Italy – turnrightoutofportsmouth

Next stop on our Italian Adventure: Exploring Lucca and Pisa

The next stage of our Italian roadtrip taking in Lucca and Pisa 🙂

We set off from Celle Ligure hoping for a relaxing, picturesque run along the coast road to our next destination near Marina di Massa. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be; the road was far from picturesque or relaxing, so after suffering the clogged outskirts of Genoa, we decided to jump onto the toll road, which turned out to be surprisingly affordable (14.30Euros to go 73 miles). We looked forward to arriving in Marina di Massa, but were unfortunately rather disappointed on arrival.

The campsite, Camping Giardino, was not what we had been expecting and trying to find a supermarket was very frustrating involving cycling along a busy, uninspiring road to find a Carrefour Express with very poor produce ☹

However, the next morning brought a renewed sense of optimism as I ventured out for a short run along the coast. I ran the other way to where we’d cycled the previous day, which offered some slightly more promising scenery. We were in need of a rest though and chose to chill out by the van and around the pool for the day. We forgot to take our swimming hats though and chose not to use those that were offered to us (they’d clearly never been washed…)

We had some British neighbours for the first time and they told us about the region’s abundant marble quarries of Carrara. We had seen much evidence of this on our drive, seeing huge marble slabs waiting to be transported. Our neighbours had a motorbike with them and went up to undertake the quarry jeep tour, which they said was amazing.

After a restful 2 nights we moved on, passing through the much nicer area of Marina di Massa just a mile or so up the road…

Our next stop was the enchanting city of Lucca, a place that quickly won our hearts. We stayed at the dedicated motorhome parking area of Parking Luporini, which was absolutely perfect 😊

We had a quick wander down to the town in the evening but saved our main exploration for the following day when we were greeted by a vibrant and bustling atmosphere. Having to negotiate the city’s streets, competing with an eclectic mix of bikes, mopeds, delivery vans and even rubbish trucks was most certainly an experience! Even the supposedly pedestrianized areas were not immune to the bustling energy of daily life.

While in Lucca, I took the opportunity to collect a unique souvenir—a fridge magnet crafted by the talented artist Maria Guida. It serves as a charming memento, capturing a piece of Lucca’s spirit that I will keep with me.

Sadly, our visit to the iconic Torre de Guinigi was thwarted by its closure for maintenance. Nevertheless, we found solace in the city’s beautiful cathedral, its architectural splendour a testament to Lucca’s rich history.

For lunch, we discovered Undici Undici, a quaint restaurant with a mesmerizing view of the cathedral. The ambience was enhanced by the warm hospitality of a lovely waitress, who added a personal touch to our dining experience.

Later in the evening, as the sun set, we embarked on a bike ride atop the city walls, immersing ourselves in the vibrant tapestry of Lucca’s evening activities. The walls were alive with walkers, scooter riders, and an abundance of runners, all enjoying the shared space and the city’s unmistakable charm. From here we were able to appreciate all the sights of Lucca from a different perspective.

I wanted to start the day with a run along the city walls, but found myself succumbing to exhaustion from all the walking the day before!

From Lucca, we had just a short journey onto Pisa, where we finally fulfilled our long-held dream of seeing the leaning tower. The tower did not disappoint, and we realized that pictures alone cannot do justice to its unique lean.

The cathedral and baptistery in the Piazza dei Miracoli were equally impressive. We learned that the leaning tower started leaning during its construction but has been stabilized to prolong its lifespan – it’s thought by a further 300 years.

After enjoying a drink just outside the city walls, we walked along the city walls before finding our way back to the motorhome parking area, Camperisti Pisani, which had the added bonus of an old, abandoned running track nearby – so at least I managed to get a run in this time 😊

Our next destinations were Florence and Siena, and I will include details of both in my next post 😊

Note: for more photos see my instagram & facebook posts 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/turnrightoutofportsmouth/

https://www.polarsteps.com/turnrightoutofportsmouth/7279815-italy-etc-2023

A Scenic Road Trip: Chianocco to Cuneo to Celle Ligure, Avoiding Toll Roads

We all know that embarking on a road trip offers us an opportunity to explore hidden gems and embrace the freedom of the open road. In this post, I’ll take you on a journey from Chianocco to Celle Ligure, avoiding the toll roads.

Along the way, we stopped overnight in the charming town of Cuneo, with its fascinating history and laid-back atmosphere. From there, we continued to Celle Ligure, where the initial black gritty beaches morph into something a little more inviting.

Chianocco to Cuneo: We took the scenic route towards Cuneo, having made the decision to avoid toll roads wherever possible. At this stage we were happy with our decision and were finding that the roads weren’t THAT bad (certainly no worse than the toll roads in Portugal!)

Upon arrival in Cuneo, we quickly found our free park-up (okay there was a slight hitch, but that was our fault!) – at first it appeared to be full (as there was a sign on the barrier (which was up) saying ‘Complet/Full’). However, it wasn’t and in addition the terminal for payment was broken so we weren’t able to pay our 5 Euros – we would happily have paid as we had all services, including electric. We shared the sosta with a few occupants who did appear to be, shall we say, very at home there – they were quite loud, checking on anyone arriving and even cutting branches off the trees!

