Southern Italy by car is a different country from northern Italy. Wilder. Cheaper. More dramatic. Less tourist infrastructure, more genuine hospitality. This 2-week route takes you from Naples through the Amalfi Coast, across to Matera's caves, down Puglia's coast, through Calabria's mountains, and onto Sicily by ferry. €40-60/night accommodation. €4 pizza. €8 seafood feast. The south is where Italy stops performing and starts being itself. Driving guide → · Car rental →
Days 1-2: Naples — Street food (pizza Da Michele €4, sfogliatella €1.50). Underground Naples. Veiled Christ. Pompeii day trip. Days 3-4: Amalfi Coast — Drive the SS163 (most dramatic road in Italy). Positano photo stop. Ravello gardens. Sunset boat. Day 5: Paestum + buffalo mozzarella farm — Greek temples better than Athens + mozzarella still warm. Day 6: Matera — Cave hotel (€80-150/night). Cave restaurant. Sunrise over the ravine. The most dramatic city in southern Italy.
Days 7-9: Puglia — Alberobello (trulli). Polignano a Mare (cliff diving, sunset). Lecce (Baroque, pasticciotto). Salento beaches (crystal Adriatic). Bari Vecchia (orecchiette ladies). Days 10-11: Calabria — Tropea (clifftop town above turquoise sea). Capo Vaticano beaches. 'Nduja from Spilinga. The most UNDERRATED coastline in Italy. Days 12-14: Sicily — Ferry Villa San Giovanni→Messina (20 min). Taormina + Etna. Catania (fish market). Syracuse (Greek theatre). Fly home from Catania.
Car rental: €25-40/day (book on DiscoverCars). Fuel: €10-15/day. Accommodation: €40-80/night (agriturismi, B&Bs). Food: €25-40/day (trattorias, street food). Total 2 weeks: €1,800-2,800/person (shared). Southern Italy is 30-50% cheaper than the north.