After picking up your campervan, head off the beaten track by driving east into the enigmatic region of Abruzzo. Dramatic mountains, vast valleys and atmospheric abandoned hilltop hamlets await, forming what locals call “Italy’s last wilderness.”
Surely such a region deserves special attention on your Central Italy road trip! Stay in Sulmona, a small town in the Morrone massif, famous for its sugar-coated almonds, and a perfect base for exploring the area.
Steeped in myth, Abruzzo is believed to be a land of ancient magic. Head to Scanno to see women in traditional costume make lace by hand, and to a lake that local legend says was formed in a battle between a white witch and a sorcerer.
Or there’s Cocullo, with its bizarre snake festival. Spend a day or so walking through the alpine meadows of the Majella National Park. Or maybe ramp up the adrenaline with some moonlight white-water rafting on the River Aventino.
From Abruzzo, head west on your Central Italy road trip to the better-known Orvieto. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, it’s easy to fall in love with.
With winding streets, pretty piazzas and a glittering cathedral, it perches high above the plain, captivating and compelling. And, with its illusion of rising mysteriously out of the volcanic rock from which it was built, it’s also wonderfully creepy.
Visit the cathedral first, then step further back in time with a trip to the Museo Claudio Faina e Civico with its ancient Etruscan artefacts. Escape the Mediterranean sun by exploring subterranean Orvieto — 440 caves lie beneath the city’s streets, once used for everything from Second World War bomb shelters to wine cellars.
And when you’re done with sightseeing, relax with a glass of Orvieto Classico, a wine famous since Roman times. Luca Signorelli, who painted the frescoes of the cathedral, was paid in Orvieto’s wine — maybe you’ll be inspired to paint a masterpiece after a few glasses too.
Where do Romans go on holiday? There’s no punchline, sorry. The answer is actually your third stop on a Central Italy road trip: Lake Bracciano.
The second largest of Lazio’s volcanic lakes lies just under an hour north of Rome, a natural paradise perfect for luring city folk to the countryside. Sitting in an enormous volcanic crater, this isn’t a lake for adrenaline junkies — motorboats are banned, for one thing. This is a lake for putting your feet up and relaxing.
Enjoy a peaceful canoe trip in the lake’s clear waters or take a lesson in sailing. For swimming and picnicking, head to Lungolago Argenti. And it’s not just the lake that’s charming. The town of Bracciano is just gorgeous.
Pay a visit to its impressive castle, Orsini Odescalchi, where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married. Even if you couldn’t care less about celebrity gossip, this place still makes an impression.
Finales don't get much more fabulous than Rome. In history, art, architecture, food and atmosphere, Rome goes above and beyond.
Iconic ancient ruins whose names — the Colosseum or the Pantheon — are familiar to all of us occupy a city brimming with world-famous art by the likes of Michelangelo and Caravaggio. Each corner you turn reveals new wonders. To say it's a cultural cornucopia would be an understatement.
Start with a heady hit of religious magnificence at St Paul’s Basilica or the Sistine Chapel. Then explore some museums, perhaps mixing it up with contemporary art at the MAXXI exhibition space. Stroll streets thronging with vespas.
Maybe enjoy a picnic in Villa Borghese. Then, when evening comes, wander bohemian Trastevere before enjoying an aperitivo in a streetside trattoria. Food is just as exceptional as you’d expect for Italy’s capital, so be sure to try specialities like cacio e pepe or artichokes cooked alla Romana.
