Discussion
For the first time since 2005, we're off to Italy on another jaunt across the continent 
So, as I'd not joined PH until 2007, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share the experience as this time it's a little more interesting.
Previous routes to Villafranca di Verona were pretty unassuming; either via Reims / Strasbourg / Basel / Lugano (Italia #1), or slightly more interesting via the Vosges / Freiburg / past Lake Constance / over the Dolomites (Italia #2). OK, trip #2 included a day trip to Maranello, and the Futa and Raticosa Passes but apart from an un-scheduled stop in Austria on the way down it was fairly uneventful.
This time, it's a bit more interesting.
http://goo.gl/maps/tUvWS
Day 2 of the trip down takes in Grimsel and Furka. Day 3 takes us to our destination in Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the L' Aquila region of Italy: very much out in the sticks. Day 1 of the return leg takes us to Brenzone on Lake Garda via a mountain pass over Monte Baldo, whilst Day 2 will be a first for me (although not mrs k): German autobahns
We set off on Saturday, back the following Sunday.
With a bit of luck, and a fair wind, I'll hopefully remember to take notes and pics / vids for uploading.
So, as I'd not joined PH until 2007, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share the experience as this time it's a little more interesting.Previous routes to Villafranca di Verona were pretty unassuming; either via Reims / Strasbourg / Basel / Lugano (Italia #1), or slightly more interesting via the Vosges / Freiburg / past Lake Constance / over the Dolomites (Italia #2). OK, trip #2 included a day trip to Maranello, and the Futa and Raticosa Passes but apart from an un-scheduled stop in Austria on the way down it was fairly uneventful.
This time, it's a bit more interesting.
http://goo.gl/maps/tUvWS
Day 2 of the trip down takes in Grimsel and Furka. Day 3 takes us to our destination in Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the L' Aquila region of Italy: very much out in the sticks. Day 1 of the return leg takes us to Brenzone on Lake Garda via a mountain pass over Monte Baldo, whilst Day 2 will be a first for me (although not mrs k): German autobahns
We set off on Saturday, back the following Sunday.
With a bit of luck, and a fair wind, I'll hopefully remember to take notes and pics / vids for uploading.
the bit over Monte Baldo down to Brenzone is -to say the least- very interesting...
you plan to go from there north to Austria and Germany?
if not and you plan to go west towards Switzerland again, i suggest you either to take the Ferry or drive around and take the road from Gargnano to Valvestino and then to Lago d'Idro. if the car is not too big it's a great road.
have fun!
you plan to go from there north to Austria and Germany?
if not and you plan to go west towards Switzerland again, i suggest you either to take the Ferry or drive around and take the road from Gargnano to Valvestino and then to Lago d'Idro. if the car is not too big it's a great road.
have fun!
AlexIT said:
gaz1234 said:
id say the Italians on the roads are more fun than the Swiss
Edited for you 
Italian drivers (for the most part, a few still exist) are extremely subdued these days, to the point of being slow.
I have no idea how Italian speed cameras work other than they can't send the ticket to the UK.
JDRoest said:
Not any more they aren't. From what I can tell they introduced a points system a few years ago, and most now drive like they are about to be banned. Plus drink driving gets you a ban these days.
Italian drivers (for the most part, a few still exist) are extremely subdued these days, to the point of being slow.
I have no idea how Italian speed cameras work other than they can't send the ticket to the UK.
I've long been acquainted with the Italian drivestyle, but when I have friends from abroad thy all seem quite scared about the local driving habits Italian drivers (for the most part, a few still exist) are extremely subdued these days, to the point of being slow.
I have no idea how Italian speed cameras work other than they can't send the ticket to the UK.
Right.
I've sorted through the pics, racked my brain for the pertinent (and, hopefully, interesting bits), and can hopefully give everyone a flavour of our holiday; because that's what it was first and foremost. The fact that it involved a long drive to Italy was the billy bonus, so I'll try and spare the holiday bits and concentrate on the driving bits.
Destination:
The small medieval hilltop town of Santo Stefano in the Abruzzo area of Italy 1,950m above sea level.
