We want to travel to Puglia with an overnight in Matera, and we also want to extend the trip to visit Sicily. Originally we thought we would rent a car twice, but now looking at keeping the car and making the drive. It looks like the drive is about 4 hours from Matera to Tropea, for example, but have never been to that area. Is it mainly highway driving? The travel time is around mid September. We thought we would stay a night or 2 in the Calabria region before taking the ferry to Sicily. We love the water, boating, snorkeling, etc. Any recommendations on which town to spend a night or 2? Somewhere about an hour or so from the ferry to Messina would be great. We are 4 months out, but what are gas prices like in southern Italy now?
Thanks for any advice!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17763 posts
Whether from Puglia to Tropea you can make it in 4 hours depends on your departure point. If you leave from Taranto maybe yes, if you have a heavy foot and press the pedal to the metal, otherwise plan for longer.
The Strada Statale Ionica which runs along the Ionian coast from Taranto to Calabria (basically the sole of the Italian boot) is for a good portion a 4 lane divided freeway, however from, I would say, Siri Marina it becomes a two lane regular highway. Pretty wide and no curves but speed limits will be a bit slower, especially through the towns. Make sure you use Waze to warn you of hidden speed cameras.
Once you reach past Sibari then you switch to the Highway that goes west to the interior. Eventually you will reach the junction with the A2 toll freeway (which actually has no tolls) going south toward Reggio di Calabria. The A2 is a 4 lane divided freeway. Take that freeway and to reach Tropea exit at Pizzo Calabro. From that exit to Tropea it’s a regular two lane highway.
I don’t know how many nights you plan to spend in the area, but Tropea would be an excellent base. The ferry at Villa San Giovanni is less than 2 hours further south. If you want to sleep closer to the ferry, then Scilla is the best choice after Tropea. It is only 20 min from the dock.
Price of gasoline is currently €1,75-€1.90 per liter at self service pumps (varies depending on stations). For Full Serve pump (“Servito” in Italian) add up to 20 cents per liter. So in dollars per gallon it is $8 to $8.50 per gallon at self serve pumps.
Buon Viaggio.