2 Months on the Road

Already for 2 months we have been cruising around, incredible how quickly time passes! And yet: I have the feeling that it has already been half a year since we were at Achensee or in Salzburg in Austria.

What happened last week..

We spent a relaxing day at the parking lot by the beach outside of Metapont, where we last blogged. The season here only lasts until Sunday, so the area was quiet and empty. In the evening, there was no one here except the owner of the beach bar and a couple from Sweden who, as they told us, received unemployment benefits to finance their long-term trip. Well, that's one way, but as a social worker, enthusiasm comes first.

In the evening, we were hungry and I put a few too many noodles into the hot water. We planned to eat the leftovers for breakfast. I had placed the pot with the pasta outside the entrance to cool down - of course with the lid on. When I wanted to bring it in before going to sleep, I found it a few meters away in the bushes. There were no more noodles in it, only some dried tomato sauce stuck to the edges. One of my Crocs shoes had also moved and was lying - dirty and nibbled - nearby. Someone - maybe a raccoon? - must have made quite a noise, but Filou, who has his spot right by the entrance, must have slept through it.

But Filou had other worries as well. He had been plagued by fleas for a few days, and since neither the Scalibor collar nor an anti-parasite foam bath showed much effect, we drove to a vet the next morning. He gave him a spot-on treatment, and lo and behold - a week later, Filou was flea-free.

After visiting the vet, we continued north. Our destination was Pompei. And the further north we drove, the more we liked the nature and the roads. There was significantly less garbage by the roadside, and the zigzag driving on the highway came to an end because the potholes had been largely eliminated here. In contrast to southern Italy, which is mostly flat, gentle hills and eventually entire mountain ranges came into view.

After several hours of driving, we arrived in Pompei. It was officially the off-season now, and we wanted to finally use our ASCI camping card, which provides a discount in the off-season. In the ASCI camping guide, we found a campsite in the middle of the city, only 100 meters from the entrance to the archaeological site. When we arrived, we were greeted very unfriendly - or rather, not greeted at all. A young guy made eye contact with us and told us to follow him. After pointing to an empty pitch, he turned around and walked away without saying a word. After parking, I went to the reception to get some information about the campsite and the surrounding area. I had to pull every little detail out of the older man who sat apathetically behind the counter. How much does a night cost here? Where are the toilets? When is check-out? Etc.

Well, we thought, at least everything is close by, it's cheap - let's forget about the unfriendly faces. But after visiting the sanitary facilities, our opinion quickly changed: we - have - to - leave - here. Seriously, we are really not known for being squeamish, but this was just too much. I'll spare you the details, dear friends, but here's a little insider tip for anyone planning to visit Pompei with a camper: Avoid the Fortuna Village campsite in Pompei.

I then went back to the unfriendly man at the reception and told him that we were leaving immediately. He said that we still had to pay the full price. I informed him about the condition of the sanitary facilities and that we wouldn't pay a cent for something like this. He seemed surprised and wanted to see the evidence with his own eyes. So we went to the toilets together and I showed him all the "stuff". When I said that we would be gone in ten minutes, he had no objections anymore.

We then found a sweet little family-run parking spot just outside the city using the park4Night app, for the same price. It was a 20-minute walk to the center, but it was worth it. Immediately after our arrival, we were shown around the whole place, given information about Pompei, and even offered a welcome drink. That's how it should be!

The next day, we visited the archaeological site of Pompei. Impressive, but unfortunately there was too little information available. We saw all the rediscovered, excavated houses, streets, and temples, wall paintings, fountains, intricately decorated columns, and mosaic floors - but there were no information boards that said anything about the respective objects. We saw that a few people had some kind of guide - a box with earplugs - but no one had pointed it out to us when we entered. So on the next day, during our onward journey, we listened to a podcast about Pompei on Spotify and finally learned something about the history of the inhabitants of Pompei, who were surprised and largely buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. By the way, Pompei was not rediscovered until almost 2000 years later - starting in 1920. Before that, the city had been covered with debris, ash, and rubble. Even today, archaeologists are still busy excavating parts of the city.

After Pompei, we continued north. We still had to drive a few more kilometers to meet our friends in Cinque Terre in a few days. Along the way, a powerful thunderstorm approached. It poured down, visibility was only a few meters, and the sky was marked with surreal colors and lights. It was a real spectacle, a bit frightening, but a feast for the eyes. We arrived at Sperlonga, a small town on the coast. When we saw that the parking lot where we were standing cost 20 euros per day, we drove another half an hour and ended up a few towns north in Terracina. It was already dark when we arrived at a large, not very beautiful, asphalted parking lot in the middle of a neighborhood. We stayed there for the night and left early the next morning. A few hours later, passing Rome, we arrived at the Bracciano Martignano Nature Park, more precisely in a small town called Trevignano Romano. I had discovered the place a few days earlier on the camping app and didn't want to spend the weekend at the beach, where there would probably be a lot of Italians enjoying the last warm sunny days. We didn't know anything about the town of Trevignano Romano itself, except that it was located right by a lake. When driving through the small town, we noticed the many beautiful buildings along the waterfront. We parked 1.5 kilometers outside the town, right by the lake with a long beach. Free of charge.

