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Driving in Calabria..

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We are leaving in 10 days for Italy. Have a car rental booked from Sorrento to drive down the coast of Calabria. I have been trying to research but can't really find out if the coastal drive has flat roads or narrow and up high, similar to the Amalfi coast.

We live at the beach so are not looking for hotels, etc. there but want to explore some towns and discover the culture of this area as it is part of my Italian heritage. We plan to spend about 5 days traveling the coast but don't want to be stressed with the drive. Yet, not sure if we can accomplish this by train? Amy suggestions?

Also, recommendations for best towns for a stop over night?
Don't want to go all the way down to Reggio, as will be driving back to Sorrento.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Peggy

Posted by
11613 posts

Where do you want to stop before heading back?

If you are leaving Italy from Sorrento, you might consider going all the way down the boot and flying out of Catania, if you have time.

Or, you could drive as far as Tropea (pretty far down the boot); there is a regional airport at La Mezia, or you could drive back to Soreento.

Paestum would be a great stopovers if you want Greek and Roman ruins.

The roads are good, mostly flat, some curves but not like the Amalfi Coadt.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you for driving info, feel more comfortable about car rental now.

Returning car to Sorrento, may spend a night there, then taking a train to Rome, staying for 2 days and flying out of Rome.

Thanks for your time and input.

Posted by
16378 posts

It depends on where you need to go You can be on flat straight roads or curvy ones. There are mountains in Calabria so if you venture to those towns the roads aren't flat or straight.

Posted by
5534 posts

I hope to do a similar trip, so I'll be reading along with interest and hope you will report back! (It's lovely to have family heritage to explore.) I have only been from Naples as far south as Marina di Camerota, and that entire area (Cilento National Park) is wonderful. Paestum is amazing. Pisciotta was our favorite village, but we skipped a lot of the area since we were using the train. But that is all Campania still--you will be hard pressed to get to Calabria if you get distracted in this area. You could also take a train part of the way and then pick up the car once you get into Calabria.
You can get a sense of driving conditions from google maps. You can use google and viamichelin's website to get more information about the drive, as well as how far you can reasonable expect to go. I have read the drive into Maratea (part of Basilicata) is very curvy.
What towns in Calabria are where your family came from?

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