#95 Camping at the go-kart track - that blows a fuse!

March 21-22, 2022: Matera

On our search for a suitable campsite in Matera, we came across a pitch that is located on a go-kart track during the off-season. That in itself is pretty cool, but the owner Gianfranco is absolutely amazing. On that day, there were 5 motorhomes and campers, and he was able to explain everything important to us in French, German, English, and of course Italian. He also offered to be a taxi/bus driver for trips into the city and gave us his own little bus schedule - prior registration was necessary though. After all the important sights and tips were marked on our city map, we went to the city with two Swiss people. During the short 10-minute drive, there were all sorts of funny anecdotes about the city or international clichés. Gianfranco is just a super funny guy, you don't have to take every word he says too seriously.

In the city of Matera, there would be a lot for us to see if it weren't for Monday. Monday seems to be a day off for many museums and public buildings here in Italy as well. The allegedly most beautiful rock church - there are over 100 of them here - was unfortunately closed and could only be admired from the outside. Not only the churches were carved into the rocks here, but also almost the entire rest of the old town. These narrow alleys and the many buildings, of which only the front can be seen because the rest is stuck in the rock, would certainly already qualify for UNESCO World Heritage status, but Matera can go one step further. It has a huge underground water storage system. The largest cistern holds 9 million liters of rainwater and served as the city's water supply until the 20th century. By the way, Matera can be considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, as there has been a settlement here since the Neolithic Age.

After a beautiful day in Matera, we went back to the pitch in the evening with Gianfranco-Reisen. The pitch price even included electricity, so we took advantage of the offer and cooked on our large induction stove. Unfortunately, when it was turned up to the highest setting, the fuse on the pitch's power box tripped, causing our system to switch to battery power, which in turn caused our main fuse between the battery and converter to burn out. I hadn't really considered this scenario before the trip, so I didn't pack a spare fuse. The next day, we were able to obtain a 60A fuse, and after many more unsuccessful searches in the following days, we then ordered an 80A fuse online. Another item for our "We'll do it differently on the next trip" list. This list has gotten quite long by now...

Day 158 - Total tour 11,731 km

---- Subscribe ----

If you would like to subscribe to our blog, you can either sign up on Vakantio and click on subscribe or send us a message and we will add you to our own distribution list. We also welcome feedback!

Email: querfeld2@gmail.com