Campervanning
in Europe. Part 6 Italy 
Cinque Terre Florence
Rome
Venice
Route map Swiss border to Bergamo [221Kb]
After crossing the border from Switzerland we followed SS36 & SS37 to NOVATE MEZZOLA, and hoping that it would be a quieter road than the main road along the Eastern side, thence SS340 along the western side of LAKE COMO. The scenic lake has been totally despoiled by a huge urban sprawl of tacky resort accommodations all the way to COMO. In our opinion the area is the pits. The road is very narrow and extremely busy, with many drivers travelling far too quickly for the conditions and this drive was the most unpleasant and nerve racking of our entire 18,000 kms trip.
There are no SONPS. We were so dismayed at our first impressions of Italy
that we decided to press on as quickly as possible, and avoid the MILANO
conurbation, and so followed SS342 south east from COMO to BERGAMO.
Things did not improve, the entire area is a huge urban sprawl, with no appeal,
and no stopping places. We finally found a small side road off the service
road of Autostrada A4 somewhere on the outskirts of Bergamo, and parked for
the night, to recover from what had been an unpleasant and stressful introduction
to Italy. 
After this vile introduction to Italy, that night we wondered if it was all going to be like this, if we really wanted to go, or should we turn back, forget it and head to Venice and then straight on to Austria. Fortunatly it didn't all seem so unpleasent next morning and our sense of adventure took over, we decided to press on and try to find some more appealing areas. With hindsight I am glad we did, it would have been awful to have come so far and not have seen Florence and Rome.
I suggest that other crossing points from Switzerland into Italy may provide a better introduction, by avoiding the lake areas north of Milan, and perhaps the crossing via MADONNA DI TIRANO would be better, as judging from the maps, it leads into a relatively more remote area of Italy further from Milan.
Route map Bergamo - Cinque Terre - La Spezia [343 Kb]
Good
SONPS
The church in Crema Italy.
23/06/2000 We travelled south on SS591 toward CREMMA and CODOGNO, all urban sprawl, with a few interspersed farming areas, with no rest stops, not a good touring route, but it became gradually less densely developed and more pleasant travelling, with less traffic and no more drivers late for the cemetery.
Desiring to find some more pleasant remote places where there may be some forest areas, after passing through PIACENZA we followed SS545 south toward BOBBIO where there is some access to the river and some possible SONPS. The best access point beyond Bobbio on the GENOVA road is height barricaded and signed no camping, but t is a good lunch stop, if you walk to the river.
South
of BOBBIO we turned off SS545 onto an unclassified road to FERRIRE
where after climbing a small mountain range there are a few mediocre SONPS.
We then turned north east onto the road to FARINI where there is access
to the RIVER NURE and some really good SONPS. We camped in one where
the access track leads down to the river several hundred
meters south of the old stone viaduct bridge where the road north from FERRIERE
to FARIM first crosses the NURE. Here we found a quiet refuge
and spent two nights just relaxing by the river.
Here I was introduced to Italian PRINZ BEER, a jolly nice drop, and very cheap too. A group of German bikies had come to our SONPS on the second night, where they camped, and had a campfire party, and as they were leaving the next morning, found they had a few bottles of Prinz left, that they were unable to carry on their motor bikes. One of them approached me and in excellent English, having seen our UK plates, asked if I would like it. I jokingly ribbed him about a German being unable to finish all his beer, and thanked him for his offer. It turned out the be very fine beer, but then you would expect Germans to have good taste in beer, after all its their national drink.
25/06/2000 Leaving our camp on the Nure River we proceeded to BARDONIA. The area is picturesque hilly country with many very small villages, and there are scattered places where you could stop overnight. Travelling is slow as the roads are narrow and winding. Generally the roads in Italy lack adequate stopping places and viewing points, so you have to make do with whatever you find. Where parking spots exist they are seldom signed in advance with the usual "P" signs. Road signs are also relatively small, and on minor roads are at the intersections with few advance warning signs, but on main roads the standard is better.
Cinque Terre
We headed to CHINAVARI which we thought was a rather kitsch resort,
an Italian "Gold Coast" generally the pits. We proceeded eastwards toward
LEVANTO at the western end of the "CINQUE TERRE" which was our
intended destination. Levanto is a pleasant small town with a wonderful avenue
of large trees in the main street. It was a hot Sunday and all of the beaches
were crowded, with wall to wall umbrellas on black sand, thousands of people,
miles to walk to parked cars up steep roads from the beaches.. The scenery
is beautiful, but the whole area including LEVANTO and MONTOSORO
AL MARE, west of the five smaller smaller villages in the Cinque Terre
is no longer any sort of unspoilt paradise of rustic villages. Like BONASOLLA
to the north west, they have been entirely ruined by mass tourism and
are overcrowded with local tourists in the summer. A "paradise", far from
it.