Day 1:
Telford to Freiburg. An early-ish start, but not daft early, and mrs k offered to do the first bit of motorway bashing of the (long) day, down to Calais. We often pop to the continent on wine and ciggie runs, and often comment on how long its been since we had a proper drive somewhere there. For me, the trip really starts just before we disembark from the ferry when we put the headlight deflectors on. That means no piss-arsing about between Calais and Adinkerke: this means a real drive
First leg for me, then: Calais to somewhere beyond Reims. What can you say? Mile after mile of uneventful peage, although just after Reims I noticed a Gendarme piling up behind me in the outside lane. As it passed, we both grinned at a sound very particular to the Continent: that two-tone siren. So evocative. A driver swap somewhere near Sarrebourg saw mrs k take over for the final leg of the day into Freiburg. The hotel was ok, very basic, and situated on the outskirts of a business park with just a small bar, a pizzeria, and a basic restaurant within walking distance. After a couple of cold beers at the bar, we were very disappoint to find both eateries closed. At 9 p.m. On a Saturday
Luckily, mrs k spotted an Imbiss still open on a side street so we managed a cheap (and very good) currywurst mit pommes before bed.
Miles Today: 698
Car Spotting: Ferrari 550 Maranello, 458 Italia (both cruising the Freiburg business park of all places)
Day 2:
Freiburg to Desenzano. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this
As I mentioned in my OP, we've driven the Futa and Raticosa passes but never a proper, famous, Alpine Pass. So it's a rushed breakfast, then hit the road to Basel with me on the first leg. The run to the Swiss border is, as it turns out, de-restricted Autobahn and two fly-bys stand out: an E38 7-Series and Audi RS6 Avant. Both with very fruity exhausts, and a very agreeable V8 roar as they went past at - I'd say - at least 130mph. Nice. Basel was its usual dreary self, but we took the correct turn off the motorway and headed towards the Grimsel Pass.
The road steadily climbed through unutterably pretty towns and villages, before shortly the nature of the machinery on the road started to take a slightly more sporty bent (notes below "Spotted"). The pass proper was fantastic, with a never ending selection of inclines, cambers, and corners with a surprise at the top in the form of a lake still frozen over in July!
From there, it was down the other side of Grimsel to pick up the Furka Pass
Again, the views and the roads were sensational. Apart from coming down the other side of Furka which afforded uninterrupted views of the valley thousands of feet below with not a barrier between us and a potentially crushing and fiery death! I believe, at one point, I did say, "s
t. I can't feel my fking legs!". Anyway. After that it was the St. Gotthard pass which, whilst also spectacular (with a great road surface) was dampened somewhat by being stuck behind a Fraulein in a Golf Plus who seemingly thought her car would implode if it ventured over 30mph 
We got to the outskirts of Desenzano at 5:15 p.m. A closed road, hotel parking issues, and weekend traffic meant a stressed check in at 7.45 p.m., and a very dispiriting end to what was a great day on the roads.
KM Today: 576
Car Spotting: Grimsel Pass = BMW 1M (5 in convoy), 997 GT3RS 4.0, 997 GT3RS, BMW 3.0CSL (standard, not Batmobile spec), Aventador, Ferrari California; Desenzano = 458 Italia, GT-R, Ferrari F12
Day 3:
Desenzano to Santo Stefano. Leg one courtesy of mrs k, and much like Calais to Freiburg in as much as it was autostrada bashing for 80% of the journey. The A14 past Rimini and Ancona made me wonder how fragile Italy's economy was, as it was hundreds of kilometres of continual roadworks. Imagine upgrading the whole length of the M40 in one go, and that's what it's like. Once past Ancona, it's pretty agreeable though with the Adriatic on the left and flowering Azaleas on the verges. Once off the autostrada and heading towards Teramo, the road starts climbing; above and through the Appenines over high bridges and tunnels (one being 10km long). Despite more roadworks near Paganica trying to throw us off the scent, we eventually got to the left turn to Barasciano which would then lead us to Santo Stefano.
KM Today: 583
Car Spotting: Early 1970's Alfa Duetto with Swiss plates
Days 4 - 7:
Santo Stefano.
Four days of chillout
, sampling the local cheeses, cured meats, and truffle-infused pasta dishes.
Not without more driving pleasure, though.
We got chatting with a British ex-pat with a place in Capestrano, and his Italian wife on the first evening and he mentioned the Campo Imperatore was not too far away. So the following day, we consulted the map and off we went. Past the hill town of Castel de Monte (where the Clooney film The American was set), the road kept climbing. The climbing some more. Finally, after driving through a small evergreen wood, the road and the view opened out.
The ex-pat had said that the Campo Imperatore (part of the Gran Sasso National Park) was the highest plain in Europe. We now knew why. A vast expanse of green flatland surrounded by ever more towering mountains. We must have been over 6,000ft above sea level. Deserted roads, herds of livestock being herded by the indigenous Maremma sheepdogs, the overarching silence.
A wonderful part of the world.
