1

Viamichelin is a good website for european driving details, but if you were to drive direct from Rome to Munich the journey non-stop would be around 12 hours if that gives you an idea of the sort of distance you might travel. Three weeks is plenty of time for the trip, but you will need to select want you want to see as you could easily make that journey last 3 months. Don't forget to tell the hire company you intend to take the car out of Italy - it shouldn't be a problem but they will want to know which countries you are visiting, and the bigger hire companies should give you phone and access details in those countries in case of emergency

If you've been to Italy before, you will know about motorway tolls and that the price of petrol / diesel is the highest in Europe. Personally I dislike the northern part of the A1 autostrada (the Florence - Milan section) but if you do find yourself going round the Milan ring road, try and make sure it is at a quiet time of day. From Rome to Verona, look at coming off the A1 at Orte (about an hour north of Rome) and following the S3bis / E45 which goes through beautiful Umbrian countryside with plenty of opportunities for stopping off at the smaller towns. The towns in the Dolomites are also well worth visiting such as Trento and Bolzano

Final thought - the Swiss charge a hefty fee to buy a pass for using their autobahns (I think its about SFr40, and valid until the end of the year of purchase). The Austrians also charge but you can buy weekly or monthly versions at a much more reasonable price - they also charge a small toll for using the Brenner pass too, but the old road (through the Brenner pass) is very scenic if you have the time

2

3 weeks are by far not enough for a decent visit of at least the highlights between Rome and Munich.
Why do you want visit castles in GERMANY and not the tons of castles in Italy, Austria and Switzerland along the different itineraries between Rome iand the German border?

Verona/Milan - Munich: you may have a look at
http://www.visitgarda.com/en/garda_lake/
http://www.lago-di-garda.org/malcesine-lake-garda.asp
http://www.lago-di-garda.org/sirmione-lake-garda.asp
http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/g_localita.html
http://www.valdisole.net/cms-01.00/articolo.asp?IDcms=43675&s=331&l=EN
http://www.ladinia.it/listinfo.php?id=382&lan=it
http://www.campigliodolomiti.it/lang/EN/pagine/dettaglio/dolomites,12/adamello_brenta_nature_park,34.html
http://www.campigliodolomiti.it/lang/EN/pagine/dettaglio/territorio,118/storia_e_cultura,575.html
http://www.sanmartino.com/s/en/index.html
http://www.tourism.verona.it/en
http://www.tr3ntino.it/en/
http://www.suedtirol.info/en/
http://www.suedtirol.info/en/Destinations--Things-to-do.html
http://www.suedtirolerland.it/en/highlights/markets-fairs-and-shopping/
http://www.south-tirol.com/autumn
http://www.bolzano-bozen.it/index.php?lang=en
http://www.meran.eu/index.php?lang=english
http://www.meranerland.com/en.html
http://www.kaltern.com/en/
http://www.bruneck.com/english/sights/index.html
http://www.brixen.org/en/home.html
http://www.suedtirolerland.it/en/south-tyrols-holiday-areas/valle-isarco/vipiteno/
http://www.valgardena.it/en/val-gardena/page28.html
http://www.sulden.com/en/solda/winter/culture/stelvio-national-park.asp
http://www.three-peaks.info/alto-adige/dobbiaco/summer.html

http://www.iceman.it/en/oetzi-the-iceman
http://www.bolzano-bozen.it/en/culture/castles.html
http://www.innsbruck.info/en/home.html?noMobile=1
http://www.oetztal.at/en/sommer/orte.html
http://www.meranerland.com/en.html
http://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/sommer/en/
http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Glacier-eng.784.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/Video-Bernina-eng.782.0.html?&L=4
http://www.rhb.ch/UNESCO-Clip-eng.1061.0.html?&L=4
http://www.bellinzonaturismo.ch/en.aspx
http://www.luganoturismo.ch/en/550/photo-gallery.aspx
http://www.swissminiatur.ch/?fuseaction=m4.12
http://www.engadin.com/wellness/baeder/engadin-bad-scuol/?R=1&S=2
http://www.pfahlbauten.com/lake-dwelling-museum/virtual-museum-tour.html

3

If you are going to Munich, keep in mind that Oktoberfest starts on September 21st. During that time it is extremely difficult to find accomodation without advance booking.

4

I would like to offer three beautiful destinations that you may want to consider along your travel from Rome to Munich.
1. Frascati / Grottaferrata (towns in the Alban Hills just outside of Rome)
Upon arrival in Rome, assuming that you will have jet lag if you are travelling from North America, a beautiful area to stay just outside of Rome is in the area of Frascati/ Grottaferrata. Frascati / Grottaferrata are scenic hill towns, only some 30 minutes from the center of Rome. Grand Villa Fiorio in Grottaferrata is a wonderful place to stay, and in Frascati you will find many charming restaurants to enjoy lunch. For a wonderful evening meal, check out Cacciani ristorante (and also a nice place to stay in Frascati, but you will have to find your own street parking if you decide stay here. In the Cacciani restaurant lobby you will see posted a charming historic map of Frascati identifying where the local historis Villas dating back to the days of the aristocracy. You can see the front facade of one of these Villas from the centre of Frascati. By and large the villas have not been restored to their original glory, and in most cases are but ruins. From the centre of Frascati you will enjoy panoramic views over the plain that is the sprawling city of Rome.
2. Vicchio, north of Florence - the less traveled Muguello region of Tuscany has a wonderful hotel and fine dining situated in a olive oil factoria ... the hotel and dining at Campestri Olive Oil resort is a wonderful place to call home for a night or two while travelling into the northern areas of the Region of Tuscany.
3. Abano Terme, close to Padua in the Veneto, is one of Italy's leading spa resorts. The hot springs in this small town dates back to the days of the ancient Romans, but now there are a large number of hotels offer health and beauty treatments and their own thermal swimming pools. There are a resplendant number of spa hotels in Abano Terme ... if I recall we stayed at one by the name Hotel Terme Helvetia ( a wonderful large hot water spring fed mineral pool to relax your bones and muscles from the enjoyment of travelling vast expanses in a car) ,
In our busy circle trip this past June through Italy which included as identified above Frascati/Grottaferrata (Rome), Orvieto, Val D' Elsa as a base for touring Tuscany (Vicchio in 2011), Abano Terme, Lake Como and into Chamonix France, Rousillon (Provence) France, and then Valledebonne (north of Antibes, lovely area where we simply stayed in the Best Western) and then back to Italy ~ Lucca/ Pisa, Orvieto, and finishing our stay once again in Frascati, staying and dining at Cacciani ristorante and hotel before catching a flight the next day back home.