I suppose it depends on what standard you judge by, but these areas remind me of a Mediterranean version of England’s concrete Brighton Beach, and if you are an Australian, accustomed to wide sandy beaches with room to breathe, don’t even bother coming, except for the coastal scenery which is excellent.
Beyond the turn off to MONTOROSORO AL MARE the narrow coastal road to LA SPEZIA winds along the cliff tops, offering magnificent views over the sea. Beyond Levanto to Riomaggiore the minor road we followed is not marked on the AA map at all, but we have marked in blue on the route map. On a side road you can drive down to within 800 meters of the small village of VERNAZZA. The road goes all the way to the village, but is closed by a barricade to all but authorized vehicles.
The
cliff top road to LA SPEZIA has an large number of really excellent
SONPS, old parking and viewing areas, where maintenance has been let go, and
are partly overgrown. There is plenty of shade, and you are screened from
and well off the road. Although the resorts to the north west are extremely
crowded, the road has very little traffic, even on a Sunday, and almost no
passing traffic at night. The more appealing smaller villages of the Cinque
Terre are mainly approached by the railway, and the throngs of local day trippers
in cars don’t go to them as much, because there is no private car access,
thank goodness.
Several SONPS have fresh water springs and the water has been piped away to the villages, but you can still get access. The best SONPS are several kilometres from the VERNAZZA turn off, towards LA SPEZIA. At one of these we parked for the night, hoping the Cinque Terre would look better on a Monday, when it would not be so crowded.
26/06/2000 We backtracked to the turn off to VERNAZZA and drove down the 6kms of steep and narrow, (single lane with passing places) road to the visitors parking area 800 meters above the village. The village is picturesque and charming with many pensions, shops, bars restaurants and a bank.
It is by no means unaffected by tourism, and idyllic is I feel too strong a term, as much of the original charm is already gone, with overbuilding for tourist accommodation, taking its toll on the no doubt until recently truly unspoiled atmosphere. I have seen people write rave reviews of this area, particularly emphasizing its "unspoiled" nature. I suppose it is all relative, and these villages certainly retain a lot of their original charm, and by keeping cars out they are not likely to be so overrun with mass local day tourists from the Milan conurbation. The setting is too ideal for them to remain really unspoiled.
You can still find unspoiled places in Europe, little towns and villages in France, Spain and Switzerland, and Italy too, but you won't read about them in tourist guides, you just find them for yourself, by meandering along the back roads.
However, compared to Montosoro Al Mare, with its huge parking area
on land reclaimed from the sea by filling in part of the once beautiful bay,
traffic jams and teaming thousands of tourists, Vernazza is a
very much more pleasant place to visit. The castle, mediocre in size though
it is, (Lire 2000 admission) provides nice views over the town and towards
the sea. Narrow passages serve as streets, too small for any car, even a tiny
european bug mobile, and deliveries are made using little moterised carts
with rubber crawler treads, able to climb the stairs in the narrow winding
passages connecting the ancient houses.
Vernazza from the tower of the old sea front
castle.
Similar limited road access is available to CORNIGLIA, MARANOLA, and MAGGIORE (although we did not visit them) even though you may be led to believe in tourist literature, and on the Internet, that there is no road access to to these villages it is not true entirely. There are also cars in the villages, residents, delivery trucks and tradesmen visiting are permitted through the road barriers, which have key operated boom gates to keep out visitors cars. Thank goodness for that, the roads in the towns are too small for much traffic.
The village of Maranola, from the Levanto
- La Spezia road.
The roads from the Levanto – La Spezia road down to the village visitors parks have a 2.0 Metre vehicle width limit, so anything much bigger than our Ford Transit van would not be allowed. With a car or small camper you can visit the villages easily this way instead of using the train. Camp either in the Levanto campground, or park at one of the excellent SONPS described earlier.
Views from the main road are of outstanding coastal scenery, made all the more interesting by the panorama of the villages below.
LA SPEZIA is a military naval base town, and has good supermarkets for resupply. We pressed on quickly after lunch along the minor coastal roads (yellow road in AA map book) via FORTE DE MARNI towards PIZA. The sandy beaches are for miles almost all privately owned and have little public access, and you have to pay to use the hideous facilities, thousands of deck chairs, umbrellas and beach boxes, mile after mile despoiling the sands. The locals flock in their thousands, but to us they were beaches from hell. In each of the small towns there is usually a public beach, but they are always very crowded.
