Syd Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi Judge As our recognised "ITALY" expert would you please be kind enough to help with things to see in Italy. We are planning a two or three month sortie there in September, must see Pisa, Rome, Pompie, Monticassino. Have done quiet a bit of planning but expert advice always gratefully accepted. No great urgency. Thanks in anticipation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 sorry Syd but not much of an expert I'm afraid, even though been there 4 years running...... we end up in Lake Garda and thats it I'm afraid, to scared to go futher south due to the heat and crowds! 35deg C enough for me... :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Syd, maybe a look on David Klyne's web site might be a good idea. http://www.caravantravels.co.uk Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi Sid I'm no expert, but we have been to Italy a couple of times -couldn't agree more with the Judge, Lake Garda is beautiful. However, if you're planning to see Pisa, there is a campsite in Pisa, within walking distance of the Tower, in the Caravan Club Europe book. If you're going to Pisa, don't forget to visit Lucca, which we thought was even nicer than Pisa - it's a walled town, traffic free, towalk or cycle around, if you haven't got a bike there are plenty of hire shops. You can park outside the walls. We've only been to Rome without our motorhome but I can remember from other listings there are a couple of sites nearby. Pompei - we camped at Camping Spartacus, which we thought was great (there are going to be howls of protest about the great bit, as this is a typical Italian campsite - pack'm in tight and a bit noisy but great fun!). The advantage of this site is that you can see Pompei 300 metres away and the railway station where you can catch a train to Sorrento one way, or Naples the other way - by far the safest way of seeing Naples; both these destinations are a day trip (also, there is wi-fi on this campsite). We found Italy a great place for the motorhome, southern Italy being totally different to anywhere we visited, the further south you go please be aware of the motorcyclists and mopeds - they'll overtake you anywhere! I'm not sure about going underneath the van, but I'm pretty certain they try to go across the top! As I've said, Italy is a great, fun place - have a smashing time. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Don't you have a caravan, Syd? I assume you'll want campsites rather than sostas. Pisa: Camping Torre Pendente. It's a bit of walk in, and you have to take a rather unpleasant underpass beneath the railway, OK, but just a bit noisy and smelly. Fair supermarket just through the underpass. Cathedral, tower etc, all just a bit further in. However, don't just stop at them, the rest of Pisa is great fun as well, and well worth a day's wander. Seems a shame to go as far as Pisa and miss out on Venice! A number of sites in Rome, each has its fans, all fairly pricey, but Italian sites are! We used Camping Flaminio Village, on the Via Flaminia Nuova. Quite good site with the best toilet/shower block I have ever used! There is a train from Due Ponte station, which is the opposite side of Via Flaminia, as is a good supermarket. There are pedestrian traffic lights, but don't rely on them. Roman drivers don't take prisoners, even when the lights are red! Train takes you into the Piazzale Flaminio station, just by the Piazza del Popolo, which is at the head of Via del Corso, the supposedly upmarket Rome shopping drag. Quite central, and within walking distance of St Peter's, Spanish Steps, Forum, Colosseum, Trevi fountain etc etc. Agree about Spartacus in Pompeii. Fun little site right opposite entrance to ruins. Ruins are very hard work, hot, dry, extensive, no toilets, no café inside - and half the things you want to see will be closed for one reason or another! Italy, see! Nevertheless, not to be missed. BIG problem with feral dogs in Pompeii, they roam everywhere, so eating outside not such a good idea unless you are prepared to mount permanent guard on your food! :-) Also quite a number of feral males/females making short term use of the hire cabins on site while we were there. Quite a hoot! Circumvesuviana train, as stated above, Sorrento to Naples, stops at Pompeii. Also stops at Ercolano, where you will find Herculaneum. Also destroyed in the same eruption as Pompeii, but less damaged so much more to see. Mixed bath house very atmospheric - if open! Archaeological museum in Naples has all the goodies from both sites, some of which are truly stunning. Don't miss it! If you want to mix your cultures, get to Paestum, south of Salerno. Was a Greek colony, and has three of the best preserved Greek temples outside Greece, possibly even including those in Greece! Just north of Naples is Pozzuoli, which is a low level volcanic crater (Solfatera) you could visit with a guide. You could also go up Vesuvius without a guide. Don't know either either still possible, but a different day out if so! Then, you could "do" the "Amalfi drive" if you are in a car, but wouldn't recommend it in a van! You'll end up in Salerno, which is something completely different. In truth, you can pretty much wander anywhere in Italy and find something interesting, often stunning. But, if what you want is really beaches - go to Spain! Italy has miles of sandy beach, but the Italians, bless them, cover them in loungers and sunshades and charge for them. The free, public, bit is almost invariably the dirty bit down at the scruffy end! Bit different in the deep south, as there aren't so many hotels to take over the beaches. Bologna is fun on the way down with a very good municipal campsite a fairly short bus ride out. If you are into leaning towers, a couple more, but quite