Day 8:
Santo Stefano to Assenza. More autostrada bashing until we get off at Lake Garda South, when my route notes eventually take us down a "road" narrower, twistier, and steeper than Porlock Hill in Somerset! It didn't look like that on Google Earth! Hotel found, bar found, beer drunk, cooled off in the 36 degree heat.
KM Today: 600
Car Spotting: Swiss Alfa Duetto (yes, same one as on the way down!), Citroen SM
Day 9:
Assenza to Lutzelbourg. More autostrada / autobahn bashing. Apart from a very, very nice surprise (well, two actually).
My route went from Lake Garda, to the autostrada, past Bolzano towards Innsbruck. Left at Innsbruck, then eventually taking in the A179 between Stams and Fussen. Lordy me It was a weekend, so it was rammed with cyclists, coaches, and dawdlers but the road surface was immaculate, the corners varied and well cambered, and the scenery was incredible with the road winding its way through lush Alpine woodlands. I thoroughly recommend it. Traffic jams near Bolzano, and slow traffic on the A179 conspired to a late arrival in the very pretty town of Lutzelbourg.
So, surprise #1 was the A179. Surprise #2 below.
KM Today: 739
Car Spotting: Porsche 918 Spyder (on the A179 on the opposite carriageway; I first thought it was a Koenigsegg looking at the headlamps, then the shape fully hoved into view and I clocked the gold shield on the bonnet, then after it passed me I noticed the tail lights)
Day 10:
Lutzelbourg to Telford.
Peage.
Ferry.
Home.
Oh. Almost forgot. Spotted on the peage near Arras, two Rolls Royce's of 1930's vintage
Burbling along at 70mph
Overall? Staying in a place like Santo Stefano for four nights is special enough, but for people who enjoy driving as much as us the drive there and back just adds to the experience. That we got to experience and explore the Campo Imperatore while we were there just made it very, very special as did those famous Alpine Passes.
I've sorted through the pics, racked my brain for the pertinent (and, hopefully, interesting bits), and can hopefully give everyone a flavour of our holiday; because that's what it was first and foremost. The fact that it involved a long drive to Italy was the billy bonus, so I'll try and spare the holiday bits and concentrate on the driving bits.
Destination:
The small medieval hilltop town of Santo Stefano in the Abruzzo area of Italy 1,950m above sea level.
Day 1:
Telford to Freiburg. An early-ish start, but not daft early, and mrs k offered to do the first bit of motorway bashing of the (long) day, down to Calais. We often pop to the continent on wine and ciggie runs, and often comment on how long its been since we had a proper drive somewhere there. For me, the trip really starts just before we disembark from the ferry when we put the headlight deflectors on. That means no piss-arsing about between Calais and Adinkerke: this means a real drive
First leg for me, then: Calais to somewhere beyond Reims. What can you say? Mile after mile of uneventful peage, although just after Reims I noticed a Gendarme piling up behind me in the outside lane. As it passed, we both grinned at a sound very particular to the Continent: that two-tone siren. So evocative. A driver swap somewhere near Sarrebourg saw mrs k take over for the final leg of the day into Freiburg. The hotel was ok, very basic, and situated on the outskirts of a business park with just a small bar, a pizzeria, and a basic restaurant within walking distance. After a couple of cold beers at the bar, we were very disappoint to find both eateries closed. At 9 p.m. On a Saturday
Luckily, mrs k spotted an Imbiss still open on a side street so we managed a cheap (and very good) currywurst mit pommes before bed.Miles Today: 698
Car Spotting: Ferrari 550 Maranello, 458 Italia (both cruising the Freiburg business park of all places)
Day 2:
Freiburg to Desenzano. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this
As I mentioned in my OP, we've driven the Futa and Raticosa passes but never a proper, famous, Alpine Pass. So it's a rushed breakfast, then hit the road to Basel with me on the first leg. The run to the Swiss border is, as it turns out, de-restricted Autobahn and two fly-bys stand out: an E38 7-Series and Audi RS6 Avant. Both with very fruity exhausts, and a very agreeable V8 roar as they went past at - I'd say - at least 130mph. Nice. Basel was its usual dreary self, but we took the correct turn off the motorway and headed towards the Grimsel Pass.The road steadily climbed through unutterably pretty towns and villages, before shortly the nature of the machinery on the road started to take a slightly more sporty bent (notes below "Spotted"). The pass proper was fantastic, with a never ending selection of inclines, cambers, and corners with a surprise at the top in the form of a lake still frozen over in July!