Route map La Spezia - Pisa [105 Kb]
Near FORTE DEI MARNI there appear to be some sections of beach that are not privately owned where free access is possible. Many camper vans were parked along the unusually wide road near the Yacht Club, where you can walk on to the wide sandy beach, and this section is not despoiled with wall to wall deck chairs.
You
may be able to park overnight along the road, although the parking signs show
No Parking 0-24 hours, although clearly parking is allowed, so exactly what
it means is unclear. We parked there for some hours to have dinner and went
for a swim, and as there were no showers we rinsed with a 2 litre bottle of
our own fresh water.
Beyond FORTE DEI MARNI toward VIARÉGGIO SONPS are hard to find. We explored several minor roads running inland towards the mountains, only to find they dead ended in small villages, with only room to park residents cars at a road end parking lot.
VIARÉGGIO
has lots of night life, and a camping ground. If you arrive late as we did
(10PM) and the campground was closed you can park just past the campground
entrance, outside a school. We left next morning at 8AM before there was much
activity, and no one bothered us.
The Baptistery, Cathedral and leaning tower
of Piza.
27/06/2000 Along the main road into PISA the small roadside parking bays are sign posted "No camper Vans" To visit Pisa we parked the van immediately outside one of the gates behind the old walled town, where there appear to be no posted parking restrictions. If you arrive early (before 8.30AM) parking free close to, or even within, the old walled city (coupon pay parking inside the walled city) is easily possible. Approach from the direction diametrically opposite the main gate near the leaning tower.
The main gate to Piza, with the leaning tower
in the background. Street vendors stalls line the road through the gate.
We walked through the old city toward the leaning tower area where all the tourists congregate. Apart from quietly enjoying much more of the old town than the average tourist sees, we entered a delightful old church and were entertained by a free organ recital by a music student who was practising in the early morning. There is even a water font near the gate where we were able to top up our fresh water.
The Pisa Tourist information office is about 100 Meters on the left of the main gate, outside the wall. Pisa is a good place to buy Italian souvenirs as there are dozens of vendors near the main gates, providing plenty of variety and competition in prices to haggle for a bargain.
After a morning taking the sights (the leaning tower was closed for repairs to stop it falling over altogether, and reopens in later 2001) browsing the souvenir stalls, exploring the old town and a free organ concert, we pressed on towards FIRENZE. (Florence)
Florence
Route map Pisa - Florence [102 Kb]
Florence from the Piazzale Michalangelo. The Campeggio Michalangelo campsite and the SONPS in Dele Porte Sante are within several hundred metres of here.
The huge dome of the Dom dominates the skyline.
The main road SS67 toward FIRENZE has small parking places, but they are only parking bays directly adjacent to the traffic lanes, and most have no shade, so we turned off to park in PONSACCO for lunch where we found a pleasant shaded area.
In FLORENCE we camped at "CAMPEGGIO MICHALANGELO" just below the PIAZZALE
MICHALANGELO overlooking the town. The large site has good facilities, and
free showers, but is expensive at Lire 44,000 for two and camper with no electric,
but the location is excellent, very conveniently located on the No12 or 13
bus route into the city. It is also a pleasant walk into central Florence
from the campsite, downhill and along the river for only a few kilometres.
I took the bus once, but walked several times. The above campsite is one of
the best in Europe and is highly commended,
unless you know where there is a SONP, which we soon discovered.
An entrance to the Dom, Florence. dominating
the low city skyline this unique church is supremely ornately decorated on
the outside, and relatively plain inside. Free to visit, and one of the most
interesting buildings in Italy.
Above
the PIAZZALE MICHALANGELO there are a number of roads leading up the
hill to an old church and parkland. On our return visit to Florence a few
weeks later we used our knowledge of the area to find an excellent SONPS in
the DELE PORTE SANTE a road which runs parallel above the VIALE
GALILEO GALILIE several hundred metres south of the PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO.
A wide shaded road, little used except for access to SAN MATEO AL MONTE,
and as a lovers lane, yet public enough to be safe for a city SONPS. There
are no parking restrictions on most of it, except a marked blue area near
the church for bus parking. Water is available at a small spar at the eastern
end of the PIAZZALE MICHALANGELO.
Map of Florence SONP [165 Kb]
A copy of the statue of David by Michalangelo
stands in the Piazzalle Michalangelo overlooking Florence. Campervans overnight
in the Piazzale surrounding it and the excellent SONPS in Dele Porte Sante
is only a couple of hundred meters away.
There are also several small roads with flat turning areas at the end, leading up to the monastery, and these would be even quieter from traffic noise. Up to 24 hour parking seems to be permitted in most of these areas.
We also observed that campervans park overnight in the Piazzale Michalangelo itself, but discretion would be needed not to appear to camp, or discharge water, and not remain too long in the one place. However as there is no shade in the Piazzale, we think Dele Porte Sante is better.
