This page documents the journey by car with Leashia my wifey, from Newhaven in England, through France and Italy to Patras in the Peloponnese, Greece.

If you want to read about our return journey, click HERE.

We didn’t just get up and go of course! There was lots of planning, preparation, reading and discussion that took place between myself and Leashia in the months leading up to our departure. If you are planning a similar journey you may find my pages about this helpful. Click HERE to find out more.

We have been to the Peloponnese loads of times but we normally fly to Kalamata. If you want to know more about The Peloponnese I have a lot of information on my website for you. Click HERE.

Day 1 – 10th May 2024.

The ferry from Newhaven in England to Dieppe, France.

It’s a short drive from our home in Worthing on the south coast of England to Newhaven for the ferry to France. We arrived in Newhaven early enough to have a pleasant evening meal at The Hope Inn which was near the ferry terminal. We also put our headlight adaptors on here which was no easy task, and had to resort to using a Youtube tutorial! Our overnight ferry arrived in Dieppe in the early hours meaning we could get some miles under our belts and hack it through France towards the Alps and the Italian border. We did not book a cabin, we had airplane style seats which was OK. I didn’t get a good sleep but at least Leashia slept pretty well. Luckily for me our seats were next to the children’s play area and I had the opportunity to dress up! [see above]

Day 2 – 11th May.

The road to Langres, France.

Disembarking the ferry was swift and before long we were heading south in the early morning mist. Our aim was to be in Langres for lunch, we were staying overnight nearby in a small town called Culmont. Langres is a walled hill town in the southern Champagne region. There was free parking just outside the imposing walls and a free lift/train thingy up the steep hill and so we entered the town without huffing and puffing up the steps.

Langres was really lovely, with cobbled streets and an attractive square partially flanked with brasseries. There is a museum and the 18th century Cathédrale Saint-Mammès which has the hugest front door! The town’s claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of the encylopedist Diderot, and his statue is in the main square. We had a great lunch in view of Monsieur Diderot at Cafe Brasserie Le Foy.

There’s not much to say about Culmont where we had accommodation booked for one night. It’s a plain quiet town with buildings and a couple of supermarkets. We knew that there was only one place to go for dinner but they had not responded to my messages requesting a booking. We turned up really early hoping for a table but they refused to accommodate us despite there being a couple of spare tables. We got to the supermarket minutes before it closed and rushed around buying food. Back at our Airbnb I quickly whipped up a three course meal including a tasty stuffed pasta dish washed down with a yummy bottle of Bordeaux followed by a very agreeable tarte aux pommes so at least we did not go to bed hungry.

Day 3 – 12th May

The road to Annecy, France.

In the morning, our first stop was another visit to the supermarket to grab a baguette, local Langres cheese and some saucisson for a picnic. We chose to avoid the motorways and drove through attractive farmland and forests via the pretty town of Gray which is by the river Saône and then on to Annecy on the edge of the Alps to the south of Geneva. The weather was glorious and we had our picnic on the banks of a river [Loue?] It was a lovely sedate journey and we arrived at our hotel in the afternoon and made our way into town to explore.

Annecy was delightful, albeit rather busy. It is on the edge of Lac d’Annecy with canals spanned by pedestrian bridges running through the old town. The perfect place to have a mooch and a drink while watching the busy world go by.

Dinner was yummy at the appallingly named but very hospitable Captain Pub where I savoured the very tasty local oven baked dish Tartiflette which is made from Reblochon cheese, bacon, onions, potatoes and white wine, [see photo, below left].

Day 4 – 13th May

Through the Alps to Como in Italy

We wanted an early start and grabbed a picnic lunch from a supermarket and went to get petrol only to find out that none of the pumps were working which delayed our departure. We made good time on the toll motorway towards the Mont Blanc tunnel. At the entrance to the tunnel we had our passports ready to show the officer to be told with a smile that it wasn’t required and all they wanted was our money! We had forgotten about free movement in the EU – No one cared what we may be smuggling! The tunnel was long [and expensive] but it was the quickest way to Como, our next destination.

We ate our packed lunch at a service station south of the tunnel with lovely views of the Alps. We eventually got to Como by mid afternoon after passing through numerous tunnels and despite the roadworks. And yes it’s true, many Italian drivers do not indicate or use their wing mirrors even when travelling at high speed, so we needed our wits about us.