different, there. Good views from the top. Siena, great place. Ditto Vicenza. Ditto Florence. Whatever you do, if you want to get into the Ufizzi, pre-book it. Even then the queues are long, but without, you'll need to take a tent! Final thought, if you're going as far as Naples, cut across to the Adriatic coast and pick up Alberobello. Different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 10, 2011 Author Share Posted June 10, 2011 Great info, many thanks to you all. Will start the Italy leg off at Butterfly, Peschera (spelling), Lake Garda as we were there last year, Judge, where do you stay when you are there ?? Yes we are tuggers so campsites are required, Herculaneum is actually high on my list but I did not add it because I wasn't sure jow to spell it so rather than display my ignorance I left it out. Sadly no beaches for us as Lee is a wheelchair user and wheelchairs and sand do not mix, anyway I do not like them very much. Although I am now 34 yrs and should have done all of this at school, had there been one where I was, I am looking at learning about the history of Italy and actual life there. I would love to do a couple of the opera houses but Im afraid that for my wonderful lady that is most probably just one step too far I am always wondering "Why" about most things, I become quiet excited when things are pointed out to me in detail so will be getting into the escorted tours of as many places as posible especially in Rome. Planing for at least two weeks in there. Alberobello is also on my list along with Reggio di Calabria and Monte Cassino. Thanks again been a big help, I'm most grateful We want to just take our time looking at as much as posible and get home around mid Novemberish. Been wanting to do this for the last four years and am really really looking forward to it Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 In which case, Syd, I'll risk a few more comments. First, I can let you have GPS co-ordinates for a number of sites, if you wish. Most we have used, though some not for a few years, so would be wise to check they are still there, and still good! Second, although I have no experience of wheelchair use in Italy, my recollection is of a country that was not particularly wheelchair friendly. It may therefore be wise to check with the Italian State Tourist office in London what to expect, and also to check direct with any major "attraction" you wish to visit, what is on offer. I shall be delighted to find I am wrong on this! Third, and forgive my warning if you already know this, a lot of Italy is seriously mountainous. The flat bit, really the Po valley, extends east roughly from Milan as far as Trieste, bordered to its north by a line passing through Verona (another nice place), and is bordered to the south by Parma, Modena, Forli and Rimini. There is another flat bit in Puglia, roughly the heel of the boot. Outside that, it quickly becomes hilly, and the hills quickly grow to serious mountains. Don't confuse the Apennines with the Pennines! They are a branch of the Alps that got lost and wandered off down Italy as far as the toe of its boot. Some even have snow in summer! Fourth, if you travel off autostrada, you will pass through superb scenery, but very slowly. Away from the flat bits the roads wind prettily, or on the flat bits the roads are full of endlessly jinking traffic, so overtaking is an act of faith. The Italians are big on faith!! :-) Fifth, the autostrada tolls are reasonable (much cheaper than France) so, considering the progress you make, and the fuel you save, relative to other roads, are worth using. However, like all motorways, they are boring. Sixth, Italian filling stations are a law unto themselves. Most close at mid-day: some apparently reopen in the afternoon, many shut Saturdays and most, except on the autostrada, on Sunday! You have been warned. :-) Buy fuel in the mornings when most are open, and keep your tank at least half full, just in case. Seventh, the Italians are, by and large, the most friendly, helpful, individuals you could hope to meet. They are also the most gregarious, sociable, family oriented, noisy, buggers on earth! They will tend to pull in close to you wherever you stop. That is just them, so peace is a rare commodity on Italian campsites. Eighth. The cost of a campsite is no guide to value. None are cheap, but the most expensive may be no better than the cheapest. Ninth. Most of the Italian "goodies" are in very old towns built on hills. So, if it isn't, I seriously suggest getting that wheelchair powered. Shoving an unpowered wheelchair a few hundred yards up an uneven, cobbled, sunny, street in the (Italian!) mid-day sun will not an enjoyable visitor experience make! Tenth. The Italians have an individualistic approach to driving. This gets more pronounced as you go south. They disregard most speed limits and overtaking restrictions, and happily overtake on blind bends. So, as they all do it, they tend to tolerate it, and the kind of hooting wars that can break out in UK when someone cuts someone up are rare - unless one, or other, has been really frightened, or regards the other as being unreasonably aggressive. Somewhere in the Italian genes, there is a code for this, but I don't have it, so have never been able to understand where the boundary lies between acceptance and offence! Regarding overtaking, once off autostrada, many of the roads are quite wide. The norm is to drive near the crown of the road, leaving the sides free for two way cycle and moped traffic, plus the odd 500cc Kawasaki! Confusing? You bet! However, if someone coming towards you has badly misjudged his overtaking (frequently!), it is accepted practise to pull to the right (missing that Kawa!) to let him through. To do otherwise is regarded as bad form, or even an act of outright aggression. So, the best approach is to broadly observe the limits, follow the local customs, and then just sit back and watch, and laugh. :-D Do otherwise, and you'll have a breakdown, have an accident, get booked, or get duffed up! Eleventh. NEVER, EVER, carve up big, shiny, new, black, BMWs or Mercedes, with heavily tinted windows, driven by men in dark suits, and wearing sunglasses. Just don't!