Southern Italy

Further south, through some grim areas and then oddly quickly into some beautiful areas. Great campsite, again right on a well maintained sandy beaches, free sunbeds. We’ve been to places where they want 25euro per day, lunatics!
Another change in demographics. Day 2 we’re literally the only brits  here. 98% German maybe 1% Dutch and 1% Swiss.
Sorry to say the German’s here are just downright miserable. You look them in the eye, smile, nod and say hello. Reaction? Zilch. They do their best to avoid even looking at you. First time we’ve noticed it in this extreme. They are, however, very interested in spraying ant killer around, fiddling with their campers or caravans, cleaning and cooking weird smelling stuff. I assume wurtzels.
Doesn’t dampen the place though, we’re right next to Paestum, which is sooo impressive. When we get there hardly any tourist’s and you can walk right through the 460BC Greek temples.

Some photos and timeliness jumbled up here. So some of the Amalfi coast thrown in. Everyone says don't drive along the Amalfi coast in a camper. But ours is smallish right? Well ok it is beautiful, dramatic and great to see. But rubbish at the same time. Even at this time of year its clogged with coaches, taxis and people carriers doing tours.
Don't bother. Book a boat trip to see it😀

Naples / Pompeii

Naples next.
I really really detest Naples. I detest the place, the drivers and the pedestrians. OK my mistake for setting the sat nav to avoid toll roads on the way to Pompeii. This results in driving through the centre of Naples for maybe 2hrs. Possibly the most miserable 2hrs of my recent memory, well actually it started maybe an hour before then. I’ve seen and driven through some shit holes but I’ve honesty never seen so much human crap piled up in every available space along the road sides. I’m including Africa in that statement. Apart from the crap it’s obviously the car and bike scrap yard capital. Oh and of course lots of young ladies selling grannies olive oil, odd though I don’t see any olive trees. And I don’t think I’d like any of these ladies olive oil anyway.

So Top tip for Italy:
Avoid Naples. It makes Rhyl look like St Tropez.
Most of all avoid driving through Naples. I didn't think such a thing existed but every driver is a psychopathic retard who acts in a totally random way.
Every pedestrian is an arrogant twnt who deliberately and slowly walks out in front of you.
(Btw I've driven through Marrakech and Paris)
And I know the Romans were renowned for road building but maybe someone should have carried out some repairs between 150BC and now.

The roads in Pompei were in better condition

Fortunately my faith in Italy has been restored today, see above

After extensive research I can confirm that Birra Moretti is better than Peronni
To rub salt in the wound the campsite, which turns out to be OK for a city one, is literally 1 minute away from the autostrada!
Pompeii was maybe 100m from the front gate, Herculanium was a 20 minutes train ride (on one of the shitest  trains I’ve ever been on but it didn’t matter really.

Yep, its a slippery slope, but hey we've got to stretch the £'s🤔

Tuscany

Onwards to Tuscany.
A great drive and some interesting sights. Why is it only young ladies who sit in layby’s, I assume waiting for a bus? Or are they selling grannies special home produced olive oil? Its obviously hotter out there than it seems as they are certainly dressed (or not) for hot weather. Um strange😀
Campsite was beautiful, parked up under pine trees right at the edge of the beach.
But we really haven’t got the hang of the campervan or Italian thing yet, we have this knack of arriving at around 1pm, just in time for everything to shut. Bizarrely this seems to include restaurants!? Today is no exception, although the reception is open (whey hey woody doo) they tell us its ‘” quiet time” so we’re not actually allowed on the site until 3pm. OFFS!
Happily the bar is open (not the restaurant of course) so coffee and beer to pass the time. Coffee, really good coffee is 50 cents. Makes a change to the usual 2 to 4 euro! I don’t get that, how does anyone buy coffee or beer in Europe?

Next day is a drive through Tuscany day. Yep its beautiful but to be honest once you’ve driven through ancient oak woodland for 3hrs you’ve seen enough of that. Salvaged the day with a truly great lunch in a typical Hill top town. Even in the Sprinter  (ie smallish) it’s pretty tricky driving anywhere near the towns and villages.

I’ve got scooter/motorbike envy. First job when we get back home is to finish my bike licence. I had started before entering left but ran out of time to finish it. I’d even bought the rack to go on the back of the Sprinter. I can tell Marie isn’t entirely sold on the idea.

Rome

Well we were passing, so had to go and see it. Met some great people on the site, which was ok considering its only 20 minutes into the centre.

We both really like Rome and this is a great time to visit I’d say. Campsite is only 20 minutes to the centre. Colloseum is as impressive as you’d expect, paid for a guide which also allows you to jump the 3hr queue to get in. She was really good at bringing it to life for example in a single game around 7000 gladiators and 12000 animals would die. Over it’s lifetime 1.5million died there, grim.

The campsite sold us a bit of a number steer though, it seemed a good idea to use their shuttle bus into Rome for 5euro, only snag was that it dropped you off a good 2km from anywhere of interest. Should have walked 2 minutes to the train station😀

Stayed 2 days.

Alps to Sestri Levante

Within maybe 4hrs we've gone from seeing snow at the side of the road to 30C, nice😀

Found a great campsite, stunning view, and great people. We'll probably stay 3 days.

Day 4 France to Italy.

We wild camped just outside Val d Isre. A bit cold, grey and boring so an early night.

Early up and we head up and over the Alps. Maximum altitude around 2900m. A bit of a hairy road, Marie not too impressed but then she did have her eyes shut😀

Crossed over into Italy without noticing really. Not before stopping for some great crepes and coffee for breakfast. The French cafe owner was a character, told us how pissed off he was with the English for Brexit. Not as much as us, we'd just spent  €94 on 2 carrier bags of shopping or in other words about 90quid😣

Day 2 France. Beaune

We've been here before, around 1988. Still a beautiful part of the world. OK we're not really doing France justice, we're just passing through, but the weather is hot, the pool on the campsite is cool and the food is great😀