अलविदा सुंदर इटली

It was a bit quieter here on the blog. Italy has once again shown itself from its best side. We had (mostly) nice and warm weather, now almost hot towards the end. And we took advantage of the great weather for hikes.

The planned detour into the interior in the Salerno region on April 25, 2023 was unfortunately not worth it weather-wise. The agriturismo was stationed in Mormanno, and as determined as we are, we visited the 'mountain village' and the agriturismo around noon. Unfortunately, it was practically raining throughout, and it wasn't really warm (around 10 degrees). Oski's heater was needed again.

The next day, we decided to drive back to the warmer coast. The gas for cooking was empty. Finding a replacement turned out to be a real challenge. On the way to Agropoli (on the Mediterranean coast near Salerno), we wanted to visit CampingGaz dealers. Unfortunately, we never found them. But we did find the campsite in Agropoli and were warmly welcomed by a German-Italian lady. The campsite was perfect for us. Small but nice and very clean. In the evening, we took a short walk to explore the small town of Agropoli.

On April 27, 2023, we went on a hike in the local nature park for about 4 hours. The Italians can even mark hiking trails... We got to know a completely new and positive side of Italy. While we were hiking, the owner of the campsite tried to solve our gas problem. Unfortunately, they didn't find a solution either. So we had to celebrate Reto's birthday in a pizzeria. And when we came back, there was a little gift from the campsite for Oski.

Although we felt very comfortable at this campsite, we continued our journey on April 28, 2023. Via Salerno, we were able to solve our gas problem through detours. The birthday cake was saved... The subsequent drive to the famous Amalfi Coast was not fun for us. In the middle of the coast, we took the shortcut over the mountains. The narrow roads and the insane traffic made us decide to turn back. After all, we still want to go to the north with Oski and not end up in a junkyard... In the parking lot in Pompei, Heidi was able to bake Reto's birthday cake. It didn't taste exactly like the lemon cake at home, but it was delicious too.

The next day, we visited the historic Pompei. The historic Pompei was buried under a 6-meter thick layer by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 70 BC. In the last centuries, the city has been excavated again and partially reconstructed. It was interesting, although we were certainly not the only ones.

On April 30, 2023, we continued to Sperlunga, a small town between Naples and Rome. Theoretically, we wanted to stay at the Agrimare Camping, but it seemed to be fully booked. And we were placed on a parking lot (which also belongs to the campsite) nearby. This was the opportunity for us to test our outdoor toilet. Passed the test - we are ready for the north :-)

We visited the small town on Labor Day. The weather didn't show its sunny side, but we still liked the town. And the apéro was also very good :-)

Our next destination was Tarquinia, located above Rome. On the way, we had a coffee in the port of Civitavecchia and visited the (small) boats and yachts at the private marina. We found a nice, small agri campsite. The campsite is a good starting point for a trip to Rome. It can be easily reached by public transport. But Rome was not on our itinerary. In the evening, we had a drink with our 'neighbors' Markus and Mareike. Their car was broken into in Rome, fortunately nothing big was stolen. But the schnapps surely helped to relax. (Manu, your 2024 Chreisel-Bar schnapps are gone).

In Tarquinia, you can go hiking very well. On May 3, 2023, we went on a 20-kilometer hike. In beautiful scenery. Along the way, we were stopped a few times by soldiers, who were probably completing an orienteering course. Unfortunately, not everyone was equally good at orienteering. And we also saw the military car on the way back. Probably not everyone found their way back... After the hike, we treated ourselves to some gelato.

We noticed that we are getting further north in Italy. There are no piles of garbage by the roadside, the houses are better maintained, and the ruins of buildings have decreased.

The next day (May 4, 2023), we visited Pisa. It was on the way, and for us, it was the opportunity to see the leaning tower up close. It was very impressive, the city is manageable and well maintained. But it wasn't the final destination. We signed up for a wine tasting at the Fattoria Maionchi winery in the Lucca region, in the Tuscan mountains. This small winery is run by 2 young men (cousins). During the tasting, we learned a lot about the winery. We were also allowed to visit the very old wine cellar. We were fascinated by it, and we really liked the wine. 1-2 bottles also found their way to Oski. After the tasting, we didn't want to drive any further and were allowed to park our Oski in the parking lot and enjoy the beautiful Tuscan landscape. It was the most uneven parking lot ever... (it wasn't because of the wine)

Our destination the next day was the Monte Sole Historical Park, near Bologna. We reached our destination via detours. In this region, heavy thunderstorms occurred in the past few days, and the roads were partially destroyed. The nature campsite somewhere in the middle of nowhere was very quiet and we liked it very much. However, we wouldn't necessarily recommend it during the peak season, as it is a nudist campsite. Since we are not practicing nudists, it was a special experience for us. The region around the park was very beautiful, and we explored it with hikes. Unfortunately, World War II left its mark and a lot of suffering here. We passed by various memorials.

The end of our trip to Italy brought us back to the starting point of the first overnight stay. We were able to stay overnight again at the small lavender farm in Albinea. And since we were staying for 2 nights, we could also explore the region. It turned out that this region is very popular with bikers and hikers. Tonight we will empty the fridge and drink everything, and tomorrow we will drive back home. We are looking forward to a few days at home, to our loved ones, and to a wedding party.

Italy surprised and moved us with its beautiful nature, charming towns, very lovable and helpful people, and delicious wine. Unfortunately, Italy also has unresolved problems, the mountains of garbage, industrial ruins, and broken roads.

We felt very comfortable and safe in Italy and we will definitely return. At home, we can let everything sink in a bit and then start our journey to the north in mid-May.