Rome is surrounded by an urban ring road, which connects with major motorways which vear off in each of the four directions. From Milan and Florence to the north, you can take the A1 (Autostrada del Sole) or the A12-E80 motorway from Genoa.

Anyone travelling from the south, including Naples, can take the A2, which leads directly to Rome. From the airport, the A12 motorway will lead you straight into the city. All of the surrounding motorways connect with the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA), which channels the traffic towards the city centre. Like the rest of Italy, signs with a bulls eye will direct you to the centre of town.

Routes to the city: Rome is encircled by a network of motorways. The A12 leads into Rome from the west and the A24 from the east. Ciampino Airport is connected to the city by Via Appia Nuova (SS7). The A1 runs between Rome, Florence and Milan, while to reach Venice, drivers should turn off the A1 at Bologna and take the A13.

Driving times to Rome: From Florence - 2 hours 30 minutes; from Milan - 6 hours; and from Venice - 6 hours.

Coach services: Eurolines (tel: 06 6662 3156) www.eurolines.com runs international coaches, with connections to cities throughout Europe, such as London (via Paris). Journeys are long and slow, but fares are cheap. There is no central coach station in Rome, so coaches depart and terminate in front of Tiburtina train station, Via Tiburtina (metro stop Tiburtina).