Too ambitious to get to Rome

Can’t help you on a route but don’t forget the 90 day rule unless you are European citizens.

From where in Germany?
Impossible to answer without knowing that detail

Three weeks? That's way too long.

From Flensburg, Germany at the border with Denmark (probably the farthest point north) to Rome it's a little less than 1,900 km (1,150 miles).

You can comfortably do it in a couple of days, driving about 10 hours a day (plus some time for pit stops).

As Roberto noted, you can do the drive in 2-3 days without exhausting yourself. But I dont think that is what you are trying to ask.

But your post also raises more questions. 3 1/2 months greatly exceeds the normal 180 day limit for tourist stays for most non European nationals. Do you have a passport that exempts you? You will be driving across multiple borders and dont mention where you will drop your car. Will you be renting or leasing? And if renting, are you aware of the substantial fee usually added if you drop in a different country from where you picked up?

As for itinerary, you dont mention whether you have any interest in seeing anything in Germany or Austria or Switzerland en route to Italy. If you do, you could easily spend 3 weeks before you hit the Italian border. If you dont, then why not save time and just fly to your first Italian city. Pick up a guidebook or 2 on Italy and see which areas and cities have the attractions that most appeal to you, and plan your itinerary accordingly.

CJean- I think you meant to say the 90 day rule

OP

Do you have 3 weeks in the UK as part of this? If so you’ll probably be ok in terms of the 90 day rule that folks have mentioned.

Google the Schengen rule re the 90 day max in a rolling 180 day time frame, as well as the list of Schengen Zone countries. The are some Balkan countries outside the zone as well as the UK. Note that Switzerland is IN the Schengen zone, so time there IS part of your 90 day limit if you’re not an EU, etc. citizen.

As to your Q, 3 weeks could be a lovely drive from SW Germany (Black Forest or Ravensburg for example) through Switzerland, into Northern Italy and then down to Rome with sights such as the so-called Italian lakes, two of which (Maggiore and Lugano) extend into the Italian speaking part of Switzerland). Or, from Munich and through Austria (Innsbruck), over the Brenner Pass to the Dolomites and Northern Italy in the Veneto region and then down to Rome. 5 weeks could work fine, too, especially if you wanted to go a bit further east and include Vienna and Slovenia on your route to Italy.

There are too many possibilities to suggest, so pull out a map and indulge your fantasies with your interests - and budget - in mind. But big picture, just under one week in the Alps and just over 2 weeks in norther and north-central Italy is more or less what you’re looking at. Minus two to three days for whatever … Lake Constance, Zurich or Basel … before you get to the Alps.

Christine H. Thanks for catching that . My brain was going faster than my fingers. I of course meant to say 90 in 180 day limit.

Thank you everyone...a few replies....

We have citizenship covered.
We are leasing a car and drop off has been already paid for.
We are "swinging it" so far through a big part of the trip but have specific areas to hit for genealogical searches.
Possible routes...going down to Italy from either Stuttgart or Munich.

Thank you in advance