In the afternoon, we walked along the beautiful lakeside promenade into town. We encountered a lot of cheerful people, a man sat on a bench with his guitar and sang beautiful Italian songs, unusually many dog owners walked by with their furry companions. The positive atmosphere infected us. In the center, there was a small old town with winding alleys, colorful house facades, open art studios, and flowers everywhere. In the evening, we had dinner at a pizzeria. The next day, we hiked up to the ruins of a castle that stood on the hill above the old town and offered a wonderful view over the whole valley.

In the afternoon, we continued our journey. Our destination was Arezzo. We googled where we could shower - it was about time. I think the last shower was three or four days ago. We didn't find a swimming pool, a fitness center, or anything else that was open in the evening, but we saw a sign on the highway indicating the next highway rest stop with a camper sign below it. We took a chance and got off the highway, and we found a super modern rest stop - with showers. They were top-notch; you had a lockable room all to yourself with a clean shower and toilet, and even a hairdryer - and it was all free. And there was even an enclosed exercise area for dogs, which Filou used for a quick business.

Fresh and smelling good, we continued our journey. Along the way, we drove through beautiful landscapes. We were now in Tuscany, and it looked like the cover of a travel magazine - hilly landscapes with vineyards and olive groves, cypresses and pine forests. We somewhat regretted that we had so little time for Tuscany - we have been quite busy lately - but we stored it as a destination for a two-week vacation in the future. When we have our jobs with five weeks of vacation per year again.

In Arezzo, we headed to a large shopping center. Sarah needed a warm sleeping bag, and we both needed a wider selection of warm clothes. When you pack in the summer, winter clothes are usually short supply. And for the past two days, the nights have been uncomfortably cold, although it is still quite warm in the sun during the day. Yes, it's already the end of September, autumn is coming. And what we also lacked: nice clothes. When we wanted to go out in the evening with Sarah's cousin in southern Italy, we realized that we didn't have anything in which we felt comfortable for such occasions. Especially in terms of shoes - for example, besides a pair of hiking shoes, rain boots, and nibbled Crocs, I only have two pairs of sneakers with me - one in worn-out pink and one in bright pink. Not suitable for nice occasions. Unfortunately, we didn't find any nice shoes, but Sarah found a winter sleeping bag, and I found a pair of long pants and a sweater.

We drove another two kilometers to a large, free parking lot in the center, where about twenty campers were parked. It somehow seemed strange to us, right in the off-season. As soon as we parked, an older German couple came up to us, who were also traveling with a camper, and said that they would park a bit further away because all these here are "gypsies". We didn't know exactly what they meant by that, but in retrospect, we had the impression that these might be a kind of "vagabonds". Most of them seemed to know each other and had set themselves up quite well with tables and cooking stations. Unusual for a public parking lot. We followed the couple and parked at the other end of the parking lot. We spent a quiet night without any incidents. We even wondered if we were now "gypsies"? Then we continued to Empoli near Florence. Here, another aunt of Sarah's - Zia Stefania - lives, whom we spontaneously visited.

We were warmly welcomed by Stefania and her husband Roberto. They live in an apartment in the countryside, right in the beautiful Tuscany. So we were still able to enjoy a piece of this wonderful region. The house was located in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by vineyards.

The two share the apartment with a 5-month-old long-haired Chihuahua. Luna. Ultra cute but ultra moody. It was hardly possible for us to pet Filou in the apartment because every time, the jealous little brat would show up and intervene.

We were generously spoiled with regional specialties and could hardly walk afterwards, our bellies were so full. We spent a fun afternoon with the two of them and then took a few hours in our camper to digest. Around eight o'clock, we went back up to their apartment. Zia Stefania had mentioned something about grilling, but we were still full. So the four of us played some thrilling games of Briscola (an Italian card game), Roberto and I against Stefania and Sarah. Unlike yesterday, luck was on our side today 😊

The two days with Zia Stefania had been wonderful, but our journey continues today to Levanto near Cinque Terre, where we will meet the Perler couple 😊 We are very excited!

And what else... we are doing well, we are all healthy again. And we are far from being tired of life on four wheels, on the contrary, it somehow keeps getting better. So far, we have had a great mix - traveling without a plan, meeting friends, Workaway, making new friends, visiting relatives, then again traveling without a plan with wild camping, city sightseeing, experiencing nature... and we are looking forward to the new season. Autumn. For us, it means hiking season! Put on your hiking shoes and off we go! Until next time!

Author: Stephanie Köllinger