week and most of the vinyards in the north east have something going on, the Franciacorta group have been advertising tastings etc all week on the radio that sound good. Have a great trip and the decision to leave Amalfi out this time was a good one, the only time I've managed that trip in a day was on a Gixer and it nearly killed me.

[Bill K 111]

A quick thanks to BlueEyes and everyone for your advice. Returned back yesterday from the Europe trip. So, after the drive from Calais through Switzerland on the Tuesday and Wednesday, on Thursday we woke up at (and went around )Lugano, then over and around most of Como then up and around D'Iseo where we stayed. Friday over and around Garda and then down to Bologna on Friday night, 2 nights for some beach action at Viareggio and back up via Lake Geneva on the Monday. If I did it again, I would have stuck even closer to the advice of y'all and stayed in the lakes region as the sheer number of hours pounding the motorways just to get home again (let alone from the Lakes to the West Coast) was mind numbing. 5 hours a day at a constant 4krpm/80mph from a little 1.8 a few inches behind your earhole wasn't the best way to spend some of your precious holiday days. That said, the same car in the mountains and lakes was a real treat. I am SO grateful that you put us off going down to the Amalfi coast on this trip. That's a flight and hire car on another occasion. We had a great time. Thanks again for all advice

Bill K

[blueyes]

Bleedin hell!

Somebody finally listened to me on PH!

Glad you enjoyed it.

I now feel very homesick.

[Nikkie]

Glad you had a good trip, Southern Italy's even better by bike ,

[andyc.]

Nikkie said:

Glad you had a good trip, Southern Italy's even better by bike ,

Southern Italys a nightmare cos theyre ripping it up all over the place.

[andyc.]

crofty1984 said:

The lakes area is lovely. I live near Lago Maggiore, beautiful. And if you DO go to venice, park at, er troncetta?? can't remember, well as soon as you come off the fookin' long bridge, it's right towards the dock. Park there and get an all day ticket for the waterbus. FULL of tourists, but it's still worth a visit.

Was in Bellinzona and Varese the weekend staying with cousins on the way back from Sicily.Bit wet!