Pisa

[mirage]

Met somebody who parked their van to visit Pisa, came back to find it broken into, have seen reports of this in that area before. Leave your van in a Car Park abroad at your peril.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Sorry but a massive over generalisation

[Tomo3090]

Of course vans get broken into from time to time. But really, what a ridiculous thing to say!

[Brian Kirby]

mirage - 2010-06-19 9:11 PM Met somebody who parked their van to visit Pisa, came back to find it broken into, have seen reports of this in that area before. Leave your van in a Car Park abroad at your peril.

Camping Torre Pendente, good secure site.  No break-ins when we were there!  Easy walk into town.  Parking motorhomes off sites or sostas in Italy is a bit more dodgy than most of the rest of Europe.  It shouldn't happen, but you pays you money, or you takes your risks!

[Guest JudgeMental]

Brian Kirby - 2010-06-20 11:11 AM

Parking motorhomes off sites or sostas in Italy is a bit more dodgy than most of the rest of Europe.  It shouldn't happen, but you pays you money, or you takes your risks!

 

 

More dodgy then Spain? *-)

[mirage]

No its not an over generalisation any thief knows all your possessions are in a van, leaving it in a Tourist Car Park in Spain and Italy is asking for trouble, not a certainty but a high risk. A plumber friend of ours left it in a French Hypermarket Car Park came back with the shopping to find it GONE!

 

[Brian Kirby]

This is not scientific but, based on our experience, Eddie, I can only say yes.  We have toured Spain and Portugal twice, Italy once and passed through Northern Italy about four times since we've been motorhoming. 

We spoke to people from UK, and a few others, when we stopped, and had a couple of direct reports of break-ins in Italy, but none in Spain or Portugal.  Both Italian cases involved people who had left vans in urban parking areas, in daylight, and in one case the interior of a hired van had been seriously damaged.  Needless to say, no-one in the area saw or heard anything, though in reality many passers by must have witnessed the break in.  In Italy, you see nothing, which is part of the problem!

So, on that basis, I'd say Italy is a bit riskier.  I should add that we generally tend to avoid the popular holiday centres and beach areas, so most of our travel is a bit "off the beaten track", though not totally so, so the risks may be a bit lower for that reason.  Having said that, I think mainland Europe is generally a bit safer than quite a bit of the UK, and we have not so far encountered problems.  However, it can happen anywhere, so one shouldn't be put off Europe as being a risky place.  It isn't, and there are still many areas where doors are left unlocked when houses are vacated.

[BGD]

As regulars will know, we live in Spain. Have done for almost 8 years now.

 

We tour all over the country, very regularly; a mixture of wild camping and on-site camping. Maybe 10 to 15 trips per year, perhaps 4 or 5 nights per trip on average,

 

Spain reall is a massive country; as big as France.

 

There are gazillions of motorhomes trundling around the country all the time; both Spanish and foreigners.

 

 

In that period, we have actually encountered one; yes one, person who has actually their motorhome broken into in Spain.

 

 

 

Not a scientific research project, I freely admit.

But I wonder how many motorhomers in England have personally encountered other whose vehicles have been broken into or stolen there? And let's add to the comparison the much lower number of motorhomes out and about in England at any given time.

 

The Spanish Motorhome on-line forum that we belong to hasn't had any member report a breakin in all the time (about 3 years) that we've been members of it.

 

 

 

I really do wonder if this is a bit like the "gas attack" issue......more reported on via " I know someone who knows someone who met a guy in the pub who heard that....." rather than actual first hand reported fact.