Over the years, we have driven the route from Solingen to Pozzuoli seven or eight times by car. In the height of summer, when the heat shimmers above the autostrada. In winter, when the mountain passes occasionally carry snow. With a breakdown near Parma on the way down. And another breakdown near Milan on the way back. Two breakdowns in a single trip. With a piece of debris on the ring road around Rome that produced a bang like a gunshot and briefly led us to believe the car was done for. And yet, every single time, we arrived.
This article is not a theoretical travel guide, but an honest account based on personal experience. From choosing a route to planning a stopover, from knowing when to fill up to understanding what happens when things really go wrong.
The two routes: Switzerland or Austria?
There are two sensible ways to travel from North Rhine-Westphalia to southern Italy, and we know both from personal experience. The shortest route from Solingen to Pozzuoli is around 1,600 kilometres. We have always covered this distance in two stages.
Route 1: Via Switzerland and Lake Como
From Solingen, the journey heads south along the A3, then through Switzerland, Basel, the Gotthard or the Lukmanier Pass, and on via Lake Como to Milan. This is the more direct route for those heading to Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany or southern Italy.
Switzerland requires a motorway vignette. Anyone caught without one faces steep fines. The annual vignette costs around 40 Swiss francs and must be purchased before joining the motorway; there is no daily vignette available. It can be bought conveniently online before setting off. Alternatively, it is possible to pick one up at the last two motorway service areas before the border, or indeed at the border crossing itself. In all honesty, this is not a route I particularly enjoy driving. The three and a half hours through Switzerland drag on endlessly and seem to have no finish line. For this reason, we have more recently opted several times for the slightly longer route through Austria. From Milan, the journey continues southwards on the A1, the famous Autostrada del Sole. This is the route we have taken most often.
Route 2: Via Austria and the Brenner Pass
The alternative runs via Munich, then along the A93 over the Brenner Pass into Austria and on through Innsbruck into Italy, past Lake Garda , through Verona, and then also joining the A1. This route is slightly longer, but more impressive scenically. We have driven it twice recently. Those who want to reach their destination quickly should take the Swiss route. Those who enjoy the drive and wish to see more along the way should head over the Brenner. Austria also requires a motorway vignette, and the Brenner motorway carries an additional toll.
Tolls in Italy
From the border onwards, tolls apply on the motorways. The system is complex: toll stations appear every few hundred kilometres, and the costs add up. From the border near Verona to Naples, charges of 60 to 80 euros can quickly accumulate. Anyone making this journey regularly should consider getting a Telepass , an electronic toll devicethat deducts charges automatically and allows for considerably faster passage through toll booths. We had the small toll box from our very first trip. The toll costs are marginally higher this way, but the journey itself becomes far more relaxed.
Filling up in Italy
Filling up in Italy on the motorway is considerably more expensive than at ordinary petrol stations. In this respect, Italy is no different from Germany. Those with the time and inclination can leave the motorway and find a regular petrol station. What many people do not realise is that a number of smaller petrol stations in Italy close at lunchtime. Anyone looking to fill up at 1 p.m. may occasionally find the shutters down. One rule always applies: make sure to use the self-service pump, otherwise the cost rises considerably further.
In December 2025, our car broke down on the A1 near Parma and had to be towed. Two weeks later, we experienced our second breakdown.
Two breakdowns in one trip, yes, it can happen
One might assume that a breakdown in Italy is just bad luck. Two breakdowns in a single return trip? That sounds like fate. And yet it happened to us, and both times we were eventually able to tell the tale with composure.
Breakdown 1: The A1 near Parma
On the way down to Pozzuoli, the engine warning light suddenly came on on the A1 just before Parma and the car lost all power. No acceleration whatsoever. We had just enough momentum to reach a lay-by, which probably spared us the worst. What followed was surprisingly straightforward: ADAC contacted via the app, a call back from Germany, an Italian partner service, a breakdown recovery truck. The car ended up at a garage in Parma that was professional, friendly and even reachable via WhatsApp. The result: two unplanned nights in Parma, with hotel costs covered by the ADAC. And what had begun as breakdown stress became an unexpected stay in a beautiful city, complete with hot chocolate and two nights at the Hotel Sina Maria Luigia, which we would book again without hesitation.
Breakdown 2: South of Milan on the return journey
On the return trip from Pozzuoli to Germany, having spent the night at B&B La Borasca south of Milan and were making their way back when, after roughly 30 kilometres, the car broke down again. Second breakdown, same journey. Towed to San Donato Milanese, they checked into the Crowne Plaza Linate on the spur of the moment. Not a tourist hotel, but a large business hotel close to the airport, and in that situation it proved worth its weight in gold: efficient procedures, quiet rooms, a good restaurant. The ADAC arranged a hire car at the airport. Two nights later, they drove back to Solingen in the hire car. Their own vehicle followed after a seemingly endless discussion with the ADAC and has since been sold.
