The neat thing is to leave Mittenwald early and head south to the Brenner pass so as to be there at sunrise.  Firstly, the traffic should be light but more importantly, the run down into Italy, through Bolzano and Trento into Verona is just one of those life experiences that are best done in the morning.

The road has improved in a traffic sense but has lost little of its romance. The scenery gradually changes from the rock of southern Germany to the soft patina of Italy.

Verona is an ideal starting point from which to explore the Veneto region as you gradually make your way eastwards through Vicenza, Padua and on to Venice.

The trouble is that Verona itself has so much to offer and is such an easy city that you may end up staying there.  Of course, in the opera season, most of the hotels are full. If you have not yet been to the Opera in the Arena, then really more fool you.

This part of Italy is, in my view, as good as it gets. I love Venice, I have visited there as a tourist and stayed there as a student. I have been there in winter, summer, spring and autumn and have never tired of it. I have been known to spend all day on the Vaporetti, the water taxis where a 24-hour, go-anywhere ticket costs just €18.  I take a book and just sit and enjoy the smells and sounds of the canals.

What one learns in this part of Italy is that the gems are sometimes hidden away.  You will find Rubano on the map, a few miles west of Padua. What you do not often see is that it has a great restaurant, Le Calandre, probably one of the best in Italy (certainly one of only a handful with three Michelin stars).  The locals do seem to keep this secret and, perhaps, you cannot blame them.

This region is easy touring, small hotels are plentiful and, as long as you are flexible, you can simple wander from place to place as the fancy takes you.

Oh, going back to the first paragraph of this article, why did I start from Mittenwald? To answer that, you really have to visit this enchanting village in the middle of the Tirol. Rather than break your journey in  Munich or Garmisch–Partenkirchen, go to the Post Hotel in Mittenwald a few miles east of Garmisch. Eat at the BierKeller next door where the owner, Anna, still sings and where they serve Jägerschnitzel to die for. Once you have been, you will know what I mean.

Just as cars are made for journeys, the southern Tirol and Italy's Veneto region are there to be explored.