Distance travelled: 395km
Total distance: 9190km
Ice cream count: 26.5

 

Our next stop was right on the coast and was the first day in a couple of weeks that we had a breeze and felt we could actually breathe! We spent an afternoon exploring the local town of Giovinazzo, which turned out to be beautiful and more like Dubrovnik or Greece with its white marble houses and bright blue waters sparkling in the sun. We also found a lovely little bar for today’s Aperol and a draught IPA for Matt. Vito, the owner was a really lovely guy and his gorgeous new little bar was fab.
This campsite was reported to be lovely but noisy, being next to some beach bars that were open until 4am. The reports were true, but the music was the least of our worries as on the second night the local town hosted a festival which had a midnight firework display literally on the beach next to us – we had a good view from our cabin bed, but poor Wilf was apparently terrified by the firework booms and resulting shakes of the van and managed to open the door and get out… luckily not going too far, but it was a very unsettled night for us all!

Distance travelled: 168km
Total distance: 8795km
Ice cream count: 27.5

This stop was about the campsite – an inland agrotourism site that Matt had found and liked the look of. It was certainly a lovely little farm with lots of lovely homegrown produce including honey from their own hives. We also got to show Griff the baby goats and chickens, and finally got the chance to use the pool to cool down from the crazy heat, as Wilf was allowed to sit in his bed at the side. The only drawback here was the millions of flies that harassed us at every opportunity – even Matt was getting annoyed, while Wilf was obsessed and Griff and I just hid in the van!

Distance travelled: 273km
Total distance: 8627km
Ice cream count: 26.5

 

This was one of the most beautiful but busiest few days we’ve had in terms of number of tourists. The campsite was well packed in and definitely not our favourite, but it did have direct access to the beach and Mediterranean Sea, which was well appreciated after a hot day of exploring Sorrento.
We took the public bus into town and had a lovely mooch around the winding lanes and coastal paths of Sorrento. The people watching here was also awesome, but we heard more English accents in our one day here than we have all round Italy I think. Food and drinks were also good; I am enjoying the Aperol Spritz and the Italian coffee is the best we’ve tasted on our trip so far.
Driving the Amalfi Coast was also stunning and, despite the warnings from a few people, actually less hair-raising than driving round Naples! Our stop off in Positano for brunch was lovely – the views of the gorgeous blue sea and colourful houses clinging to the sides of the cliffs was amazing and we found a beautiful café for pancakes and avocado on toast, though it was certainly tourist prices. Walking up and down hundreds of steps to our parking place was however enough to build up an appetite. The rest of the drive was slow and steady as we had to stop regularly to let busses pass the other way and for the many roadworks taking place. Definitely a drive to come back and do again in a smaller, sportier car, perhaps without the heatwave too!

Distance travelled: 195km
Total distance: 8354km
Ice cream count: 25.5

 

For our next adventure we stayed at one of the best value campsites we have had. It was well located, had free buses to the train station for getting into Rome and the facilities were pretty good. Rome itself was incredible! There seemed to be recognisable landmarks at every turn – we saw (and climbed!) the Spanish steps, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, the Colosseum and lots of Roman ruins. Matt and Griff also managed a tour of the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel, while Wilf and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon drinking Limencello and Aperol Spritz in the sunshine. The weather was crazy hot too, but we managed to survive and enjoyed our whirlwind tour of the capital.

Distance travelled: 228km
Total distance: 7801km
Ice cream count: 23.5 (Matt had one without Kate!)

 

 

So my weekend started as a four (two bi-peds, a quadruped and a crawler), and I ended the weekend as a two (a bi-ped and a quadruped!!)

 

As Kate jetted off to sunnier climes (a date as a wedding guest in the UK), Wilf and I were left to entertain ourselves. So where do the lonesome go when they find themselves at a loose end? They head to party central. So, with that in mind we decided that heading to Rimini and a quiet campsite in the countryside was more our thing!!

 

 

It was clear after we arrived why the site was called Camping Panorama; beautiful views in all directions. Located just outside Pesaro and right on the edge of the Mediterranean. With all of this stunning countryside surrounding us it was clear this was going to be a relaxing weekend. I had the beers and the meat ready for the barbecue of the century, what more could I need? It turns out that Kate dodged a bullet, despite the stunning scenery it also had a stunning amount of bugs, ants, mosquitos, moths and an array of other flying insects!

 

Friday afternoon was spent relaxing around the site, cooking and listening to some music. On Saturday, I decided that I would venture out, and a 30 minute drive took me right into the centre of Rimini. Quite a small town, but with a stunning piazza and some lovely old architecture; the heat was oppressive though, so a gelato was definitely the call of the day! Sunday turned into a mammoth walk. Looking very briefly at the map I presumed that Pesaro was about a 12km round trip, so after a lot of ‘faffing’ about we set off about 11am (in the heat of the day) for this lovely seaside town. To cut a long story short, it was nearer 12km each way, so arriving in Pesaro, the thought of the walk back laid heavy in our minds. We decided on a rather nice looking restaurant to try and get some energy back into the legs (Wilf shared my focaccia, water and some sneaky pasta, as well as his his own snacks) and to celebrate my first ever Father’s Day (alone!!). Anyway, the pasta seemed to give us the required energy and we arrived back at the campsite, short of breath and energy. Luckily we had just enough motivation to prepare tea before dragging ourselves into bed…

 

Roll on Monday, where we scooted back up the autostrada to Bologna to collect Kate and Griff from their early morning flight back to Italy and to continue the Wrood European Tour…

Distance travelled: 467km
Total distance: 7573km
Ice cream count: 23, when in Italy!