Shaded parking near the Piazzale Michalengelo can be had in the short road leading up to the "Tennis Michalangelo Bar & Bistro" entrance near the eastern end of the Piazzale. The business appears to be open only at night and there are no posted parking restrictions.
Beyond saying that Florence is a delight to visit, another of the major highlights of our tour, and a place not to be missed on any campervan itinerary of Italy, I don’t intend to go into many details, as this is not a regular travel guide, and you can get lots of better information on the Internet.
The Ufuzzi Gallery is on both sides of the
road, Florence. Heaven, if you want mainly early Italian religious art.
Best value in town is the spectacular cathedral or Dom, its free, be early to avoid the rush. The famous UFUZZI art gallery is I found overwhelmingly devoted to early Italian religious art and sculpture, and despite its awesome reputation in the tourist hype, is I feel, overrated, unless your interest in art is focussed on this speciality, in which case it would be heaven!
For my own taste it is not a patch on the national Gallery in London, which also has the advantage of being free, and a far more wide ranging collection. The Ufuzzi charges L12,000 not too much if that’s what you want. Personally I found the building interior more interesting than the contents, but then I am not religious and prefer Constable and Monet to early Italian artists. The Ufuzzi is rather run down and grotty as a building, in parts it seems there is Italian renaissance dirt on the floors. No I am not a Ufuzzi fan, I guess I didn't know what to expect. Again be early to avoid the long queues.
I had to explore Florence on my own as my wife Sharon was feeling decidedly ill, with a persistent virus of some kind that sapped her energy, and she preferred to rest in the van. Hence we returned to Florence later after visiting Rome so she could see the city.
29/06 & 30/06 were spent in further exploring this wonderful city on foot. Free maps from the several tourist offices.
Route map Florence - Siena - Grossetto - Mt Amiata [101 Kb]
Good SONPS
1/07/2000 We travelled via SS222 to SIENA, At CASTELLINA IN CHIANTI, there is a free campervan parking area with water, sewerage dump point and some shade. Many vans were there when we stopped for lunch and obviously many free camp in the area and it would be a good SONPS.
In SIENNA the campgrounds charge L41,000 for two and camper no electric, and were very cramped with small sites. We found the one we inspected unattractive for so much and did not stay. The town has a castle and many historic features, but not enough to induce me to pay high prices for lousy campsites. We called at a supermarket and were able to buy a genuine Sienna Cake, a true local delicacy, for Sharon's forthcoming birthday.
We travelled on towards ROME along SS22 and found no good SONPS and after many kilometres followed signs to a camp, miles off the main road L35,000 for camper and two no electric, just an old olive farm. Again a too crowded site with small pitches cheek by jowl. I can only presume that Europeans are so desperate for a little space, that they would come to such an uninteresting dry dusty old farm set in a few little hills, and it appeared to be booked out for the coming holidays.
Campsites in Italy are overpriced compared to France, dearer even than the
UK and Switzerland, for what are often in my opinion overcrowded dumps (Florence
and Rome excepted). Having read about the excellent campsites in Europe in
guide books, I find that quality is highly variable, and generally sites in
the UK, particularly the Caravan and Camping Club sites, are better
and cost no more at around £10 for two and camper no electric, although
this is still expensive by Australian standards.
The best value in campsites so far generally is in France, by a country mile, with the municipal camps being the best value by far. Spain is also generally overpriced for camps, but free camping is easy in most places, as is the case in France.Italy is generally badly lacking in good roadside stopping places, viewing areas and picnic spots. Roads through picturesque countryside often go on for miles with no place to stop safely.
2/07/2000 Having diverted so far of the SS2 to find the campsite we
decided to proceed on toward GROSETTO via SS223. The weather was extremely
hot, and we were fortunate to find good shade in the town where parked for
lunch.
Sharon was still feeling decidedly ill with her mysterious virus, and we decided to go to the hospital in Grosetto. We found the staff helpful and friendly and were able to see a doctor who spoke good English who admitted Sharon for the afternoon to have some intravenous fluids and who prescribed some antibiotics for her. It was a Sunday and only one pharmacy was open in the city, which we were unable to find. We called at the local police station and with limited Italian and the officers little English they directed us to follow one of the police cars who would lead us to the pharmacy. Another example of the helpful and friendly people we met all over Europe, and the good results of having just a few phrases of the local language, and not just expecting every one to speak English.
Medical treatment in hospitals in Italy is free to Australians due to a reciprocal agreement between the two countries, although we didn't know that in advance and had expected to have to claim on our travel insurance.
After finding the pharmacy and getting Sharon's medicine we returned to the
car park opposite the hospital and with several other campervans spent the
night there.
