Driving to Italy (2 Viewers)

rav4girly

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We would like to drive through France and into Italy next summer. Has anyone done this run and does it involve climbing around hairpin bends through the alps. We got stuck doing this in a car once and it still gives me the horrors thinking about it. :Eeek: Is there any route through without climbing the bends?
 

6pm Cowboy

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Others here will know better, I haven't been there for years..... but I thought they had a big tunnel now ?
 
Jul 29, 2007
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Hi its m/w all the way whether you go France-Italy or France-Swiss-Italy, going via swiss you will probably go through the St Gottard tunnel, 17km long. Hope you like tunnels. ::bigsmile:

Olley

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hilldweller

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We would like to drive through France and into Italy next summer. Has anyone done this run and does it involve climbing around hairpin bends through the alps. We got stuck doing this in a car once and it still gives me the horrors thinking about it. :Eeek: Is there any route through without climbing the bends?

See here:
Link RemovedLink Removed

Though you can never totally avoid hairpins.
 

St.Cyr

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We would like to drive through France and into Italy next summer. Has anyone done this run and does it involve climbing around hairpin bends through the alps. We got stuck doing this in a car once and it still gives me the horrors thinking about it. :Eeek: Is there any route through without climbing the bends?

Hi. I used to do Italy every week in a 40 tonner - Frejus easiest, to Lyon, turn left (A43), via Chambery, good roads all the way. No steep climbs to speak of ... Mont Blanc tunnel's much harder. Hope this helps. Peter.:thumb:
 
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rav4girly

rav4girly

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Hi. I used to do Italy every week in a 40 tonner - Frejus easiest, to Lyon, turn left (A43), via Chambery, good roads all the way. No steep climbs to speak of ... Mont Blanc tunnel's much harder. Hope this helps. Peter.:thumb:

Sorry if I appear thick, do you mean travel down to Frejus, south of France and then take the coast road along to Italy?

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Jul 29, 2007
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Hi yes I reckon that's what he means, good dual carridgeway road with a few short tunnels and no really steep climbs. Theirs a sign somewhere at the highest point, can't remember what it says but I think its around 500metres, but I could be talking out of my bum. ::bigsmile:

Olley
 

N&K

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Hi

We got to italy every year, but we go via (can go this route from northern France)Germany, Stuttgart, Munich, free road motorways, missing Switz and expensive road tax) and then into Austria via Innesbruck and over the Brenner pass (motorway, no tunnels, no hairpins, can go non motorway, very pretty) into Northen Italy passed Lake Garda. Olly already mentioned the St Gottard tunnel, that used to be free, not sure if it still is.

Not sure if this helps cos you sort of miss France :RollEyes:

N&K
 
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Jul 29, 2007
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Hi out of curiosity I have roughly mapped all three routes in Google to Verona, N&K route via Germany 891miles, via swiss and St Got. tunnel 774miles, via France and coast road 1060miles.

Even going to a more central point like Firenze it's no better, N&K's and the France route are around 1040miles and the swiss 870miles.

For me in an RV at zilch mpg, going to Italy, their is only one choice. ::bigsmile:

Olley

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St.Cyr

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Hi. I used to do Italy every week in a 40 tonner - Frejus easiest, to Lyon, turn left (A43), via Chambery, good roads all the way. No steep climbs to speak of ... Mont Blanc tunnel's much harder. Hope this helps. Peter.:thumb:[/QUOTE


Sorry, no, I was talking about Tunnel du Frejus, along A34 east from Lyon, not Frejus down south - it's a totally different place! :RollEyes:
 
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rav4girly

rav4girly

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Thanks everyone, I've got some great info and ideas from this site already.
 

Snowbird

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Hi all,Has anyone tried Mt Senis, I used to do it years ago with the truck.It used to be free,thats why I used it instead of the Blanc.Nice run in the summer,closed in the winter.

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Jul 29, 2007
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Hi forget Tunnel de Frejus, its €120 for class 3:Eeek: only €44 for class 2 see here Link Removed

Definition of classes here: Link Removed
Olley
 
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JeanLuc

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Our favourite routes are to head down to Grenoble (by-passing it where possible) then either via Biancon and Montgenevre or a bit further south, via Barcelonette and the Col de Larche.

The first one takes you into Italy to join the autoroute to Turin. The second goes via Cuneo and is good for Liguria and Tuscany.

Both routes climb quite high and there are some hairpins, but nothing difficult (large trucks use both routes) - just take it steadily. The views are stunning and there are no tolls to pay.

On the northern route there is a good aire at Le Monetier-les-Bains, before you reach Briancon (picture below). On the southern route there is a large parking area up in the mountains at the head of the col. Also, an aree di sosta at one of the villages further into Italy (I forget which one).

Philip
 
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camper69

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Just got back from Italy at the weekend. Went through the St Gottard tunnel (still free) in Switzerland. Not the most pleasant of drives (in the tunnel that is). In fact got sick of going through tunnels by the time we were coming back.

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smifee

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i'm with JeanLuc on this one.

Barcelonette to Cuneo is an easy route. Sure it's got lots of hairpins but loadsa trucks use it.

We spent the night above the multi hairpin descent on a level space opposite an unoccupied building. It looks like the space is for road clearing vehicles to park up in winter.

Took a series of photos as a very nervous HGV driver made the descent. He appeared to be a multi hairpin virgin::bigsmile: He descended so slowly that other HGVs, caravans , any type of vehicle was overtaking him. A good place for marmot watching. I'd never seen them before.

Don't use campsites much but the weather had been very wet on the way down through France and we had a lot of laundry to do. Intended to stay just 1 night at the site at Cuneo but when we booked in they asked if we wanted to go to the Beerfest so we had to stay for 3 nights. One for the laundry. One for the beer & one for the hangover:Blush:

Great country for 'wildcamping'. Only 4 nights out of 40 on campsites.
 

streetdaddy

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Hi. I used to do Italy every week in a 40 tonner - Frejus easiest, to Lyon, turn left (A43), via Chambery, good roads all the way. No steep climbs to speak of ... Mont Blanc tunnel's much harder. Hope this helps. Peter.:thumb:[/QUOTE


Sorry, no, I was talking about Tunnel du Frejus, along A34 east from Lyon, not Frejus down south - it's a totally different place! :RollEyes:

From what I can see, the Tunnel du Frejus is along A43, not A34 ... just about to head that way from Valence to Como in our gas guzzler! Hope it's not a mountainous nightmare...
 

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