Motorhome Hire — Italy

Italy is the dream destination for many motorhome travellers, and it is easy to understand why. No other country in Europe offers such a concentration of art, architecture, food, wine, and landscape beauty. From the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites to the sun-baked coast of Sicily, from the Renaissance treasures of Florence to the ancient ruins of Rome, Italy rewards the touring motorhome traveller with experiences that are genuinely life-enriching. The journey from our Pontefract depot is longer than a trip to France or the Low Countries, but Italy repays every mile of the drive south.

The most practical route from Yorkshire to Italy involves crossing the Channel and driving through France. The Hull to Rotterdam overnight ferry gets you to the continent with minimal fuss, and from there the drive south through France takes approximately twelve to fourteen hours, depending on your route. Most motorhome travellers break the journey with one or two overnight stops at French aires. From south-eastern France, you can enter Italy via the Mont Blanc Tunnel near Chamonix, the Frejus Tunnel near Modane, or the coastal route along the Riviera through Menton and Ventimiglia. The Alpine crossings are dramatic, and the moment you emerge into the Italian sunlight on the southern side is unforgettable.

The Italian Lakes - Como, Garda, and Maggiore - sit at the foot of the Alps in the north of the country and make a natural first stop after the Alpine crossing. Lake Como, with its deep blue water, steep wooded shores, and elegant lakeside villas, is the most dramatically beautiful. Bellagio, the village at the junction of the lake's two southern arms, has been drawing travellers since the Roman era. Lake Garda, the largest of the Italian lakes, offers warmer water, better swimming, and a southern shore lined with vineyards and olive groves. Sirmione, a town built on a narrow peninsula jutting into the lake, has a medieval castle, Roman ruins, and thermal springs.

Tuscany is Italy's most celebrated touring region, and it delivers on every expectation. The rolling hills between Florence and Siena, planted with cypress trees, vineyards, and olive groves, produce a landscape that has barely changed since the Renaissance paintings that immortalised it. Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, holds the Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, the Duomo with Brunelleschi's dome, and the Ponte Vecchio. Siena, with its shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and the annual Palio horse race, is a medieval city of extraordinary atmosphere. San Gimignano, bristling with medieval towers, and Montepulciano, famous for its Vino Nobile, are among the finest hilltop towns in Europe.

Rome is inexhaustible. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps - the list of essential sights could fill a week and still leave major monuments unvisited. Motorhome parking within central Rome is challenging, but campsites on the outskirts - such as Camping Village Flaminio and Happy Village - provide shuttle bus connections to the city centre. The Italian tradition of the passeggiata - the evening stroll through the city streets - is at its finest in Rome, where gelato, espresso, and people-watching combine in the warm evening air.

The Amalfi Coast, south of Naples, is one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in Europe. The road that clings to the cliffs between Sorrento and Salerno passes through Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, each more beautiful than the last. This road is narrow and busy in summer, and larger motorhomes may find it challenging - but the rewards are immense. Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Roman cities buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, lie just to the north and provide a window into daily life two thousand years ago that is without parallel.

The Italian food experience is central to any motorhome touring holiday. Each region has its own specialities, fiercely defended and lovingly prepared. Emilia-Romagna gives you Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, and fresh pasta. Naples is the birthplace of pizza, and a Neapolitan margherita from a wood-fired oven is a different creature entirely from anything you have eaten at home. Liguria offers pesto, focaccia, and the seafood of the Cinque Terre. Sicily delivers arancini, cannoli, and the extraordinary fish markets of Palermo. Italian wine, from Chianti and Brunello in Tuscany to Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, is world-class and remarkably affordable when bought from producers and local shops.

Italy's motorhome infrastructure is well developed. The system of aree di sosta - dedicated motorhome parking areas with varying levels of facilities - provides thousands of stopping places across the country. Many are municipal, affordable, and well-positioned near towns and attractions. Campsites, particularly along the coast and around the lakes, tend to be larger and better equipped than their French or German equivalents, often with swimming pools, restaurants, and direct beach access.

Practical considerations for motorhoming in Italy include the toll motorway (autostrada) system, which is efficient but expensive over long distances. The free strade statali and strade provinciali offer slower but more scenic alternatives. Italian driving can be assertive, particularly in cities and the south, but the roads outside urban areas are generally good and often surprisingly quiet. A zona traffico limitato (ZTL) restricts vehicle access to many city centres - watch for the signs and cameras, as fines for entering a ZTL without authorisation are steep and are posted to you months after the event.

Italy is further from Pontefract than France or the Netherlands, but it is a destination that stays with you. The combination of beauty, culture, history, and food creates an experience that no other European country can quite replicate. Allow at least two weeks for a meaningful Italian motorhome tour, and you will return home already planning your next visit.