3/07/2000 Sharon is still feeling weak, despite 3 litres of intravenous fluids in hospital, and is now on antibiotics and other treatment for her nausea and diarrhoea problem, and we decided to defer going to Rome until she felt better, so that she would be better able to enjoy it. So looking for a place to hold up, we headed into the hills hoping to find some cooler forest area and we followed SS322 to SCANSANO and SS323 to ROCCALBEGNA and ARCIDOSSO.
There
are several old road loops along the way on SS322 & SS323 before ROCCALBEGNA,
but despite nice scenery, none from there to ARCIDOSSO. The road via
Mt AMIATA (1738M) to ABBADIA SAN SALVATORE as you near the summit
passes through some dense deciduous forest, with several small inlets off
the road that are fully shaded and provide wonderful SONPS. These roads are
quiet and lightly trafficked, with almost none at night.
Many of the villages along the way have village spars where you can replenish
with excellent fresh water, watch out for them. The very few that are not
potable (none in this area) that we have come across in thousands of kilometres
are clearly marked, and the crystal clarity and pure taste of almost all is
the final test of quality. They are also popular with the locals and anyone
local will confirm if they are fit to drink.
FUEL. In Italy many petrol stations are closed at times you would expect them to be open, or only have automatic pumps that require a credit card. Most close for siesta every afternoon, and most are closed all day on Sunday, and at night. So don’t run low on fuel in Italy. Fuel prices do not vary a lot. Diesel is L1680 to L1725 per litre in June-July 2000. So buy whenever you see one open and you are under half full, it may be a long way before you come to the next open station, particularly on minor roads.
We stopped in the forest, intending to remain a few days until Sharon feels
better. Many villagers come into the forest to gather truffles. The altitude
here is 1,200 meters, and it is a lot cooler than on the hot plains below.
4/07/2000 Sharon's birthday, she is feeling better, but not well enough to enjoy her Siena cake, and we decide that her birthday will be deferred to a date to be fixed. Today we just rest in the Elm forest. Near our SONPS is a picnic place with some of the very rare picnic tables and seats, and some BBQ’s, they must be about the only ones in Italy if our experience is any indication.
There is also a little shrine, of the Madonna Del Camicione, where
people have left rosary beads, flowers, candles and a forlorn little teddy
bear. These little shrines are often seen in the small villages of Italy.
Past the shrine along the road there are more good forest SONPS.
Our van has now done 90,322 miles.
5/07/2000 We drive on to ABBADIA SAN SALVATORE then on SS2 to
SAN QUIRICO D’ORCLA for food supplies and fuel. There is a campervan
sewerage dump point and water supply in the village, indicated by signs. Such
public camper dump points are not common in Europe, although we noted several
in this part of Italy. Some of the larger campgrounds have them, but not all.
More common are dump points for "Porta Potty" toilets.
We then returned to our forest camp via CASTIGLIOLE D’ORCA and CASTEL
DEL PIANO to rest for several more days.
Supermarkets in Italy are, with a few modern hypermarket exceptions, small, poorly stocked and expensive compared to France and Spain. We have found only one modern hypermarket so far in our travels in Italy. The range of goods is poor, meat, salami (L20,000-40,000 per Kilo) and local cheese are surprisingly expensive. Only imported Dutch cheese is more reasonable at under L10,000 per Kilo. There are few specials, and apparently not much competition between COOP and CONAD, the two most common supermarket chains. In most smaller towns they can be hard to find, signs are small and poor. You have to pay L50 for a plastic bag and pack your own goods.
6 & 7/7/2000 We remain in our cool forest hideaway while Sharon recovers, the antibiotics seem to be working.
Rome
Route map MtAmiata - Rome [136 Kb]
8/7/2000 Descending from our mountain retreat we find another camper service point and dump at ABADIA SAN SALVATORE where there is good water, and head to Rome on SS2. At VITERBO we found a Continent Hypermarket, and were able to resupply from a more comprehensive range of goods at better prices.
Castle St Angelo, close to the Vatican in Rome.
Heading in to ROME we went first to the "Seven Hills" campsite, outside the ring road. They wanted L50,000 for a camper and two, no electric, and L7,000 each per day extra to use the swimming pool. It is far from any public transport, and a long way from the nearest village. A shuttle bus runs twice a day in to Rome for L6,000 return, and comes back at 3PM and 6PM. The inconvenient location and high prices caused us to consider this was not good value, and we decided to try another campsite closer in to Rome, and we were very glad we did.
