The A24 autostrada through Abruzzo, which is what you'll probably take, is fairly scenic. It passes through a lot of sparsely populated areas, so there aren't a lot of places to stop along the way. It passes by L'Aquila, which was a very beautiful small city, severely damaged by a fairly recent earthquake, and still not fully recovered. I haven't been back since the earthquake.

Nearer to Rome, you'll pass near Tivoli, another pleasant town, with three well-known villas that attract a lot of visitors: the ancient Roman Villa Adriana; the Renaissance Villa d'Este, with a famous water garden; and the Villa Gregoriana, a 19th century villa with grottoes, cascades, and the like (and which I've not seen).

I can't really help with restaurants in these places.

Ah, Leely, Naples and Ravello...a great combination.

Abruzzo travel guide -

http://www.bradtguides.com/destinati...ope/italy.html

We find the Bradt guides very informative and have used them to many European destinations. You can purchase directly from their website or try Amazon.

Have a great trip!

Thanks to all for the recommendations and information.

Debs, I have used Bradt guides for several African countries, and they are excellent. I did not know they also covered Europe.