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Only down te road from you Syd! at camping Forenella! would be nice to meet up, but we are only there for a week on way back from Croatia (all being well healthwise...hard to tell these days :-S ) we arrive there Saturday 5th August :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Just to add Pompie is amazing.............only regret is, I went as a young matlote and to thick to take in the enormity of the event *-) ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 pelmetman - 2011-06-10 8:17 PM Just to add Pompie is amazing.............only regret is, I went as a young matlote and to thick to take in the enormity of the event *-) ................ Nothings has changed much then....... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 JudgeMental - 2011-06-10 9:16 PM pelmetman - 2011-06-10 8:17 PM Just to add Pompie is amazing.............only regret is, I went as a young matlote and to thick to take in the enormity of the event *-) ................ Nothings has changed much then....... :D Oh yes it has!.......................I'm 30+ years older, fatter and greyer :D .....................still the same simple brain cell though (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Love you really ..but u no dat. (simply not enough emotions to express how I feel :-D) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 Would love to meet up Judge but unfortunately we do not leave UK until September 1st so will miss you. Never mind next year maybe. Our actual run to Garda is Romanticstrasse to Fusson then some Austria then Garda then down to the toe and heel bit. No Venice because my beautiful Lady just hates water which is a shame because there is so much to see in there, want to see the Shroud or its copy in Turin and Romeo's Juliets house in Verona. Thought we might look at the damage in Abruzzo too. Why go on there is so much to see that it would take me a year to see it all and I only have about three months so I will have to drop quiet a lot from the agenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Spend a few days in Florence - lots of arts and culture ... but take it easy - there is soooooo much to see you'll get overloaded if you try and take too much in at once (well I did). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Syd - 2011-06-11 12:13 AM Would love to meet up Judge but unfortunately we do not leave UK until September 1st so will miss you. Never mind next year maybe. ........................I only have about three months so I will have to drop quiet a lot from the agenda Which puts you returning end November? If so, although the main roads are generally kept clear, it may also be worth checking requirements for carrying chains if you intend coming back over the Alps. We crossed via the Reschenpass late last October, and the first snows were already falling on the tops. May be worth escaping Italy into France via Genoa and Nice, and then back up the Rhone valley. I think it would be wise also to check closing dates of the Italian campsites, as many run a very short season, closing end September, or even earlier, even in the south. End of August, holidays over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 Many thanks for the good warnings Brian. We have planned to return via Monaco, Paris, Eurotunnel but will do some checking anyway. Could I ask you for the co-ordinates that you offerd please, have the ACSI book but personal recomendations are worth their weight in gold, anyway I can then hold you personally responsible, when we get back, publicly on this forum of course, if they turn out crap :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 Hi Brian Thought I would tell you what we have in case you have any further points to raise We run a 22ft Tabbert Diadem 1999 with a lot of accessories mounted on top, inside and underneath, we have to carry quiet a bit of extra gear to cater for Lee's requirements, my beautiful Lady eats only English food so we carry quiet a lot of that too plus all the other stuff that one normally requires for long stays. This means our caravan weighs a LOT, probably at least two/two and a half tons. It gets lighter as we eat our way through the food, she cooks full Sunday lunches each weekend, yes she is mad We pull this lot with a 51 registered Kia Sedona, 120,000 miles on the clock, wont upgrade it because it is absolutely 100% mechanically sound, we take care of it mechanically. So you can easilly see that in snow type conditions the poor old Sedona simply would not have the grip to get us up any extra steep gradients especially should we get stopped on one, so via Monaco is our safest option. Been over the Swiss Alps twice with absolutely no problems so she has the power ok but being front wheel drive she does much prefer dryish conditions when tested with all that weight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 OK Syd. Don't think any of the following will cause you any problems on approach, except possibly Michelangelo in Florence, which I haven't visited, but I'm sure someone else will have, so can advise. I guess you won't need the Bolzano or Ora sites, but they may be of interest to others, so I'll leave in. Bolzano (Bozen): Camping Moosbauer. Well run family owned site with good facilities and restaurant. GPS N46.50092 E11.30007 Ora (Auer): Camping Markushof. Smallish, but good site with excellent facilities, behind