Camping Flaminio is in the suburbs inside the ring road, much closer to Rome, and close to a railway station and bus route into the city. From the Grande Raccordo Anulare (city ring road) take the exit No 6 for Via Flaminia in the direction of Flaminia Centro - Corso de Francia. This park is one of a chain throughout Italy that also runs the excellent park in Florence. Email: [email protected]
They also charge L50,000 for camper and two, electric included (no option) but the location is so much more convenient that it is far better value. Nice shaded sites, quiet well off the main road, not too crowded, adequate toilet facilities, but not enough water points throughout the large (85,000 square meters) campground. Sites are not formally marked out and you just find a spot you like. Camper dump point provided. Generally highly commended and probably by far the best campground location for ease of access to Rome by good regular public transport.
There is a good supermarket near the railway station several hundred meters from the campsite. The pool is an above ground backyard size, and they want L5,000 per day to use it, damn cheek I think, but otherwise a very good site.
Public transport is at the front gate. Day passes for the bus, train and
trams cost L6,000 and provide unlimited travel for the day, can be purchased
at the campsite (but they'd sold out) or at tobacco kiosks.
9/7/2000 We drove in to ROME, it was a Sunday and we were able to drive right in to the VATICAN CITY and park along the river within 10 minutes walk of St Peters Basilica. Parking is free on Sunday in Rome, no need to feed the pay and display parking ticket machines.
A very small part of the interior of St Peter's
Basilica in Rome. A building of stunning architectural and artistic importance.
The most impressive church in the world. We sat in on the latin mass.
After visiting St Peter's (long pants for men and shoulders covered conservative dress for women are required) we drove through central Rome and parked along the river at LUNGOTOVERE IN AUGUSTA to explore the main shopping street of Rome, Del Corso, on foot all the way down to the Forum. Driving in to Rome on a Sunday presents no problems.
The Temple of Saturn, Rome.
Earlier in the day while driving into the city from the campsite, we had noted a shaded excellent SONPS near Stadio Flamininio in the PIATZZA ANKARA on the south side of the river near the old Olympic village, just off Vigale Marchescallo Pilsudski. here we spent a quiet night in the company of another Italian camper van.
Map of Rome SONPS [141 Kb]
Ceasar's Forum, Rome.
There
are also numerous quiet areas below Ponte Flaminio on the south side
of the river where numerous SONPS are to be had. Although security appeared
to not be a problem, they may be a little too quiet to leave your van parked
all day, and I recommend either parking for the day or overnight in Piatzza
Ankara, where you can park all day, free, there are no posted parking
restrictions, and it is used as a park and ride area by commuters catching
the tram from the adjacent tram stop. There are several well shaded spots
which you will have no problem getting after the commuters depart after working
hours. It fills up early in the morning, but there is plenty of room in the
evenings, and at night sometimes some trucks park there, and the odd other
campervan.
Statue in Ceaser's Forum, Rome.
There is excellent fresh water very close by at a continuously running spar (piped from mountain springs by an ancient Roman system I believe) on the corner of Via Tiziano & Via C. Franassini, where there is also a suburban shopping area to buy Pizza and other essential supplies. We parked in Piatzza Ankera on 9 & 10 July, returned to Camping Flaminio on the 11th for a shower and to do laundry, and returned to Piatzza Ankara on the 12th.
This is a wonderful SONPS from which to explore Rome by catching the tram from the adjacent stop, only a few minutes ride into the centre of the city from where you can walk wherever you like. Or buy a day public transport pass to explore more widely. We felt completely secure in the area and obviously overnight parking is well tolerated. Is it strictly legal, I don’t know, but plenty of police cars went by and no one bothered us. We of course camped city style, as did the several other vans that visited the site during our stay.
The Italian National Monument, Rome.
For a good Pizza in Rome, Florence and Venice we found a fast food chain
called Spizzios was consistently the best quality and value. Much better
than pizza we tried at several small pizza shops. This was we felt, real Italian
pizza, not like the tasteless ones made with a great variety of inferior ingredients
that you often get in Australia, where to our taste it is so bad, that we
wonder if you are supposed to eat the cardboard box and throw away the pizza!
Spizzios are relatively simple, not cluttered with a host of mediocre ingredients,
the basic classic having only good Mozzarella cheese and quality tomato paste,
but with a rich fullness of authentic flavour that I have never found
in a commercially made pizza before. Highly commended.
The glories of Rome are beyond the scope of this article, we both loved our visit, and it has to be another must see on any camper tour of Europe. We were again surprised at how easy it was to find a good SONPS so close to the city.
