Across Italy with the Land Rover Discovery

With tight schedules and last-minute trips we often no longer enjoy travelling, perhaps a comfortable car like the new Land Rover Discovery will change that. 

Across Italy with the Land Rover Discovery

These are some of the wonderful Italian routes we discovered on this trip. On this journey not only are the destinations important, but also the means of getting there. And with the comfortable new Land Rover Discovery and all of his features, the journey has definitely been a pleasure. A route from Switzerland to the south of Italy. On the way stopping by in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, through to Lazio, Campania and ending at a wedding in Calabria.

Italy is a country full of things to see, to do, to eat… and discover! Some locations are more iconic than others but nonetheless, all of Italy from north to south offers a range of unique attractions and travel destinations.

We started our travel from Switzerland for reaching our first destination: Siena.

From the first hours with the Land Rover Discovery our travel resulted quite comfortable and easy, thanks to features like the “Adaptive Dynamics”, “Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)” or the “Electronic Air Suspension”, which perfectly combine performance and comfort. Or like Land Rover puts it:

“The Discovery makes the miles go by virtually unnoticed”.

The Chianti road

Hills that frame small stone villages, estates and vineyards, olive groves that overlook and complete a unique and fascinating panorama, loved by both Italians and foreigners. It is the Chianti Road, also called Chiantigiana, which unites Florence and Siena.

A path where you can enjoy the beauty of the landscape and a unique food and wine experience. It is one of the obliged trips to Italy for lovers of good wine and good living.
In Siena we had the chance to enjoy the view and the beautiful atmosphere of the ancient city, also the food in some of the most characteristic “osterie” in the oldest neighboring city.

Driving along the Chianti Road but also Siena and smaller cities around, the Discovery never felt like the size of car it really is. Thanks to its various assistants and 360° Surround Camera driving through even the narrowest of roads, the Land Rover Discovery rather felt like a Fiat 500. But also driving the highway, with “Adaptive Cruise Control” or “Lane Keep Assist”, is as comfortable as it gets, without having a fully autonomous car.

Deep down to the South

After leaving Siena our travel lasted for a joyous 6 hours before reaching the beautiful “Napoli”.
Naples is one of the largest and most characteristic cities of the Mediterranean. It is the third biggest after Rome and Milan with a population of approx. 1 Million. The city rises on the coast and extends from the Sorrento’s peninsula to the volcanic area of Campi Flegrei with the volcano Vesuvius. In addition to the beautiful landscapes, Naples is also famous for the historic center with more than 2500 years of history.

For two days we enjoyed good pizza, once even in the oldest pizzeria of the citiy next to the “Spagnoli” neighborhood. Also we were exploring the historic parts of the city from “Piazza Plebiscito”, through the archeological museum and “Castel Nuovo”.

From Naples after exploring the Vesuvius volcanic area where the new Land Rover Discovery showed its true strengths along the steep, rocky and very uneven roads before reaching Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast as our next destinations.

The last stop in our adventure was Calabria, the toe of the Boot, separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina.
The warm climate, the beautiful colors of the sea, the rocky coasts alternating with sandy coasts, the genuine flavors of the local cuisine and the testimonies of ancient origins make Calabria a unique place to admire and discover.
This region offers a wide choice of beautiful beaches like Tropea and Capo Vaticano: a long stretch of fine sand, surrounded by trees and crystal clear waters.

Traditional Wedding in Calabria

We reached our final destination in Calabria where we were invited to experience a traditional Italian wedding. A classic wedding ceremony in an old church with a wedding reception later in a luxurious location, for a total of over 350 guests!
Here we enjoyed a convivial moment of considerable importance, where people ate, danced and together, celebrated this important day.

Food and happiness were the protagonists of the wedding reception. We arrived to several buffets, later heading inside to have the main dinner and ending again with various dessert buffets outside. All over the course of around seven hours!
In this region the ritual of sharing the meal has ancient roots, where sharing and eating food is a symbol of communion and brotherhood.

Since the time of the ancient Romans, the wedding reception had an indispensable symbolic value: the marriage ritual was not considered legal until the bride and the groom broke and ate bread with their guests.