What both experiences taught them: ADAC Plus membership is not optional on this route, it is essential. Hotel costs are covered, towing is included, and at weekends one thing above all is required: patience, because garages do not open until Monday. In an emergency: move the vehicle off the carriageway if possible, put on a high-visibility vest and set up a warning triangle. The ACI emergency number is 803 116; the pan-European emergency number is 112. Or simply use the ADAC app.
The ring road around Rome, and the debris on the carriageway
Anyone travelling from the north to Pozzuoli must pass through or around Rome. The Grande Raccordo Anulare is a world unto itself: heavy traffic, numerous lorries, and a road surface that sometimes looks as though it has not been maintained in years. On one of our journeys there was a bang like a gunshot. A piece of road debris on the carriageway. It could not be seen, and there was no chance of swerving. The immediate thought was: that's it, the car is done for. As it turned out, there was luck on our side: the car kept going. With an uneasy feeling, but it drove on all the way to Pozzuoli. Our recommendation: drive with particular vigilance on the ring road around Rome, keep a large following distance, and reduce speed at night or in poor visibility. Road debris on the carriageway is unfortunately far from uncommon there. In places, the condition of the road surface around Rome is also less than ideal.
At a rest stop near Roma: moments before, there had been a loud bang, as the car had run over a piece of debris, but fortunately the journey was able to continue.
Overnight stop: where to stay?
The total distance from Solingen to Pozzuoli is around 1,600 kilometres, with pure driving time of between 14 and 17 hours depending on route and traffic, at least on paper. At least one overnight stop is essential. The longest single leg, incidentally, was driven just before Christmas 2024: from Solingen to Florence in a single day. After that, as the sole driver, arriving at the Hotel La Fortezza was something of a crawl on one's last legs.
In the Milan area
Those taking the Swiss route reach the area south of Milan after around eight to nine hours. A number of accommodation options here are known from personal experience. The Break Hotel in Ospedaletto Lodigiano sits right on the A1: a modern property with quiet annex rooms offering direct access to the car park and a good restaurant. After 13 hours of driving, that felt almost like luxury. The B&B La Borasca in Casalpusterlengo is an entirely different experience: a historic country housewith four rooms, a warm-hearted hostess and a lovingly prepared breakfast. For those who prefer not to sleep in an anonymous transit hotel, this is exactly the right choice. On several occasions, simple rooms in Lodi served as the overnight stop.
In Bologna
Those who set off early and make it to Bologna will find one of the most beautiful cities in northern Italy awaiting them as a stopover. We have stayed at the Hotel Fiera there, which is well situated and dependable. Bologna itself justifies any stay: the Piazza Maggiore, the Due Torri, the arcades, the food. Tagliatelle al Ragù in Bologna is an entirely different world from anything known in Germany as "Bolognese".
In Verona (Brenner route)
For those travelling via the Brenner, Verona makes an ideal stopover . Directly on the A22, and the old town is wonderful even for a brief evening stroll. On the return journey, it is well worth spending a night in South Tyrol. On several occasions, simple yet very welcoming guesthouses have been found there, at very reasonable prices too. A fine example is the Gasthof Mesnerwirt am Ritten.
The A1 between Bologna and Florence
For those with time to spare, the old A1 panoramic route, the original Autostrada del Sole through the Apennines. Winding, barely trafficked, with breathtaking views over the Tuscan hill country. A slice of Italy well away from the tunnels and fast lanes. A welcome bonus: the panoramic route is considerably more relaxed to drive than the "modern" A1.
A rest stop at a parking lot in Switzerland in winter.
In high summer and in winter
The route has been experienced in every season. In summer, the heat between Rome and Naples is brutal: a fully functioning air-conditioning system is essential, as is water in the vehicle, and the service stations are overcrowded (in truth, at almost any time of year). The evenings in Pozzuoli afterwards more than make up for it. In winter the route is somewhat quieter and faster, but the Brenner can spring surprises, and the Swiss mountain passes are sometimes closed. Winter tyres are compulsory, not optional. A word of advice: never travel immediately before Christmas. The Italian motorways are packed and gridlocked from Como to Palermo. Having experienced it twice, it was far from pleasant.
What seven trips have taught us
Regardless of what time one sets off from Solingen, a traffic jam will materialise at some point. If not in Germany, then perhaps in Basel, at the Gotthard for certain, and sooner or later somewhere in Italy as well. That simply has to be factored in. The vignette for Switzerland or Austria should never be forgotten. Those who make the journey regularly will save both time and stress with a Telepass. Filling up away from the motorway is always advisable, and a lunch break with a proper espresso and pasta at a bar near a motorway exit costs 20 minutes and is worth every cent. And ADAC Plus membership? It has been needed twice on a single trip. Absolutely indispensable.
In October 2026, this route will be driven for the last time as a journey in transit, before a permanent move to Pozzuoli. From that point on, reports will come not as visitors but as genuine residents of southern Italy. Everything there is to know about moving to Italy can be found right here on Vivere in Italien.
