A two-week loop from Milan Malpensa: Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, Verona and Lake Garda, Florence, the Chianti vineyards, the Val d'Orcia, Assisi in Umbria, Lucca and the Cinque Terre. A car opens up the wine roads and hilltop villages, as long as you leave it at the gates of the historic centres, which are guarded by cameras (ZTL).
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Stresa | Start |
| Days 2 to 3 | Varenna | 124 km · 2h05 |
| Days 4 to 5 | Verona | 173 km · 2h30 |
| Days 6 to 7 | Florence | 233 km · 2h35 |
| Day 8 | Radda in Chianti | 50 km · 1h |
| Days 9 to 10 | Montepulciano | 76 km · 1h20 |
| Day 11 | Assisi | 86 km · 1h25 |
| Day 12 | Lucca | 250 km · 2h55 |
| Days 13 to 14 | Levanto | 103 km · 1h20 |
| Day 15 | Back to Stresa | 285 km · 3h20 |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May to June and September to early October: bearable heat and fewer crowds. In July and August, expect 28 to 33°C in Tuscany and full car parks at the lakes and the Cinque Terre; from mid-November to mid-April, winter tyres or snow chains on board are required on many roads in the North and Centre.
🚗 124 km · 2h05 of driving from Stresa
Via Varese and Como, then the narrow SS340 along the west shore to Menaggio; car ferry across to Varenna.
🚗 173 km · 2h30 of driving from Varenna
SS36 to Lecco, local roads towards Bergamo, then the A4 motorway via Brescia. In Verona, park before the ZTL, which is filmed at all times.
🚗 233 km · 2h35 of driving from Verona
A22 to Modena, then the A1 via Bologna and the Apennine tunnels. Leave the car at the Villa Costanza car park, on the A1, linked to the tram.
🚗 50 km · 1h of driving from Florence
A1 exit Firenze Impruneta, then the SR222 Chiantigiana, winding between vines and cypresses, via Greve and Panzano; SR429 from Castellina.
🚗 76 km · 1h20 of driving from Radda in Chianti
Via Siena, parked outside the ZTL, then the SR2 Cassia to San Quirico d'Orcia and the SP146 via Pienza, running along a ridge above the Val d'Orcia.
🚗 86 km · 1h25 of driving from Montepulciano
RA6 Bettolle-Perugia link road, toll-free but with no hard shoulder, then the SS75. In Assisi, Mojano car park and escalators.
🚗 250 km · 2h55 of driving from Assisi
RA6 towards the A1, Florence, then the A11 Firenze-Mare. In Lucca, the ZTL inside the walls is active 24 hours a day: park outside.
🚗 103 km · 1h20 of driving from Lucca
Via Pisa, then the A12 to Carrodano and a hairpin road down to Levanto. No road links the villages: take the train.
🚗 285 km · 3h20 of driving from Levanto
Stick to Tuscany: start in Pisa, then Lucca (1 night), Florence (2) with the car at Villa Costanza, Chianti (1), Montepulciano (2), and back to Pisa. The lakes, Verona and the Cinque Terre can wait for another trip.
| Car hire only, July | ≈ €40 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, November | ≈ €16 a day |
| Economy, annual average | ≈ €25 a day (Kayak, Milan, Sept. 2026) |
| SUV, annual average | ≈ €52 a day |
| Vehicle | A small city car: narrow streets, tight parking spaces and hilltop villages in Tuscany and Umbria. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | Milan Malpensa airport, close to Lake Maggiore: you avoid driving in Milan. A loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Insurance | Collision damage (CDW) and theft cover are included by default in Italy, with an excess of €500 to €2,000; excess waiver optional. |
| Age and card | Usually 21 minimum, with a surcharge under 25. A physical credit card in the driver's name. |
| Fines | The rental company passes on every ZTL or speed camera fine and charges an extra €40 to €60 admin fee. |
| Toll tag | Ask whether the car has a Telepass. If not, at the toll use the white lanes (cash, card) or blue lanes (card). |
⚠️ A ZTL fine can arrive up to a year later, plus the rental company's fees. At a "Varco attivo" sign, do not drive through.
Any valid European Union licence is enough, with no International Driving Permit. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
As in mainland Europe. Dipped headlights compulsory outside built-up areas, day and night.
