Italy by car 2022

Italy by car 2022:

Puglia: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

•     Bari⭐
•     Alberobello ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Bari⭐
•     Polignano-a-Mare⭐
•     Ostuni⭐

Basilicata: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

•     Sassi di Matera⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Potenza⭐

Amalfi Coast: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

•     Salerno⭐⭐⭐
•     Vietri sul Mare⭐⭐⭐
•     Cetara⭐
•     Erchie⭐
•     Majori⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Minori⭐
•     Ravello⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Atrani⭐⭐⭐
•     Amalfi⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Positano⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Sorrento⭐

Lazio: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

•     Rome⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ligurian coast: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

•     Portofino⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Italy by car in 2022 is more open for Ukrainians than any other mode of transport) From the end of December 2021 to January 31, 2022 entry to Italy for Ukrainians is prohibited. But there are loopholes) Entering Italy by car from Greece is not subject to customs control, so in fact it is allowed for Ukrainians even during prohibited period. From the same official point of view, entry into Italy for Ukrainians is possible if you were officially (with a stamp in your passport) 14 days or more in another European country before crossing the border of Italy. In fact, just from Ukraine we did not go to Italy, and spent 14 + days in Greece, and then crossed the border on the ferry Patras - Bari. In fact, no one checked neither that we Ukrainians enter Italy, nor these 14+ days... You only needed a green vaccination certificate, a PLF form filled out in advance (24+ hours before crossing the border, loading on the ferry, etc.) and additionally needed an antigen test (valid for 24 hours, 10 euros) or a PCP test. We did the antigen test in 5 minutes near the port in Patras at Agiou Ioanni Pratsika 178.

"Toll Roads in Europe" Lifecycle. Many roads in Europe, I mean autobahns, paid and not cheap) We for the money nakatyvali by 40 euros only so ... But the main thing is to have cash! Not everywhere there is a payment terminal and not all cards are valid! There is a distinction of a card with a chip, magnetic tape or contactless... To be able to pay accurately - you have to have cash and different types of cards!!!

Bari is a city in Italy with a very unusual sight - the Basilica of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The peculiarity of this church is that it keeps the relics of the saint. Note the city of Bari has a church and a basilica, so the relics are located in the Basilica of St. Nicholas at Largo Abate Elia, 13 - 70122 (almost in the port). Public paid parking along the road. There are parking machines and a valet checks regularly (you can go to him if you can't pay). Please note that in Italy, car license plates are 3-digit, which is calculated and parking meters, so our 4-digit numbers should be entered simply as the first three digits. The relics of St. Nicholas are kept in the basement of the church, where the steps lead from both sides, inside the church itself. We got in by chance on a Thursday and the entrance was open, but the relics themselves were behind bars. It was only possible to lay hands on the altar. According to online reviews, the relics are open only on Thursdays after the service, which runs roughly from 10 am to 12 pm. But we asked the priest and he said the relics are always open. The lattice is not open to all, only by appointment and only for pilgrims. There are 65% of relics kept here, another 30% in Venice and 5% in Turkey (in the museum). We came here after visiting the church where he served Nicholas the Wonderworker in Demre (Turkey). In the city of Bari there is nothing else to do. The promenade here is dull - with cars driving, wind blowing, no beautiful breakwaters, no cafes and stores ... - it's not a promenade!

The city of Bari, the small town of Alberobello and Polignano a Mare, the town of Ostuni - it's all the region of Puglia (the heel of the boot)

From the above listed it is worth to visit Alberobello - the town of unusual houses - trulli! The time of the visit is 1-1,5 hours. You must see the city from the Belvedere Santa Lucia observation deck (near the church of S.Lucia e Santissimo Sacramento) and walk the short and very cozy streets of the city. You can drive everywhere in the city itself and there are parking lots. But I don't think there will be much room in the season. We were in January 2022 and it was empty).

Polignano-a-Mare is famous for its photogenic beach Lama Monachile. But in fact there is nothing to do here and the beach is not as nice and beautiful as on the photo...

Ostuni is a white fortress town. But it is not so cozy and even depressing. We did not like it, although the photo is beautiful... You can look at the city from the observation deck on the map below.

Sassi di Matera and Potenza - Basilicata region (the way to the Amalfi Coast)

Potenza is a modern city with the appearance of a fortress... It's not worth going here especially. But if you go from Bari to Amalfi, the way will go through this region. The best way to see the city is from the road up to the entrance. In the city itself you can climb to the highest point, the fortress of Torre Guevara. From the fortress you can enjoy a completely ordinary view. The road itself is interesting - it passes through the city and stretches directly to the top - on the way one can observe the modern city and life as a device of the fortress! Visiting time is 20 minutes.

Sassi di Matera is a cave town that deserves to be called one of the most beautiful places in the world. You must see the city from the observation deck on the map below (the place is indicated in the square - the letter O) and of course visit the city itself. You can drive through the city by car! (Truth we were out of season) On the plus side there were no people or cars, on the minus side there was a strong wind and it was about 8 degrees... I did not want to go for a walk. So the Belvedere Murgia Timone observation deck and the drive through the city took us about 1 hour. But it is necessary to come here and walk the streets of the city. It is possible to stay in the old town or nearby in the new, it is already on the amateur) For a walk around the city, you can set aside 2-3 hours at least and it is worth it! The old city itself and the views around it are beautiful.

Rome is the Italian Paris)

Rome belongs to the Lazio region. To visit it only lovers of architecture, history and antiquities) Those who love nature, it is better not to get here! Get only negative emotions. After analyzing the reviews and ratings on the Internet, we chose the top places to visit and drove at a gallop through the local streets.

Rome's iconic landmarks:

•     The Colosseum - you can go around in a circle by car. The other places you must find parking and visit on foot.
•     Pantheon
•     Roman Forum
•     Trevi Fountain
•     Piazza Navona

In winter, not in tourist season, Rome is packed with cars and people! There are signs everywhere and parking is for locals!!! And where can the newcomers go? Every tourist attraction is guarded by the military with equipment! Traffic jams, nervous Italians beeping if someone is delayed for a second at a traffic light, driving without turn signals, etc. Negative, negative and nothing but... On the good side here is to stand somewhere in the parking lot and get around on foot, which is quite realistic. The circle of the places described above is in diameter about 4 km.On the effects of the sights and all the local ancient buildings, here if truth be told, even more spectacular than in Paris!!! But we did not like exactly the atmosphere.

Outlets in Italy

Outlets in Italy, such as Florence Barberino Outlet and Genoa Serravalle Designer Outlet, deserve special attention. These are mini-cities with brand clothing stores. Do not expect them to be cheap. These are originally branded things, here they are just discounted. But the fact that there are discounts here, it checked out personally! And besides this is a great opportunity on a small area to find a place with a lot of quality things. Near the outlet there is always a huge free parking lot. Outlets are located outside the city and their belonging to a particular city is conditional. Outlet Serravalle also belongs to Genoa and Milan). Usually you have 0,5-1 hour drive from the city to the outlet. Time to visit such places from 2 hours, this is during a cursory visit! It is worth to come here for sure!