ITALY
 

We will be traveling in Italy this August. We are starting out in Venice and are going to be working our way down south, finishing up on the Amalfi Coast. After our stay in Venice, we are getting a car and starting driving. I would like to know if anybody can recommend places to stop and see between Venice and Florence, then between Florence and Rome and finally between Rome and Amalfi. Since we are driving, flexibility is not a factor, therefore any help is appreciated.

Thanks ahead of time to everybody with a reply.

Venice-Florence

Verona makes a natural stop for a few hours or so - Mantua is really nice and Bologna one of the more unherladed big towns in Italy - said to have more medieval buildings in its historic cengter than any other Italian town!

Venice and rome umpteen possibilities for hitting the iconic hill towns of Tuscany and or Umbria - I like Siena and Montepulciano farther south and of course Orvieto, quite near Rome, is superb - an ancient city draped over an old volcanic pile.

Rome and Amalfi - Caserta, the Italian Versailles and of course Naples though I'd rather do that as a day trip from Amalfi itself - Pompeii would be on the way too but again a better day trip as it is so close to Amalfi.

On the Umbrian side or eastern Tuscany Perugia makes a great stopover - Assisi and Todi are on the way south to Rome from it.

Although it isn't technically between Rome and Amalfi, I would drive from Rome to Paestum, see the temples (amazing) and stop at a buffalo mozzarella farm to do a little shopping and eating, then drop the car in Salerno and either ferry or bus to your destination on the AC. You don't want a car on the AC in August.

>>>You don't want a car on the AC in August.<<

You also don't want a car in Florence or Rome. Both city centers are ZTL so you aren't allowed to drive in the centers. To park a car will run about 35-40€ per day.

Pompeii.

I have similar concerns about having a car in Florence, Rome and the AC.

Do you just want to stop for a couple of hours between these destinations, or are you looking for overnight suggestions?