110 on dual carriageways, 50 in town. In rain: 110 and 90. Licence held under 3 years: 100 and 90.
Zero for under-21s and licences held under 3 years.
Historic centres filmed by cameras ("Varco attivo"). Since late 2024, several entries into a ZTL on the same day: one fine.
In Florence and Verona, the hotel registers your plate; in Lucca, driving to the hotel is tolerated. Holiday rentals are excluded in Verona.
Ticket on entry, payment on exit. Yellow Telepass lanes: tag only. Never reverse.
Around Como and Varese: pay online within 15 days, or face a fine of €87 to €344.
Phone in hand at the wheel: a fine and a licence suspension of 15 days to 2 months from the first offence.
Winter tyres or chains on board on many roads in the North and Centre, including the whole of Lombardy.
≈ €2.16 per litre of petrol, €2.34 for diesel (self-service)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: Osservaprezzi carburanti (Italian ministry) →
⛽ 1,380 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €210 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
MIMIT average on 23 September 2026, more expensive on motorways (€2.25). At the pump, "fai da te" (self-service) costs less than "servito".
| Motorways with barriers | About 8 cents per km: Florence-Rome €20, Bologna-Verona €9.60 (2026) |
|---|---|
| A36, A59, A60, barrier-free | Pay online within 15 days |
| Menaggio-Varenna ferry | €12.70 for a 3.5 to 4.5 m car and driver |
| Villa Costanza car park (Florence) | €7 for 24 hours, €20 a week, T1 tram |
| Monte Baldo car park (Sirmione) | €3.50 an hour, €28 a day in season |
| Siena car parks (Il Campo, Santa Caterina) | €2 an hour, €35 a day |
| Levanto station car parks | €2 an hour, €24 for 24 hours |
| Cinque Terre Treno Card | €35 a day in high season (2026), trains and footpaths |
| Mont Blanc Tunnel, if you drive to Italy | €55.50 one way, €69.20 return within 7 days |
| Florence ZTL, daytime | Monday to Friday 07:30-20:00, Saturday 07:30-16:00 |
|---|---|
| Florence ZTL, summer nights | Thursday to Saturday 23:00-03:00, 2 April to 4 October 2026 |
| Verona ZTL | Cameras active at all times since 28 October 2024 |
| Lucca ZTL | 24 hours a day inside the walls |
| Sirmione centre | Closed to cars beyond the drawbridge, except residents and hotels |
| Cinque Terre villages | No road between them, few and expensive car parks: take the train |
| Mont Blanc Tunnel | Monday to Thursday nights, 22:00-06:00, mid-September to December 2026 |
| Roads in the North and Centre | Winter tyres or chains from 15 November to 15 April |
Allow two weeks for this loop of 9 stages and 14 nights from Milan Malpensa, from the lakes to the Cinque Terre via Verona, Florence, Chianti, the Val d'Orcia and Assisi. With 7 days, keep to Tuscany alone, starting from Pisa. Adding the Dolomites or Venice takes three or four extra days.
The car alone: about €560 of hire in July (€40 a day, Kayak average), €16 a day in November. For about 1,500 km, allow around €200 of petrol at September 2026 prices (€2.16 a litre) and a few tens of euros in tolls (8 cents per km). Add parking: €7 to €35 a day in towns.
A limited traffic zone: the historic centre, closed to unauthorised cars and filmed by cameras. The "Varco attivo" sign means the camera is working. Fines run from €83 to €332, plus €40 to €60 in rental company fees, sometimes a year later. Park outside, or have the hotel register your number plate.
Take a ticket on entry and pay on exit, by cash or card in the white lanes, by card in the blue lanes. The yellow lanes are reserved for Telepass. If payment fails, settle it on autostrade.it within 15 days.
Not in the villages: no road links them and car parks are few and expensive. Stay in Levanto, leave the car at the station car park (€24 for 24 hours) and take the train with the Cinque Terre Treno Card, up to €35 a day in high season, footpaths included.
Yes, from Verona. Venice is visited without a car: leave it at the Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto car park, or in Mestre, and take the train. The Dolomites are reached via the A22 Brenner motorway; allow two or three nights, and winter tyres or chains on board from mid-November to mid-April.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/italy · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
