Step on the gas, have, and search

From Peschiera del Garda to Lucca, it's just under 300 kilometers – for mileage junkies like us, that's really nothing. But there was this little problem: Overnight, our heater had emptied the first of two German gas bottles. We needed a new one, this time an Italian. We were prepared: had the adapter, everything ready. What we lacked was a full bottle.

With our old camper van, gas had never been an issue. Two aluminum gas bottles, refillable at every LPG station – at least in Germany. In Spain, however, there were almost only bottles, and we regularly struggled to find autogas in time.

This time we thought: With bottles we are perfectly equipped in Italy. Not at all! LPG is abundantly available at every gas station here, but gas bottles? Not a chance. After five or six unsuccessful attempts and a look on Google, Icke stepped in. She consulted her new best friend ChatGPT – who recommended an address just 20 kilometers off the highway. A stone's throw, we thought.

The stone's throw turned out to be an adventurous drive over beaten paths with potholes like craters. And at the destination: an apartment block, with an elderly woman and a dog in front. I asked her in my best Italian about the company – she shrugged. A younger neighbor helped out, spoke decent English, and laughed loudly when she heard the company name. “The owner lives here. The company is somewhere else.”

Icke swears she will have a serious word with her new friend.

We finally arrived at the parking spot in Lucca around half-past five. For 300 kilometers, we took seven hours – a new record low. I’m sure there are cyclists who would be faster...