hotel. Just in town. Shops nearby. GPS N46.34815 E11.29954 Peschiera Del Garda. Camping Butterfly. Large site with good facilities. GPS N45.44425 E10.69598 Oriago (on Brenta canal). Camping Serenissima (In case minds change re Venice!) Well run family site with very well maintained facilities. Good supermarket within short drive, directions from reception. Bus to/from Venice (Piazzale Roma) from outside site. Tickets from reception. Runs to timetable (except during rush hours!) Also runs late evening, allowing evening visits. Venice by night is magic! GPS N45.45221 E12.18308 Bologna: Camping Citta di Bologna. Excellent Municipal site with good, well maintained, facilities. Bus into Bologna from outside site. Bologna not especially pretty, but very interesting with excellent gallery. GPS N44.52252 E11.37287 Florence: Camping Michelangelo. Didn’t use this one, but gather it is the general favourite, with good views over Florence. GPS N43.76145 E11.26860 Pisa: Camping Torre Pendente. Simply the nearest site to the cathedral and tower. Reasonable site with reasonable facilities. Not outstanding, but not bad either. GPS N43.72400 E10.38323 Siena: Camping Colleverde. So far as I know, the only site in town! Last time we visited, the facilities were distinctly tired, but have since heard they have been refurbished and are now good. You’d probably need to drive nearer to the centre from here, as it is a bit of a hike down one steep hill and up another! GPS N43.33625 E11.33748 Rome (north): Camping Flaminio Village. Had superb facilities and is well back from road, so not noisy. You have to approach from north down Via Flaminia Nuova, which is mostly dual carriageway. About 600 yards before the site, the right hand lane disappears down into an underpass. Stay left, but as soon as past the underpass slip road, keep tight right as the site entrance come up quickly round a gentle right hand bend, and the signs are part obstructed by trees. If you leave the right hand lane open, the locals will use it to overtake you, making getting into the site a bit tricky! GS Supermarket about 150 yards north, on opposite side of road. Traffic lights controlled pedestrian crossing outside site (which most drivers ignore. Hey, this is not just Italy, it is Rome!) Safest pedestrian approach is via car parks. Railway station with trains to Rome (Piazzale Flaminio, just north of Piazza Del Popolo) about 300 yards, past supermarket, same side of road, and on right. GPS N41.95622 E12.48262 Pompeii: Camping Spartacus. Sharp downhill exit from autostrada with toll booth at bottom, will test your brakes. Lots of touts for everything imaginable as you exit toll booth, can be a bit distracting, and road markings are (were) vague. You turn right into Piazza Porta Marina Inferiore, and down to T junction, where you turn left into Via Plinio, and almost immediately right into site. GS Supermarket 500 yards east. GPS N40.74682 E14.48395 Alberobello: Camping dei Trulli. Was a bit tatty when we visited, and seemed to be run by the boys in dark suits and sunglasses, but was OK. It may have been refurbished since our visit due to competition with Bosco Selva, below. It is too far out to walk in. There is a quite good DOK supermarket (but doubtless others) here. GPS N40.79011 E17.24334 There is another site in Alberobello, Camping Communale Bosco Selva, a bit closer in, which claims to have been fully refurbished. GPS N40.77520 E17.24031 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 Absolutely great Brian, saved me hours of searching, I am very grateful Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porky Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Brian mentions Campsite Michaelangelo but has not been there. I have been there, but not stayed. It all looks OK to me and the bus stops right outside the site. It is only a short ride in, or we walked to it (in the rain as it happens) but it would be a short bike ride (slight hill). Our son lives and works in Florence so we have come to know it quite well. It really is a must see place, but not in one day. When we fly we go to Pisa (all the Florentines do) the train stops right outside the airport and it is much cheaper than flying direct to Florence. So you could do Florence from Pisa if you didn't want to move. Roy Fuller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Thanks for that Roy, been to Pisa once but stayed in a hotel straight opposite the railway station. All info on Italy very welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Hi Syd We've stayed at Camping Michaelangelo, above Florence - a great site! Like all Italian sites, very friendly. Smashing bar with beautiful views overlooking Florence in the valley below. Their wi-fi is a bit hit and miss but this was three years ago and will, no doubt, have improved. As has previously been said, the bus-stop is right outside the camp. Had rather an amusing incident whilst waiting for the bus to bring us back, after an exhausting day plodding around Florernce, we were approached by an American who heard us speaking English who gave us a leaflet, the Watchtower. Well, we thought, that's different, all the way to Florence, instead of our own doorstep. :-D :-D alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 A bit late in the day but We would like to say "THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH INDEED" for your help. We are very grateful to you We will come back and post a more detailed itinary at some time soon then maybe you would do me the aditional favour of pulling it to peices and adding further recomendations Thanks A friend has just bought me a book on Italy that is very good DK Witness Travel ITALY ISBN 978-1-4053-4701-3 £17.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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