We had considered going further south in Italy when planning the holiday,
but had read from several sources that the further south you go the more security
hazards increase. We had not had any problems at all so far, never felt threatened,
but then we were always alert, and were choosy about where we would leave
the van parked, and where we would stop overnight. Usually we would stop out
of towns, not along main roads, and where possible, move out of sight of the
road, although often this could not be done. Often we stopped only one night
in a place, unless it was very public like in Paris and Rome. We also would
check the area for exit routes before dark, and park so that we could leave
quickly if any strange events made us feel unsafe. Just precautions that made
sense, and were never needed in our entire trip.
Sharon at the Colluseum in Rome.
Having seen the main things we wanted to in Italy, with Venice yet to come on our way to Austria, also considering the time we had left, and the possibility of deteriorating security further south, we decided to turn northwards again.
13/07/2000 After a visit to TIVOLI, to see the villa, which we didn't find, and which we considered to be a bit of a waste of time, we headed back towards FLORENCE on SS2 so that Sharon, who was now feeling much better after an extended second course of antibiotics, could see the sights that she had not been up to visiting on our earlier visit to the city. This time we went directly to the SONPS we had previously discovered in Delle Porte Sante above the Piatzza Michelangelo, where we stopped for two nights.
Apart from the cultural, artistic and architectural charms of Florence, it is along with Piza, a good place to buy any Italian souvenirs as there are numerous street stalls selling the widest range we came across in Italy, particularly a very good range of fine leather goods. Finely crafted belts at around L8,000 to 12,000 make good presents as they are lite to carry.
Route map Florence - Bolognia [86 Kb]
15/7/2000 We left Florence on the minor road to BORGO SAN LORENZO and then rejoined the SS5 and SS65 to BOLOGNIA.
South
of BOLOGNIA near the 77 Km post is an excellent roadside parking area
SONPS with table and seats, a pleasant view, shade, and a rubbish bin, with
room to park off the road. In Italy a parking area rubbish bin is noteworthy!
It is about 15 Kms South of PIANORO. Look out for the Bolognia
Esalunga Supermarket, good supermarkets are rare in Italy.
From BOLOGNIA we adopted our usual policy and followed minor roads through BUDRIO, PORTOMAGGIORE, MIGLIARINO and CODIGORO to join the E55 and head north to VENICE. The area is flat and rather boring farmland. Our Intention had been to explore the coastal area around the RIVER PO, but the Po is surrounded by high levee banks and there is no easy access, and the area is otherwise flat and featureless. We turned off the E55 on to a minor road to explore along the Po to PORTO TOLLE, where after some difficulty we found a SONPS on the side an unusually wide dead end side road leading past some factories. The area has nothing attractive, and we only stopped because it was late.
I would recommend taking the main road SS64 & SS16 from Bologna via Ferrrara and Padova to Venice instead. I don’t know if it would be more interesting, but at least it would be quicker. Some areas are just not worth wasting time in, and that’s what we thought of the route we took. Still you don’t know, if you don’t go!
Route map Bolognia - Venice [157 Kb]
Good SONPS
VENÉZIA - Venice
16/07/2000 returning to the E55 / SS309 we resumed our journey to VENÉZIA. Without stopping, because we missed it, and you can’t go back, we observed a possible SONPS on the right hand side of SS309, immediately south of the IDOVA RIVER bridge. A short low level dead end parallel road leads of the SS309. The area is about 10 Kms south of the Venice turn off several kms before a very large hypermarket on the Left hand side of SS309, when going North towards Venice. It would be noisy, and only an overnight stop at most, but there are so few places to stop in the area, it is worth noting.We turned on to SS14 and then onto the road to JESELO at the northern
end of the VENICE LAGOON. We were acting on information from the Internet
that there were campgrounds on the LIDO DE VENÉZA, which proved
correct.We proceeded via CAVALLINO to PUNTA SABBIONI. It was
a Saturday and mid holiday season and traffic from Jesolo was bumper to bumper,
the biggest traffic jam we saw in all of Europe.
Venice from the ferry to Punta Sabbioni.
There are many campgrounds all along the Lido, we did not go into any, but from the traffic they would have been full anyway. PUNTA SABBIONI is a ferry terminal where ferries (No 14) to Venice St Mark's Square leave every 30 minutes. L10,000 return or L18,000 for a 24 hour pass (note it is valid for 24 hours, not just on the day of issue) which enables you to use any of the Venice lagoon ferry system boats.
At the ferry terminal turn left and follow the road along the foreshore of the lagoon. We saw a number of camper vans parked along this road, and in parts there are no posted parking restrictions. In a small section near the last campground along the road it is signed no camper vans, but this is only a short section. In any case the posted restriction was being ignored, as it seems most are in Italy.