 

So Tuscany – what can we say about Tuscany. It was simply beautiful – from the stunning views to the delicious food, amazingly cheap wine, gorgeous gelato on every corner and friendly and welcoming people – we loved it here. We did a bit of a crazy tour of towns and villages, but it was well worth the driving and even the stay in the Hi-De-Hi style campsite (evening entertainment was noisy to say the least, and went on way past my bedtime!).

 

The highlights are many, but we loved Lucca for its cute streets and boutique shops, had a fab time exploring the three small villages of Casale Marittimo, Certaldo and Monteriggioni (seeing a wedding taking place in each!) and we were in awe at the architecture and beautiful piazzas and sculptures all over Siena and Florence. The Ferraris lining the Piazza del Campo and revving their engines added to the feeling of craziness and opulence of Siena, and Griff thoroughly enjoyed charming and chatting to all the ladies on the bus home!

Florence was beautiful too – we enjoyed exploring the Mercato Centrale, despite Wilf having to wear a muzzle and Matt carrying him up the escalator! The views from the Ponte Vecchio were lovely and the coffee on Piazza Della Signorina was well worth the high price! We also had one of the best gelatos yet here – not just for the massive volume, but also for the tasty and unusual flavours – Matt had trifle and I had amaretto – delicious! Final highlight was dinner in a restaurant recommended by Matt’s friend Rory – Trattoria Za Za – which was great. Tuscany, we will be back!

Distance travelled: 358km
Total distance: 8159km
Ice cream count: 25.5

Having collected Kate and Griff from the airport, we were back on the road heading south to Umbria. The temperatures were soaring so this stop was about reacclimatising and seeing a bit more of the beautiful countryside of Italy. Our campsite was a lovely little place on the shores of a very quiet lake. The only complaint was the number of bugs – but at least the evening noises here were less about karaoke and more about crickets and birds.

From here we explored the beautiful towns of Spello, Assisi and Perugia, stopping for cold drinks and Italian snacks in all three, of course! Spello was particularly beautiful and without the hoards of tourists in Assisi. All though were glorious and had beautiful views of the surrounding countryside being on top of a hill each time. Umbria was definitely just as gorgeous as Tuscany, but perhaps a little less discovered.

Distance travelled: 232km
Total distance: 7106km
Ice cream count: 20

 
We decided not to stop in Genoa after a crazy journey round the town trying to get to our campsite; we almost ended up in the ferry port and navigating the maze of roads with all the crazy drivers, motorbikes and scooters just didn’t seem worth it! Instead we had a nice lazy morning round the van before setting off towards the Cinque Terre.

 

 

Lunch was in beautiful Portofino, a pretty old fishing village reached via a very windy and narrow mountain road. We then headed onto our campsite in Levanto which turned out to be full – not wanting to turn away paying customers, the owner directed us to a terrace at the top of the site on some tent pitches, which would have been perfect if another van with two dogs hadn’t turned up too! Still, it was a nice quiet spot and a good base for a couple of nights.

To see the Cinque Terre we decided to take the train as it stops at all 5 villages and was super easy and reasonably cheap. We started with a train to La Spezia where we took some time to explore the town and wander round the harbour before getting back on the train and choosing (pretty much at random!) two of the 5 villages to stop off at – firstly Riomaggiore, which was a beautiful, brightly coloured fishing village with pink and orange houses nestled into the cliffs around a small harbour, and then Corniglia, a small winding village at the top of hundreds of steps where we had a drink and some nibbles and Griff flirted with anyone and everyone. We also stopped in Levanto for an evening drink before home. Highlight of the evening was sitting outside the van watching fireflies glowing around us – a new experience for both of us and an amazing end to a lovely day.

 

Distance travelled: 319km
Total distance: 6874km
Ice cream count: 18 – too many nice gelato shops not to!

 

Our first stop in Italy and it was certainly a spectacular start. From the border we drove through Lugano to reach our campsite near Lenno on the banks of Lake Como; within a short walk we were surrounded by picture postcard views of the lake and all the pretty little villages dotted around it. We had a wander and let Wilf have a dip in the lake before sampling our first Italian pizza and gelato – both of which went down very well.
The next day was another scorcher so we followed a path into the woods, finding ourselves climbing up fairly high past the Villa del Balbianello, which looked pretty amazing. After our walk we had a nice restful afternoon by the van – picnic blanket and toys for Griff and pesto chicken with rice and salad, plus another short walk for Wilf and obligatory gelato for us made for a nice end to the day.
Next stop was Bellagio via Como town. Both pretty towns for a mooch and glorious in the sunshine. Como was full of old architecture with a beautiful town square and church (bells ringing as it was Sunday). We had a tasty brekkie in a cycling café that catered to the international set. Bellagio was more quaint with winding cobbled streets and steps down to the lake front. Our campsite here (Camping Clark) was really lovely, set up on the hill above the town, so gave us a good walk down and home. The only downside to this place was all the noisy dogs that seemed to bark for half the night.. hoping Italy isn’t as bad as Spain for night time noise as with the heat, it’ll be windows and vents open all the way.