There’s something slightly cinematic about driving from Austria down to Italy. The mountains slowly soften, the air gets warmer, and suddenly every second car seems to be a tiny Fiat flying around corners like it’s late for an espresso date.

Now add one more ingredient to this Riviera road trip recipe:
we were doing it all in an electric car.

Which, in Italy, quickly turned into a side quest somewhere between a romantic road trip and a survival game with 7% battery remaining.
At first, we felt very modern and organised. Quiet e-car gliding through the Alps, playlists on, fully embracing our eco-friendly Italian movie era.

Then came the charging stations. Or more specifically: the charging stations refusing to acknowledge our existence.
Many of them required special membership cards that could only be set up with an Italian address and Italian payment details. Meanwhile, we stood there with foreign credit cards, confused expressions, and rapidly decreasing battery percentages like contestants in a reality show called "Survive the Riviera".

And Ionity stations? The dependable European charging heroes? Beautiful. Reliable. Rare. Like truffle sightings. Mostly located near bigger cities while we were happily zigzagging through coastal roads and tiny villages.

But honestly? It somehow added to the adventure.
Because nothing bonds you to Italy quite like desperately hunting for a functioning charger while an 82-year-old Vespa driver effortlessly overtakes you on a mountain road with one hand on the steering wheel.

Once both we and the car had emotionally recovered, it was time for our first overnight stop at Starhotels Du Parc in Parma.

The hotel feels like stepping into old Italy in the best possible way. Classic interiors, elegant little details, and yes, an actual room key. Not a plastic card. A real key. Felt like a tiny time-travel moment.

The room was spacious and waiting with little goodies that instantly made it feel welcoming after the long drive. But the real star? The restaurant’s famous artisan pinsa by Maestro Pizzaiolo Alberto Buonocore. Not quite pizza, not quite flatbread, but dangerously addictive. The dough is leavened for 24 hours, hand-rolled one by one, baked, chilled, and perfected with almost scientific Italian dedication. We savoured every bite.

The next morning, it was finally time for the coast. Fully charged with the destination: Rapallo on the Italian Riviera.

And honestly? The arrival already felt like vacation therapy, …. especially after spotting the hotel’s charging station.

We stayed at Excelsior Palace Hotel, sitting dramatically right above the sea like it knows it’s photogenic. The hotel has that old-style Riviera glamour that makes you want to wear oversized sunglasses and a wide sunhat, Sophia Loren style, even if you normally don’t own either.

The welcome was incredibly warm. One of those rare check-ins where you instantly relax because everyone is genuinely kind. We were personally brought to the room, and from the first second, the views completely stole the show: endless blue ocean. The hotel offers rooms with two different views: the harbour and colourful city of Rapallo, or a full ocean view. Honestly, there’s no wrong choice here.

One of the biggest highlights was the hotel’s private beach club. You simply walk across a covered walkway directly from the hotel, and suddenly you’re in this little coastal world of pools, lounge chairs, sea views, spa corners, and people slowly sipping Aperol Spritz like they have absolutely nowhere to be. Which, in Italy, might actually be the goal. 🍹
You can spend hours there doing almost nothing. And somehow it still feels productive.

Rapallo itself has such an easy, lively energy. Restaurants spill into little streets, bars buzz late into the evening, and everywhere you look, there’s gelato, or somebody beautifully overdressed walking a dog.

From Rapallo, it’s easy to hop on a ferry to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino.

Santa Margherita instantly became one of my favourites. It’s really charming. Cobblestone lanes open into piazzas, palm trees sway near the waterfront, and every corner seems to hide another café or shop. It’s the kind of place where you tell yourself you’ll “just quickly look around,” and suddenly two hours disappear between coffee stops and window shopping, and somehow very real shopping :) Mysteriously, I never seem to make it back without a few bags in my hand. Thankfully, that’s exactly when my backpack evolves from ‘cute travel accessory’ to full-time shopping support system.”

We also visited Villa Durazzo, sitting above the town with dreamy views over the Gulf of Tigullio. The botanical gardens, fountains, statues, terraces… everything feels peaceful and romantic. You wander through the gardens, and half expect a movie scene to unfold around the next corner.
From there, we continued to Portofino.

Now… Portofino is beautiful. Very beautiful. But also very crowded. We snapped some photos, soaked in the postcard views, and honestly decided pretty quickly that Rapallo felt more relaxed and more us. Sometimes the best travel moments aren’t in the “must-see” places. Sometimes they happen while casually wandering somewhere less famous with melting gelato in your hand.

One of the absolute highlights of the trip was driving up to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro.
The road up is tiny, winding, and definitely a little adventure. At certain moments, it feels like only one and a half cars fit on the mountain roads, yet somehow Italian drivers manage it with calm confidence while you quietly reconsider all your life choices behind the steering wheel. 🚗⛰️

But once you reach the sanctuary, everything slows down.
The church sits high above the coastline at around 612 metres above sea level, surrounded by silence, greenery, and endless sea views stretching into the distance. After the busy Riviera towns, the atmosphere up there feels almost sacred in a different way, too. Peaceful. Still. Quiet.

And then comes the hidden gem moment.
Walking past the church and continuing along the path leads to Casa del Pellegrino, tucked away beneath the trees with one of the most beautiful views over Rapallo and the coastline below. Sitting there with a coffee felt like discovering a secret Italy that guidebooks don’t always show.

That’s what I loved most about this trip. Not just the hotels or the views or the ferry rides.
It was the feeling.
The carefree walks along the coast. The warm evenings. Sitting at cafés watching people pass by. The relaxed rhythm of Italian life where nobody seems in a hurry and somehow that becomes contagious.

The Italian Riviera doesn’t scream for attention.
It just quietly pulls you into its rhythm until one morning you realise you’ve fully adapted to a lifestyle built around espresso, ocean views, and late dinners. Honestly? I could get used to that very quickly. 🍋