We
parked a few hundred meters along from the ferry terminal (where there were
no restrictions posted) and stayed for two nights. As we arrived early we
were able to take the ferry, which takes 40 minutes to St Mark’s, after lunch
in the van, and spend the rest of the day exploring Venice. Although there
was no shade, we were able to get comfortably off the road pavement, and in
places the road verge is wide enough for campers to angle park facing the
road. You have a view over the lagoon as there is no parking on the lagoon
side of the road. Traffic is lite as the road is a dead end, and there is
almost no noise at night. We could see our van from the ferry coming and going
to Venice, and we felt that it was a fairly safe area to leave the van parked.
There is a public toilet (L500 admission) near the ferry terminal where you
could get some drinking water by filling plastic containers if you needed
to, but we had enough to last.
The
road along the lagoon goes on westward towards Venice for several kilometres
to the end of the headland, where there is a light house and a wide sandy
beach, public, not privately owned, which is unusual in Europe. Several camper
vans were parked there, obviously set up for an extended stay. There are no
posted parking restrictions, and no one appears to mind. We spoke to one elderly
couple who had been there for several days and were staying a week.
This would also be an excellent SONPS but it is a long way to walk
to the ferry, and you would need to drive and park along the esplanade.
When you drive along the road from Cavallino to Punta Sabbioni touts will try to direct you into pay parking areas that charge L8,000 for the day, whereas you can park for free within easy walking distance of the ferry by going further on to the area where we had parked our van.
Compared with the hassles of trying to park close to Venice on the north side of the lagoon, and the large parking garages, this area is a delight to visit, and to be able to park free so close to the ferry was an added bonus. There are numerous shops, roadside stalls, and restaurants near the ferry terminal and along the road to Jesolo.
St Mark's cathedral, and on the right the
Douge's Palace, Venice.
In Venice we took the tour of the Douge's Palace (L18,000 and L 7,000 for an audio tape guide, recommended) which was one of the most interesting of our trips, and highly commended to anyone with an interest in the history of the city, and its unusual ancient system of republican government. I also recommend that you simply explore on foot in the back streets and get away from the teaming crowds of tourists around St Marks square.
The tourist office has some excelent free walking tour guide leaflets, available in English, covering a number of walks through the byways and back streets of Venice. The leaflets provide interesting commentry on points of interest along the wa,y and are well worth getting.
Use your ferry day pass for a tour along the Grand Canal on the ferry. The tourist office, (several hundred meters to the right along the Grand Canal esplanade from St Mark's as you face the lagoon) has excellent maps and guides in English. Lots of information about Venice on the Internet, and I shan't go in to details. Another highlight of our tour and an absolute must for any one who hasn't seen it, and now you know how to do it very pleasantly and very cheaply in your camper.
17/7/2000 Exploring Venice on foot and ferry. We wondered about staying another day but having spent almost two days exploring decided we would move on next day.
18/7/2000 Leaving early about 7 AM to avoid the traffic congestion on the read to JESOLO, we stopped to buy two 10 litre plastic water bottles at a roadside stall. I was surprised at the low price, only L4,500 each and a similar thing back home cost three times as much at K Mart. They would considerably expand our fresh water storage and replace the five 2 litre cider bottles we had been using since the UK to supplement our vans inbuilt small 25 litre water supply tank. With the bottles we had been able to go about 3-4 days if need be between water stops. Generally finding places to get good water had been no problem, although having an extra 10 litres would be good.
Route map Venice - Austria [150 Kb]
Good SONPS
We followed the minor road to SAN GIORGIO DE LIVENZA and PORTOGRUARO then SS251 to PORDENONE and MANIAGO over the Rest Pass toward the Austrian border. The route is farmland until MANIAGO, densely populated with few stopping places and no SONPS.
On
SS552 at TRAMONTI DI SOPRA there are several SONPS and just north of
the town a new picnic area with BBQ’s shade, public toilets and good water.
At the end of the picnic area is a campground. No camper service point, but
we could empty our Porta Potty into the public toilets. It needs to be emptied
at least once a week, preferably every 3-4 days, or you need to use a lot
more chemical to suppress odours in the hot weather we have been having, and
it would be more often if you used it all the time i/nstead of having a pee
in the bushes whenever convenient.
Beyond TRAMONTI DE SOPRA the SS552 climbs steeply (there is a length
limit of 10 meters on vehicles and no caravans are allowed) over the 1053M
REST PASS, and on both sides of the pass you will find several small
roadside SONPS, level and shaded. This is a very quiet road, even in the peak
holiday season, and we enjoyed great views from our SONPS which was just before
the tunnel on the decent on the northern side of the pass. There are more
SONPS at the foot of the pass near the river crossing.
If you want to stock up on Italian wines and any imported Scotch, do so well south of the Austrian border as the price of these items rises considerably in the border areas; similar to the situation in Spain approaching the French border.