italy: journal

lake como - 13th june

having left the snows of the high alpine passes behind, we began our descent into southern switzerland. we were headed for italy; escaping the summer rains of the central alps.

a two lane motorway led down from the mountains. it was very steep and impossibly long. if felt like a gargantuan ski-jump, and was a road that could terrify even the most fearless of skate-boarders. even rolling down in the land rover felt risky. i pitied those going in the other direction. anyone who's ever driven a fully loaded land rover or a small engined car knows the problems of long motorway hills and the shame of the slow lane. i was glad we wouldn't be making the return journey.

cobbled streets in a small italian village

as we sped downhill between the snowcapped peaks, still rising high to either side of us, we felt like italy was already beginning. of course, in reality, italy begins abruptly, at a border that was still some way off. to us though, still descending; as the air became hotter and the land drier it felt as though italy was beginning gradually, by degrees, or was it by feet - above sea level.

in italy proper, we skirted the shores of lake como. it was a sunday and it was sunny. it seemed like everyone was out on the streets, hoping to be seen and be seen again. petite girls were perched high above the fat back tyres of the latest superbikes. they clung to their boyfriends backs like novelty ruck-sacks. tans and sun-glasses reigned. this was italy alright.

to bologna - 14th june

it was good to wake up to the heat of the sun.

we left behind the high-gated villas and dramatic vistas of lake como and headed for bologna. we were still shunning the toll motorways, so it was a long day's drive accross italy's industrial heartland. expansive views of green and gold fields opened up between factories and power stations with red and white striped cooling towers. it wasn't the fast road or the scenic route (maybe the middle road?) - perhaps there was a lesson here.

we spent all morning doing the website updates and realised that in future we should do the photos at night, as they're barely visible on the laptop in daylight making editing difficult.

skyline, bologna

fano - 16th june

the beach. we love the beach.

enjoying the italian sunset, portonovo

ancona - 18th june

we're slowly beginning to settle into our new routine of driving, setting up camp, making dinner and then crashing for the night. what we have seen of italy has been very pleasant (although to be fair we haven't strayed too far off the main road down). however, the caravan/camping parcs do leave a lot to be desired. its not that their dirty or don't have the facilities, but the phrase 'sardines in a can' does spring to mind - as we found ourselves squeezed in amongst all the other caravans, awnings, tables and chairs. best leave these to the italians who seem to love it.

waiting for the ferry, ancona

we had planned to drive down to puglia and catch the ferry to greece from bari however we decided to call it a day and leave from ancona. determined to find the picture postcard italy we took the minor roads and found some beautiful little villages. our last campsite was by far the nicest with a white pebbled beach just a short walk away.

we spied a beach, portonovo

it was a fifteen hour crossing from ancona to igoumenitsa (northern greece). our tickets were "deck only" - no cabin. that meant an afernoon sunbathing on deck, and a beautiful sunset, followed by; find some space on the floor and curl up for the night.

claim your space, ferry to igoumenitsa

italy: accomodation

italy: other info

entry checks: none.

costs: diesel 64 pence per litre; supermarkets cheap with good products ( nice salami, parmesan and gorgonzola); camping c.£13 a night

must sees: lake como was beautiful; the coast just south of ancona was a surprise beauty spot.