Como was a great town to base ourselves for a couple of nights. It had a lovely vibe with convenient access to the boats to visit the sites around the lake. Sadly our Airnbnb was really damp and dark, but on reflection it was the only time we were not satisfied with our accommodation on the whole trip. We had time in Como to have a mooch and get our bearings, visit the Cathedral [Duomo] and take a ride on the funicular to Brunate before dinner.

On the way into the centre we passed by the large hands monument near San Giovanni train station which is dedicated to those who have been mutilated in service. The Gothic/ Baroque /Renaissance Duomo was stunning and took around 250 years to complete which explains the mixture of styles.

The funicular was good fun and the short seven minute trip to Brunate went past expensive looking villas with great views over Como and the lake. Once at the top we had a mooch and visited the Chiesa di Sant’Andrea Apostolo.

Back in Como we enjoyed a pleasant drinky and nibbles [stuzzichini] at The Plaza Bar in Piazza Cavour. The Italians can be very generous with nibbles [stuzzichini] served with drinks and it can be quite filling! We ended the evening with a superb dinner at Plazza Roma Ristorante Como in Piazza Roma before heading back to our dark, damp accommodation.

Day 5, 14th May

Lake Como, Italy.

We only had the one full day to explore what Lake Como had to offer and really needed another day or two. We spent some time analysing the boat schedule in order to make the most of what we had. There are slow and fast boats but the lake is vast and it became clear that much of our time would be spent on the boats and not on land. With that in mind we decided to focus on the villages of Bellagio and Varenna. There are so many villages dotted around the lake that we wanted to see but contented ourselves with the views of most of them from the boat.

The fast boat from Como to Bellagio left at 12.15pm and arrived back in Como at 8.25pm. We took a picnic with us for lunch and ate this on the first boat to save time. The views of the villages, villas and countryside from the boats were lovely, possibly the highlight.

We did enjoy wandering around the pretty villages but Lake Como is clearly a victim of its own success, and it was hard to move in some streets in Bellagio due to the crowds and it wasn’t even peak season!

Back at Como we had an excellent pizza at Restaurant Platea with lovely views over the lake, the wine was pricey though. Then it was back to our gloomy accommodation for the last time, thankfully.

Day 6, 15th May

A long rainy drive to Levanto / Cinque Terre, Italy.

Our next destination was Levanto, which is on the edge of Cinque Terre. The weather was dreadful with torrential rain making the the journey quite hazardous, but we made it safely to our accommodation as the rain eased. Levanto was the perfect place to base ourselves in order to explore the area.

Cinque Terre is a beautiful stretch of coastline that encompasses five villages [Vernazza, Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore], all are easily accessible by train along the same line. We dumped our stuff in our apartment which was only a few minutes walk from the train station and headed out. The staff in the tourist information office at the station were really helpful and advised us to purchase the Cinque Terre day pass which made travelling between the villages really easy and was better value than buying single tickets. As it was already mid afternoon we chose to visit the two nearest villages of Levanto and Monterosso first. The trains were modern, clean and comfortable, unlike the ones in England which are often old, dirty and uncomfortable.

Vernazza was busy but delightful, there are a multitude of narrow lanes squeezed between the tightly packed buildings and the view from the watchtower was great.

On the side of the small harbour is the attractive 13th century Gothic Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia.

We hopped onto the train to Monterosso and walked to the beachfront turning right onto the modern beach resort of Fegina which, although not ugly, was not inspiring either and was heavily geared towards tourism. The large statue of Neptune known as Il Gigante at the far end of the beach was the highlight. We walked back, and once through the tunnel to the old town of Monterosso we were in a different world, it was an absolute delight and not as busy as Vernazza.

We had a pleasant dinner here and enjoyed strolling around the narrow streets lined with boutiques, bars and restaurants. The stripey buildings were striking and included the 13th century Church of San Giovanni and adjacent 17th century Santa Croce Oratory.

Day 7, 16th May

Levanto and Cinque Terre, Italy.

There were three more villages to visit – Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia. So we headed to Riomaggiore first, the one furthest away, intending to slowly work our way back towards Levanto.

