COASTING ALONG

Some of Italy’s shores are best explored by car, offering ample opportunity to uncover their many secrets, from historic thermal baths to an intriguing mining heritage

COSTA VIOLA, CALABRIA

On the toe of Italy’s boot, the Violet Coast takes its name from the colour it turns during dramatic sunsets. It runs north from Reggio Calabria — the very end of the Italian mainland — up to the Capo Vaticano peninsula, passing dramatic cliffs shearing down to sandy beaches, darling towns like Tropea, where the narrow streets finish abruptly at the cliff edge, and unspoiled villages such as Pizzo, home of Italy’s double-layered ice cream dessert, the tartufo. Along the Costa Viola itself, the road hugs the cliffside, with the Aspromonte mountain range in the distance. Not that you’ll be looking that way — heading south, it’s eyes right, to see volcanic Stromboli, one of the Aeolian islands in the distance, gently puffing away.

WESTERN SARDINIA

The west coast of Italy’s second-largest island has it all: cliff-etched roads, gorgeous coastal villages and accessible beaches. Its mining history means the region missed the tourism boom, and that’s a boon for today’s travellers. It’s an astonishingly varied place: start in Carbonia in the south, home to the Museo del Carbone, where visitors are led through underground mining tunnels. From there, head west up the vertiginous coastal road to Portixeddu. History buffs will love the

San Giovanni di Sinis peninsula halfway up, where the Roman city of Tharros overlooks a sweeping sandy beach. At the top of the drive, you’ll find the chocolate-box seaside town of Alghero and the coastal wilderness of Porto Conte Regional Natural Park.

SALENTO, PUGLIA

Wondering what the Amalfi Coast felt like several decades ago? Look no further than the Adriatic shores of Puglia’s Salento peninsula — the stiletto tip of Italy’s heel. One of the main attractions on the most spectacular stretch from Otranto south to Leuca is the Grotta Zinzulusa, a cave filled with stalactites, stalagmites and a whole lot of guano from the resident bats. Further south is turn-of-the-century spa town Santa Cesarea Terme, where you can still take the waters and enjoy spa treatments on the rocks or go for a dip in the lido carved out from the cliffside. Salento isn’t just about the coastline, however. This is a storied land where prehistoric dolmens sit amid olive groves, and masseria farmhouses have been transformed into upmarket accommodation.