Hi everyone,
I will be traveling from Nice to Florence with my family of 4.
What are the best rest stops to take a break in along the way, such as having a play ground/area, picnic area and to get a decent road meal and coffee?
Also how is the driving on this highway?
Thanks,
Nate
Each rest stop (area di servizio) along the Autostrada (freeway) has all services (gasoline, restaurants, cafeterias, coffee, shopping, restrooms, picnic area, some even hotels). Just look for AREA DI SERVIZIO signs. There is one every 10-30 kilometers, at times even more frequently. No difference from American Interstate highways, except for the tolls. Just stay in the right lane as the left lane is for passing only, and you cannot pass cars from the right. That specific route is famous for the hundreds of tunnels and viaducts, truly an engineering marvel. But although you may be tempted to look at the views from the high viaducts, concentrate on the road. Traffic travels fast and there are a lot of trucks, so be careful.
Great, thank you for the advise.
Nate
Instead of referring to European route 80, which nobody uses, use the designation that people actually use:
A10: Ventimiglia to Genova (Genoa)
A12: Genova to Livorno (however you will exit at Viareggio to connect to the A11
A11: Pisa to Firenze (Florence). However you will connect to A11 at Lucca, after taking the connector bypass (Diramazione A11) from Viareggio on the A12 to Lucca on the A11.
Most of the rest stops on that route are way below Italian rest stop standards. Use the filters on this site to find what you need:
https://www.autostrade.it/it/web/aree-di-servizio
Use the border city of Ventimiglia as the Partenza.
The section west of Genoa is undergoing numerous construction projects. Use Google maps to try to anticipate delays and workarounds.