Riomaggiore is squeezed into a steep narrow valley which means the narrow streets do get crowded and like most of the villages in Cinque Terre there are lots of steps. There is a tunnel to the main street from the station and lots of narrow passageways to explore. If you fancy a gentle walk you should consider Via Dell’Amore, a 1km coastal path to Manarola, although it does incur a cost. There are plenty of places to grab something to eat too. There are a couple of fine churches including the imposing San Giovanni Battista [see below, right]. Next, we headed for Manarola where we had lunch.

Manarola is another village squashed into a narrow valley so, like Riomaggiore, it does get crowded and is connected to the station via a tunnel. The small harbour is picturesque and a nice place to swim if you don’t mind everyone watching you from the bridge above.

Our final destination was Corniglia. This had a completely different feel to the other villages and is the only one without its own port although there is a small beach down some steep steps. It was a half hour walk to Corniglia in the mountains along the road from from the station. It was a pleasant place to wander and grab an ice cream and visit the 14th Century Church of San Pietro which is well known for its exquisite round marble window.

We returned to the station via a different route down the [many] steps as a storm arrived and we took the train back to Levanto.

The steps to/from the station to Corniglia

The storm had cleared by the time we returned to Levanto and we had time to explore. It’s a pleasant seaside town with a low key relaxed feel. A lovely place to wind down after the hustle and bustle of Cinque Terre. The town centre has wide streets and a good choice of restaurants.

The old town has a [now privately owned] castle and the pretty 13th century stripey church of Sant’Andrea. We had a wonderful meal of pizza and pasta washed down with a lovely bottle of red wine and tiramisu for pudding at the award winning La Picea restaurant [I recommend booking].

Day 8, 17th May

Lucca, Italy.

Our next stop was Lucca for two nights, this was a short drive from Levanto. Lucca, the birthplace of Puccini is an ancient town surrounded by massive walls. The city walls are so huge there are trees, wide paths and grassland on the top!

Our accommodation was just outside of the walls but it was only a 10 minute walk to the nearest gate. Inside the walls the architecture was incredible. We were gobsmacked with the abundance of stunning churches and squares. We loved it here.

The Duomo di San Martino took our breath away [see photos above]. Construction started in the 11th century with many additions over the following few centuries.

The 12th century Church of San Frediano [see above] on the Piazza was worth the small charge to see the exquisite carvings and ceiling detail, an enormous 12th century bapstism font and the slightly gruesome incorrupt body of St Zita who died in 1272. After our visit we were more than ready to indulge an Aperol and Hugo Spritz in one of the bars in the Piazza outside of San Frediano.

Not far from San Frediano is the circular Piazza Anfiteatro which is built on the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre, some of the original features can still be seen on the street outside. We entered the piazza through a short tunnel leading to a vibrant range of stalls, cafes and bars within.

We took a stroll past Torre Guinigi adorned with an oak tree and along part of the huge walls where we glimpsed the beautiful Palazzo Pfanner [see photos below] and we ended the day with an al fresco dinner at Trattoria da Giulio.

Day 9, 18th May

Pisa and Lucca, Italy

It’s only a 30 minute train journey to Pisa from Lucca so that’s where we headed after breakfast. We walked through the town, over the River Arno to [you guessed it] the leaning tower.

The famous tower is flanked by the equally stunning Duomo and Baptistry. Construction of the Tower commenced in 1173, the Bapistry in 1152 and the Duomo is even older with work commencing in 1064. It was very busy which is to be expected, so we walked around to the quieter side past people taking cheesy photos pretending to hold up the tower with an outstretched hand [bit boring], or pretending it’s a huge phallus [quite funny]. We opted not to queue and pay the large sum to go inside the buildings and contented ourselves with taking it all in from the outside. After walking around the Duomo and tower we meandered back through Pisa taking in the lesser visited sights, well away from the crowds.

We discovered an abundance of wonderful buildings, large squares and parkland and had a good lunch too in a small quiet side street. The small Santa Maria della Spina Church by the river was especially beautiful [see above].

We walked back to the train station via Giardino Scotto, a lovely park set within the walls of an old fortress.

Back in Lucca we relaxed before a wonderful traditional meal at the popular Osteria Baralla. I had the yummy Cinghiale alla Maremmana which they translated on the menu as – Stewed wild boar with cornmeal mush, [see photos below].

Day 10, 19th May

Tuscan Hill Towns, Italy.

