Week 7: All roads lead to Rome
The pizzeria high above the beach with its honky-tonk piano man and the cool breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Salerno had only a small table still available to us. We took it. We ordered house wine and waited for our pizza. The sun had just dropped below the horizon, but one could still just make out the Saracen tower built by the Turbolo family in 1567 as a vice-regal residence – now converted into four apartments with probably the best view on the Amalfi Coast.
In week 7 we drove from the Amalfi Coast, to Pompei, Rome and The Vatican, to Siena in Tuscany. We then did the obligatory photo stop at Pisa, and our Italian adventure ended in Cinque Terre. Italy is a mad place to drive in. People here drive like they don’t have much time. And when you get to those beautiful white beaches, the amazing art galleries, the exquisite restaurants, the unbelievable history and all the other evocative places in this country, you understand why. In Italy you need to be in a hurry to see and do everything in one life time!
Our hideout was on the western tip of the Amalfi Coast just outside of the small village of Nerano. I had grand visions of driving from town to town and enjoying what the region had to offer, but these visions were soon obliterated when we encountered the Amalfi traffic and the narrow winding roads. People drive with their side mirrors permanently folded up! And apparently indicators are for losers. And if you don’t overtake on a blind corner, you’re a chicken. And don’t you dare stick to the speed limit at the front of a growing traffic snake. You’ll be hooted and tooted at and scorched by flashing headlights. I soon realised that driving wasn’t to be an option if we wanted to have a relaxing time and we opted to take a boat from our campsite.
It was interesting to see the villages of Amalfi and Positano, but in the end we preferred Nerano as it had a good beach and it was less crowded than the neighbouring towns.
We’ve done a few visits to Italy before this trip and we thought we’ve seen the main bits, but I’m still surprised what this fascinating country conjures up. On the way to Rome, we made a stop at Pompei for a few hours. As we arrived in town the heavens opened and turned the streets into rivers. Our apocalyptic arrival in Pompei was quite fitting as we wandered the ruins and learned the ancient city’s story. What was amazing was how well everything was preserved. Ultimately its destruction by the volcano, was also what made it immortal. It’s a vast site and even though it is heavily visited, it never felt overcrowded and a sense of respect for the victims of the disaster so many years ago is omnipresent.
It’s a three hour drive up to Rome from Pompei and we arrived mid afternoon. Our campsite on the outskirts of town just within the ring road was the perfect base to visit The Vatican City, the only major site in Rome we’ve not visited before. And we spent the most of the next day exploring it.
From Rome we went to Saturnia hot springs and drove through the Unesco protected landscapes to the crown jewel of Tuscany, Siena. It was Sunday and Piazza del Campo was buzzing with families having long Sunday lunches and enjoying the Autumn sunshine. We joined in with salad and pizza at Il Bandierino with great views of the square and the amazing Il Campo. We spent the rest of the day exploring the maze of alleys and streets packed with restaurants, shops and cafes.
Our last stop in Italy is in the Cinque Terre National Park, one of the most iconic Italian places and most visited sites in the country. On the way there we just had to make a quick stop at the Tower of Pisa for a couple of cheeky photos!
Campsites in Italy have been the most expensive, but in many cases had not as nice facilities as the cheaper ones in Slovenia, Croatia and even Germany. And despite having some of the worst roads we’ve encountered thus far on the trip, toll roads have also been the most expensive. There are really good value to be found, but in Italy we had to search much harder for it than in most of the other countries we’ve visited on this tour.
Trip stats (Week 1 – Week 7):
- Current location: Deiva Marina (Cinque Terre)
- Days on the road: 49
- Distance travelled: 5728.12 km
- Countries visited: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, The Vatican.
- Cups of coffee: 117
- Pitched the tent 5 times.
- Camper awning pitched 17 times.
- Number of campsites: 27
- Number of B&B’s: 1
- Average weekly cost for camping: £124.74
- Average weekly cost for diesel: £35.68
- Average weekly cost for food & groceries: £71.69
- Average weekly cost for ferries, tolls, parking and public transport: £78.42
- Average weekly cost for entertainment, museums, and other attractions: £50.59
