Tuscany and Lazio by motorhome

Route description

Start in Pisa at the Piazza dei Miracoli, where the leaning tower, cathedral and baptistery stand on a lawn; book tower climbs ahead in summer. Then head inland to Siena, whose shell-shaped Piazza del Campo hosts the Palio horse race each July and August.

South of Siena, follow the SR2 Via Cassia through the Crete Senesi to Montalcino, a hill town famous for Brunello wine. A farm stopover near Montalcino is a quiet place to spend the night among the vineyards, and there is also a farm campsite near San Quirico d’Orcia.

The Val d’Orcia around San Quirico is a UNESCO landscape of rolling hills lined with cypresses, and the best-known cypress group stands right beside the SR2. Continue south on the Via Cassia past Lake Bolsena to Civita di Bagnoregio, a hilltop village on crumbling clay, reached only by a steep footbridge; there is an entry fee.

The route ends in Rome. Most Italian historic centres, including Siena and Rome, are ZTL limited traffic zones monitored by cameras, and entering without a permit leads to fines, so stay at a campsite on the edge of Rome and use public transport into the city.