Soon after breakfast we left Lucca for the hills of Tuscany and the towns/villages of Volterra, San Gimignano, Montalcino and on to Montepulciano where we were staying for the night. Driving on the country roads avoiding the tolls made a pleasant change. Our first stop was the walled town of Volterra. It was extra busy due to a Comics and Fantasy festival being in full swing in the medieval square Palazzo dei Priori which meant there were people milling around in fancy dress, stalls and entertainment. The square is flanked by the 13th century town hall and 12th century Duomo.

Apparently the Twilight books reference the town which has caused a boom in tourism, this meant there was a party atmosphere. The side streets were quiet though and we stumbled upon artisans being creative in their workshops and lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

It was a short drive to San Gimignano, another medieval hill town. There was a festival here too and we had to queue to park. It was worth the wait though as the town is delighful and has three stunning piazzas, towers and medieval buildings in abundance. The 14th century Palazzo Communale [Town Hall] is known for its frescos and also its 54m high tower.

We then drove to Montalcino which was buzzing, this was possibly due to the Eroica Montalcino international bicycle race that was being held that day. There was parking near the imposing 14th century fortress from where it was just a short walk into the centre.

We watched the cylists arrive and then pootled around the town and visited Montalcino Cathedral which hails from the 11th century and the Church of Madonna dei Soccorso which is 14th century.

We departed Montalcino and arrived in Montepulciano around 5pm as it started to drizzle. The rain did not hamper our spirits though as Montepulciano was delightful and seemingly devoid of people and it was so quiet. We entered by Porta al Prato, the lower gate and from then on it was all uphill.

It’s the highest of the hill towns and with lovely views of the surrounding countryside from various vantage points from the town wall. We passed by the church of Sant’Agostino and the mysterious 17th century Torre di Pulcinella. No one really knows why the tower is adorned with a Neapolitan puppet statue that strikes a bell on the hour in the heart of Tuscany.

There are some lovely buildings and piazzas of course, including Piazza Grande which is home to the 16th century Duomo and 15th century town hall. Behind the Duomo is the 13th century fortress overlooking the town which has interesting modern sculptures in the grounds.

From the town wall there was a delightful view of the 16th century church of San Biagio which is outside the town walls. We ended the day with a well deserved drinky in a quiet bar followed by dinner at Osteria del Conte which was above the Duomo, near the fortress.

Day 11, 20th May

A long drive to Salerno and the Amalfi Coast, Italy.

We took to the motorway towards the Amalfi Coast, we wanted to get there as quickly as possible so we would have the time to drive along Amalfi Drive to Salerno where we had booked accommodation for two nights. We knew that the Amalfi Drive can get congested but we hoped it would not be too bad as it wasn’t peak season.

We drove up the narrow mountain road from near Sorrento and joined Amalfi Drive. The drive from Positano [see photos above] to Salerno is about 64km [40 miles] and it took us around 1.5 hours to reach our destination. It was busy and congested in places, but not gridlocked as we had feared and there were cars and motorbikes parked along much of it but we were pleased that we made the journey. The road was narrow and bendy and offered spectacular views of the coast and towns as expected but there are few places to stop and admire the view which was a shame.

Our base was Salerno, a large harbour town on the southern edge of the Amalfi Coast where accommodation was affordable and we knew we could park near to our B&B. Our intention was to visit Positano and another village or two the following day.

We checked in to our accommodation and headed straight to the port and bought ferry boat tickets for the next day. We then sauntered around Salerno. Salerno is a major port so there are ugly areas which are best avoided but the old town had narrow attractive streets and it did not strike us as very touristy or that busy in fact. The 11th century Duomo was stunning. [see photos above]. Many of the pillars in the Duomo had been nicked from Paestum, which we planned to visit in a couple of days time. It had been a long day and we were pretty knackered so we were glad to relax with a drink and dinner at Osteria dei Sapori situated in a narrow alley before heading back to our accommodation.

Day 12, 21st May

Amalfi and Atrani- Amalfi Coast, Italy.

We got up early and walked to the passenger ferry terminal for our trip to Positano only to find that all ferries had been cancelled due to the adverse weather! Oh bugger! We got a refund and made a dash to the bus station which was the only other affordable option to us if we wanted to see anything along the coast.

Of course everyone else had the same idea but luckily we did manage to squeeze onto a bus but many people were left frustrated at the bus station. It’s clear that Amalfi is really struggling with the huge volume of tourists and the infrastructure is close to breaking point.

