Florence to Amalfi Coast – A Perfect Italian Road Trip
Planning a self-driven road trip from Florence to the Amalfi Coast means cruising through many picturesque cities with their marvelous landscapes, blue coastlines, epic renaissance structures, delicious Italian delicacies, and rich history with Piazzas. But the questions is how to plan a perfect road trip, what to cover, and where to begin. The distance from Florence to Amalfi is about 550 kilometers, which can be covered in about 7 hours, but it is recommended to take 4-5 days to complete the itinerary to make the most of your trip. There are many irresistible cities and communes all around, so you are free to add more stops along the way.
In this post, we are covering potential stops along the way including Rome, Naples, and Pompeii. Florence has a good public transport network, but renting a car is the best option as it will help you move from one destination to another on time. Just keep a note of the Limited Traffic Zones – aka the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato), where you will not be allowed to take the car. See the following guide for more tips on navigating the city.
Florence to Amalfi Coast Road Trip Itinerary
You can get a rental car from Florence Airport or any other city location to embark on your journey. The following are some of the cities that you can explore on your way to Amalfi Coast to make the most out of your trip. This road trip itinerary includes cities like Rome, Naples, and Pompeii. To help you navigate better through the city, we have also listed the popular attractions and places to eat.
Start Your Journey from Florence
The capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, Florence, is filled with churches, museums, galleries, and fine architecture. Its beauty is all-consuming that one can spend months exploring this city. Climb to the top of the Duomo for incredible views across the city or visit Uffizi Gallery. You can buy an advance ticket for both the places to avoid long queues. The galley is magnificent and is certainly a must if you are a fan of Renaissance art. You can also check out the classic Ponte Vecchio bridge and Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. You can even just choose to wander a city strolling through the plazas, bridges, and streets instead of rushing to see all the tourist sites.
Florence is filled with amazing food and if you want to try the best of the city’s dishes then you can head to Brac for delicious vegetarian food in a gallery-style setting, Mercato Centrale, where you can find shops selling some of the best of Florence’s food, and La Pizzeria Sud for amazing pizzas. Also, do not forget to try gelato at Gelateria La Carraia and Mordilatte.
Head to the Romantic City of Rome
With a colorful neighborhood like Trastevere with its winding, narrow streets, and crumbling ivy-clad buildings, Rome is one of the most romantic cities in the world. One can easily spend a day here by checking the highlights of the city. From the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain, and the ruins at the Palatino and Colosseum, there is so much to see in the city. Go to the Vatican to see the Pope’s, Sunday Angelus. You can also visit some of Rome’s popular attractions like the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum. All you have to do is to book tickets in advance.
While touring Rome, you can check out the Bonci Pizzarium for perfect, square-sliced pizza, Dar Poeta in Trastevere for pizza, and Fatamorgana for gelato.
On to Naples
Next, you can head to Naples, located on the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, which is rich in history. Settled in by Greeks around 2000 BC, the city has an intriguing history, world-famous monuments, delectable cuisine, and electrifying street life. It is one of the best places to visit in Italy because one can immerse themselves in the culture while in town. With all the places to see and things to do in Naples, and with limited time, it was nice to know that you could just rely on the rental car to take you from one place to another.
Some of the best things to do in Naples is to visit the Archaeological Museum, Royal Palace of Naples, and the Castle Nuovo. In Naples National Archaeological Museum, you will see artifacts from Pompeii, like ancient funeral urns, murals, and stonework. You will also find an extensive collection of ancient Roman statues of classical Greek sculpture. Because Naples is a port town, you can even find yourself docking here for a cruise along the Mediterranean sea.
Visit the Ancient City of Pompeii
After Naples, head to Pompeii, which is a town and the architectural site. Originally a seaside town, Pompeii now lies inland under Mt Vesuvius. Because of the earthquake, where anything wooden would have burned, there are certain ceramics, and even some metal remains as they once were. You will notice that the stone streets are as they were before the eruption, and the buildings made of brick and stone are still standing.
While exploring Pompeii, you will see inside the homes, businesses, and even find murals still painted on the walls. Visiting Pompeii is like a real history lesson for those that have no real sense of what life was like for Italians during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. You might have to purchase your Pompeii tickets in advance so that you do not waste time in long queues.
Explore the Dreamy Land of Amalfi Coast
The last destination of your road trip, the Amalfi Coast, is an incredible stretch of land with 13 picturesque towns. It is the stuff of Italian dreams, lovely, and with magnificent sea views at every turn. The colorful villages and the turquoise blue waters of the Amalfi Coast lure seasoned tourists and first-time visitors alike. Nominated as a UNESCO heritage site, the Amalfi coast is one of those bucket list places that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
It has everything one can think of in a vacation – beautiful gardens atop a hill with majestic sea views, the most crystalline beaches, restaurants, and a drive that is equally thrilling and breathtaking. Roads that snake along the plunging coastline, coupled with incredible views make Amalfi Coast one of the scenic routes to drive in the world.
Amalfi Coast has an abundance of fresh food with offerings like seafood, marinated veggies, pizza, pasta, and wine. Go to Le Tre Sorelle at Positano beach for incredible food or stop for a drink and amazing sunset views at Franco bar at Le Sirenuse.