Rest on the island

A look at a temperature map told me that the ocean, at 12°C, was warmer at night than the mainland, which had predominantly sub-zero temperatures. In order to be able to travel self-sufficiently again, my only option was to escape to one of the mild islands - Elba was the closest.

For once I didn't have to vomit during the ferry crossing; the sea was still calm enough at only 17km away. The island is wonderfully compact, only 27km in diameter and almost 150km in circumference. Reaching every spot becomes a stone's throw. If you climb Monte Capanne, the highest elevation at around 1000m, you can see the entire island in one overview.

In winter the island is completely shut down for tourism. This was confirmed to me on the third day when I was visited by two police officers. After some nice small talk, they pointed out the camping rules in Italy, which prohibit camping outside of the vehicle. After I assured them that I had followed these rules so far and would continue to do so in the future, they mentioned that it wouldn't matter much since I was the only tourist anyway. It's worth noting that I couldn't find a single open campsite on the entire island.

The island offers beautiful hikes through forests and mountains with incredible peace and quiet in the low season. Similar to the Cinque Terre, the villages consist of randomly arranged houses in beautiful pastel colors. When you walk through the winding streets, you can smell either fresh laundry or delicious food. Because of the narrowness of the streets, you have the feeling of walking through the residents' living rooms. You are greeted warmly by everyone and feel like you belong. The mostly older residents appear relaxed and exude incredible dignity, even when they walk very slowly through the steep streets on sticks. There are cats on almost every corner of the villages, ready to be cuddled. People live here instead of just functioning. This feeling is addictive. The same applies to hot chocolate, which in Italy usually has the consistency of liquid chocolate mousse.

I was able to study Italian temperament after an accident between a cyclist and a car driver in the capital Portoferraio. The cyclist immediately jumped up from the ground to stand and immediately began a discussion with the still shocked driver. They continued the discussion for another 10 minutes, supported by wild gesticulations. They then simply went on their way without calling the police or ambulance.

In summer Elba will certainly be overcrowded due to its many beautiful beaches with crystal clear water, but for me it is easy to travel due to its emptiness. Almost behind every bend there was a forest parking lot that I could use to spend the night. My favorite spot was Volterraio Castle. She was photogenic from every direction and I hiked up the steep ramps to her again and again on different days. I was regularly frustrated by the herds of goats. While I was completely out of breath when I reached the summit, they playfully moved away from me through the steep and impassable terrain as if it were nothing.

My favorite place to spend the night was also near the castle. As dreamed, in the morning the interior of the vehicle was flooded with light from the rising sun as soon as I opened the back door. Despite all the euphoria, I have to point out that your eyes go blind when you suddenly look into the bright sun from complete darkness.

A regular check of my camper's oil level revealed to me that I urgently needed to top up the engine oil after just 5000km since the last inspection. The thirty-year-old Puch seems to have quite high fuel consumption.

The findings of this stage are that I left Elba after two weeks with a heavy heart. With a full tank, we didn't have to refuel once. Elba gave me exactly the type of travel that I had missed so far: on my own with peace, relaxation and nature in abundance.

Vehicle component: The standout vehicle component of the article is the hot water boiler, which heats water using waste heat from the vehicle engine. A 15 minute drive per day is enough and you have continuous hot water without using additional energy. I used the hot water to wash dishes or in the outside shower.