This change of plan meant that we had to abandon our visit to Positano as it would have taken ages to get there and we were concerned that we would not be able to get back! So we opted to go to Amalfi which was not so far away from Salerno. Leashia managed to get a seat on the bus but I had to stand and it was pretty squashed, very hot and uncomfortable, but it was an experience! The road to Amalfi was jammed packed with cars and lorries and at times the driver had to squeeze through the narrowest of gaps causing gasps and occasional screams from the passengers. Amalfi is overlooked by an ancient tower and monastery but as the temperature was about 30°C we did not venture the steep climb to get there.

We did enjoy Amalfi despite the crowds. The Duomo which overlooks the Piazza was wonderful and the fountain in the square was a bit rudey featuring a lady with squirty bosoms. The Duomo, which dates from as early as the 9th century and has had many additions over the centuries, was sumptiously decorated on the inside with a striking cloister and an adjacent museum full of treasures.

We walked around the headland to the adjacent village of Atrani and we took the short cut through the tunnel. Atrani was really tranquil, a complete contrast to Amalfi. After sauntering through narrow alleys and up the hill to the 11th century church we headed back to Amalfi and took the bus back to Salerno. This time I got a seat!

Back in Salerno we wound down with Hugo and Aperol spritzes in a bar followed by dinner at Pizzeria La Smorfia which was the perfect end to a busy day.

Day 13, 22nd May

Ancient Paestum and a detour to Naples, Italy.

Our original plan was to visit Ancient Paestum on the way to Matera but due to personal family reasons we returned home for two nights. We had booked last minute flights from Naples to Gatwick. We cancelled our planned overnight stay in Matera, altered the date of our ferry from Bari to Patras and changed our stay in Kalavryta in Greece from two nights to one night which Leashia did as we were driving. [This was not as easy as it sounds but Leashia managed to sort it all out].

We set off from Salerno to Paestum as originally planned as our flight was in the late afternoon.

Paestum is about an hour drive to the south of Salerno. The journey there was a bit drab but we were in for a bit of treat when we got to Paestum as the site was incredible. Paestum was founded in the 6th century BC by the Greeks and was later colonised by the Romans. The site is quite large but thankfully very flat! There are the remains of numerous streets and buildings including a forum and amphitheatre but the three huge temples [two dedicated to Hera, one dedicated to Athina] are impressive. There were English information boards throughout the site. We were so glad that we made it here even though it was well worth the detour before heading to the airport.

The Museum over the road was excellent and well laid out with Greek and Roman artefacts found on site including rare Greek tomb paintings from around the 5th century BC [see the diver below].

From Paestum we headed for Napoli airport and left our car at the slightly dodgy looking but official airport parking site and flew home.

Day 14, 23rd May – England. [see paragraph in italics under Day 13].

Day 15, 24th May

The overnight ferry from Bari in Italy to Patras in the Peloponnese, Greece.

We had an early flight from Gatwick back to Naples where we were repatriated with our car late morning and continued our journey. We had plenty of time to get to Bari for our overnight ferry to Patras and had a picnic lunch at a service station on the way.

We were really impressed with Anek Lines with whom we had booked our passage to Greece. Anek had allowed us to rearrange our journey at no extra cost, the ferry was comfortable and clean and there was table service in the bar area.

Day 16, 25th May-The Peloponnese,Greece

We docked in Patras in the early hours, completing our journey to the Peloponnese -YAY!

Days 16 to 18, 25th- 27th May, The Peloponnese

We drove along the north coast of the Peloponnese via Ancient Aigera to the mountain town of Kalavryta for the night before spending a couple of nights in Levidi. [Click on the hyperlinks for more info on these places].

Days 19-47, 28th May to 25th June. Stoupa, The Peloponnese

We arrived in Stoupa as planned on the 28th May where we stayed for around a month before making our journey home.

On reflection the journey had gone well despite our change of plans. We had seen nearly everything that we had hoped to see on the way down. Maybe, just maybe, we could stop off in Matera in Italy on the way home…?

If you want to read about our return journey from Greece to England click on the link below.

Quick Links:

Road trip to the Peloponnese Homepage

Planning and Practicalities [for the Road Trip].

The Way Back [From Greece to England]

The Peloponnese Homepage [There’s loads of info in here]