The Road Well Traveled - May 2019 Tour of Northern Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia (Overview)

This is an overview of a 10-day driving tour in mid-May 2019 through Central and Northern Italy, Slovenia, and the Istrian Peninsula of northern Croatia. Major stops included Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio, Bolzano, Cortina di Ampezzo, Lake Bled, Opatija, Piran (Istrian Peninsula), and Venice. I've broken an account of those destinations into several forthcoming posts based on region. To help others plan, total trip cost and other details below. 

Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome

Ten years' ago, we traveled to Europe for the first time, using frequent flyer miles built up when we lived in Asia. The highlight of the Tuscan leg of that trip was supposed to be Civita di Bagnoregio, which Rick Steves called Tuscany’s “consummate hilltop town.” The night before our scheduled visit, we stopped briefly at an overlook in Lubriano, where we could see Civita, in the distance, kissed by the setting sun. That evening, we had dinner and stayed in the neigbhoring town of Bagnoregio, planning to visit Civita the next day. After breakfast the next morning, however, our rented Fiat Punto refused to start. One thing led to another and, after several hours, we found ourselves headed north on a train to pick up a replacement car in Florence. I told my wife Becky that “It’s poetic. Maybe it’s better that way because Civita can live on in our imaginations as ‘hilltop town perfection.’" (She didn’t find that comforting.) Fast forward 10 years to this winter, when we began planning a trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We kicked around a lot of options, but eventually settled on returning to Italy and checking Civita off the bucket list as part of another long driving tour that would start in Rome, take us through the heart of the Italian Dolomites, into Slovenia, then down across the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia, then back around to Venice and Rome. What follows is an account of that trip, which I hope serves two purposes: first, as a journal to help us remember and, second, as a trip report for the travel inclined. 

Trip CostsTotal: $5,500 USD (for two); exchange rate at time of travel: 1 Euro = $1.11 USD

Airfare: $1514 or $757 each for travel in mid-May, including taxes; British Airways operated by American; tickets found on SkyScanner (https://www.skyscanner.com/) and sold through Vayama.

Rental car: $357 for 10 days, including bumper to bumper, zero deductible insurance; vendor: Hertz, purchased through Europe Car, includes a 50 euro upgrade a Diesel car at the rental counter on the theory that the better fuel efficiency (78mpg v 52 mpg(!)) would more than offset the cost of the upgrade.

Tolls/park/gas: $300 (appx); about $180 of that was fuel

Optional tours: $534 for four separate tours in Rome (3) and Venice (1) for two people

Hotel total: $1604, average of $178/night x 9 nights (3 star hotels average); without Venice (splurge): $152/night average

Road Warrior: Our Peugeot Captur (Hertz)

Pilot (left) and navigator (right), 25 years on

Other DetailsDistance driven: 2225 km/10 days (222 km/day); or 1382 miles (138 mi/day) (did I mention we drove a lot?)

Distance walked: 95 miles or 9.5 mi/day average (did I mention we walked a lot?) )

Gelato consumed: copious amounts (did I mention we like ice cream?)

Best gelato: Gelateria Eccetera in Bolzano (https://www.gelateriaeccetera.com/en)

Best pizza: Rossopomodoro in Venice (http://www.rossopomodoro.it/ristoranti/VENEZIA/centro-storico; Neapolitan-style a/k/a the one true pizza)Most pleasant surprise: Slovenia, a perfectly lovely little country

The Italian Dolomites: breaktaking views at nearly every turn