From there, it was down the other side of Grimsel to pick up the Furka Pass
Again, the views and the roads were sensational. Apart from coming down the other side of Furka which afforded uninterrupted views of the valley thousands of feet below with not a barrier between us and a potentially crushing and fiery death! I believe, at one point, I did say, "s
t. I can't feel my fking legs!". Anyway. After that it was the St. Gotthard pass which, whilst also spectacular (with a great road surface) was dampened somewhat by being stuck behind a Fraulein in a Golf Plus who seemingly thought her car would implode if it ventured over 30mph We got to the outskirts of Desenzano at 5:15 p.m. A closed road, hotel parking issues, and weekend traffic meant a stressed check in at 7.45 p.m., and a very dispiriting end to what was a great day on the roads.
KM Today: 576
Car Spotting: Grimsel Pass = BMW 1M (5 in convoy), 997 GT3RS 4.0, 997 GT3RS, BMW 3.0CSL (standard, not Batmobile spec), Aventador, Ferrari California; Desenzano = 458 Italia, GT-R, Ferrari F12
Day 3:
Desenzano to Santo Stefano. Leg one courtesy of mrs k, and much like Calais to Freiburg in as much as it was autostrada bashing for 80% of the journey. The A14 past Rimini and Ancona made me wonder how fragile Italy's economy was, as it was hundreds of kilometres of continual roadworks. Imagine upgrading the whole length of the M40 in one go, and that's what it's like. Once past Ancona, it's pretty agreeable though with the Adriatic on the left and flowering Azaleas on the verges. Once off the autostrada and heading towards Teramo, the road starts climbing; above and through the Appenines over high bridges and tunnels (one being 10km long). Despite more roadworks near Paganica trying to throw us off the scent, we eventually got to the left turn to Barasciano which would then lead us to Santo Stefano.
KM Today: 583
Car Spotting: Early 1970's Alfa Duetto with Swiss plates
Days 4 - 7:
Santo Stefano.
Four days of chillout
, sampling the local cheeses, cured meats, and truffle-infused pasta dishes.Not without more driving pleasure, though.
We got chatting with a British ex-pat with a place in Capestrano, and his Italian wife on the first evening and he mentioned the Campo Imperatore was not too far away. So the following day, we consulted the map and off we went. Past the hill town of Castel de Monte (where the Clooney film The American was set), the road kept climbing. The climbing some more. Finally, after driving through a small evergreen wood, the road and the view opened out.
The ex-pat had said that the Campo Imperatore (part of the Gran Sasso National Park) was the highest plain in Europe. We now knew why. A vast expanse of green flatland surrounded by ever more towering mountains. We must have been over 6,000ft above sea level. Deserted roads, herds of livestock being herded by the indigenous Maremma sheepdogs, the overarching silence.
A wonderful part of the world.
Day 8:
Santo Stefano to Assenza. More autostrada bashing until we get off at Lake Garda South, when my route notes eventually take us down a "road" narrower, twistier, and steeper than Porlock Hill in Somerset! It didn't look like that on Google Earth! Hotel found, bar found, beer drunk, cooled off in the 36 degree heat.
KM Today: 600
Car Spotting: Swiss Alfa Duetto (yes, same one as on the way down!), Citroen SM
Day 9:
Assenza to Lutzelbourg. More autostrada / autobahn bashing. Apart from a very, very nice surprise (well, two actually).
My route went from Lake Garda, to the autostrada, past Bolzano towards Innsbruck. Left at Innsbruck, then eventually taking in the A179 between Stams and Fussen. Lordy me
It was a weekend, so it was rammed with cyclists, coaches, and dawdlers but the road surface was immaculate, the corners varied and well cambered, and the scenery was incredible with the road winding its way through lush Alpine woodlands. I thoroughly recommend it. Traffic jams near Bolzano, and slow traffic on the A179 conspired to a late arrival in the very pretty town of Lutzelbourg.So, surprise #1 was the A179. Surprise #2 below.
KM Today: 739
Car Spotting: Porsche 918 Spyder (on the A179 on the opposite carriageway; I first thought it was a Koenigsegg looking at the headlamps, then the shape fully hoved into view and I clocked the gold shield on the bonnet, then after it passed me I noticed the tail lights)
Day 10:
Lutzelbourg to Telford.
Peage.
Ferry.
Home.
Oh. Almost forgot. Spotted on the peage near Arras, two Rolls Royce's of 1930's vintage
Burbling along at 70mph
Overall? Staying in a place like Santo Stefano for four nights is special enough, but for people who enjoy driving as much as us the drive there and back just adds to the experience. That we got to experience and explore the Campo Imperatore while we were there just made it very, very special as did those famous Alpine Passes.
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