From the car park, a lift takes you up to the heart of town, where the enchanting Via Roma awaits.

The first thing we noticed though was a sign detailing a 5k running route along an avenue and back – I fully intended to take advantage of this in the morning. But it was raining. Hard ☹ (I had also thought that I might take advantage of the swimming pool – but I didn’t do that either!!)

We strolled along this beautiful street (Via Roma), lined with beautiful architecture and many shops. This is where we found a Vodafone shop and managed to get 100gb of data 😊

We then made our way to Piazza Vittoria, a central square known for its lively atmosphere and the poignant speech given by Ducca Galimberti when Mussolini’s regime fell. This historical moment is deeply etched into the city’s identity. There is a recreation of the speech being given on the balcony where it happened. Read more about Ducca Galimberti’s story here.

We then visited the magnificent Duomo di Cuneo, where we were fortunate enough to wander in during an organ practice, the sound reverberating through the grand cathedral. We took a moment to admire the intricate details of the church’s architecture and soak in the peaceful ambiance.

Cuneo to Celle Ligure: Moving on from Cuneo, we headed south (again avoiding the toll roads) towards Celle Ligure. As we hit the coast road, we noticed that the beaches were of the black gritty variety. As it was raining still I don’t think we had the best views of the Ligurian Sea!

However, on arriving in Celle Ligure we realised that here the beaches were different, being of sand. Not quite golden but certainly a more appealing hue 😊

This was quite a hard drive along the coast roads, and we had to head towards the motorway to reach our aire, this time navigating a series of switchbacks up the hill (this holds no fear – Calv drove the Mont Cenis Pass!!)

Once set-up and fed the rain eventually stopped and we ventured out down the steep hill (already with the dread of having to come back up it!) to explore a little of Celle Ligure. This is a coastal town exuding charm and character with multi-coloured villas, street art and a walk/cycle tunnel (Galleria Crocetta), a unique attraction housed within a former train tunnel. This repurposed space now occasionally hosts various exhibitions, showcasing contemporary art and cultural events.

It would appear that in Italy you may have to pay to visit many of the beaches – we have noticed signs showing short stretches where it’s free. We also noticed that in just a short stretch of the seafront Celle Ligure had 2 lidos. It was a very relaxing wander until we had to make our way back up the steep hill to our van!

In summary travelling from Chianocco to Cuneo to Celle Ligure without taking toll roads is certainly achievable and provides a delightful journey through history and coastal charm. Cuneo’s rich heritage, highlighted by the lift to town, Via Roma, Piazza Vittoria, and the Duomo, offers a taste of Italy’s past contrasts with Celle Ligure’s seaside vibe, but both were worth a visit in their own right.

However, I think, with hindsight, that we should have driven further east from Chianocco before taking the road down past Genoa as we headed further South.

My next post will look at the last week or so, including staying near Cassara and the marble quarries (we didn’t visit – we just needed to stop!) and then moving on to Lucca, Pisa and, presently, Florence 😊

Note: More photos can be found on my instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/turnrightoutofportsmouth/) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028126913740) pages

Traversing the Mont Cenis Pass: A Motorhome Adventure from France to Italy

We unexpectedly ended up heading through the stunning Mont Cenis Pass, to get from France to Italy, and it was an experience that delivered breath-taking views, thrilling twists and turns (lots of them) and an abundance of historical and natural wonders to enjoy. This scenic route gave us Fort Marie Therese, from where you can take several via ferrata routes on the Via Ferrata du Diable up to Fort Victor Emmanuel; stationery chairlifts hanging empty and silent just metres above us; a beautiful lake at the summit and the remains of Grand Croix abandoned village which was the only village ‘saved’ when the dam was built and all the other local villages were flooded. Join us as we take you on a captivating journey through this picturesque mountain pass.

Fort Marie Therese and Via Ferrata: As you make your way through the Mont Cenis Pass, a stop at Fort Marie Therese is almost impossible to resist. This impressive 19th-century fortress offers up a large car park, a snack bar (not open when we visited), toilets, high ropes courses and picnic tables. We stopped to drink in the amazing scenery.

Serene Lake and Grand Croix Abandoned Village: After winding our way through the twisty, steeply climbing roads and hairpin bends, we were eventually greeted by the serene beauty of Lake Mont Cenis. Not particularly blue on the day we passed by, and with the water level not as high as it really should be, it is still breath-taking and certainly merited stopping, again…. At the head of the lake we stopped for a spot of lunch while it snowed lightly outside the van 🙂

As we began our descent towards Italy and just a short distance from the lake, we stumbled upon the ghostly Grand Croix abandoned village – I say stumbled, we could clearly see it from our lunch spot, but it wasn’t clear just how abandoned it was from there. Frozen in time, this ghost town offers a hauntingly beautiful sight. We explored the crumbling houses (I waited for Calv to head back to the van to get his raincoat before venturing inside 1 of the buildings) and overgrown paths, and imagined the lives that once thrived in this remote location. It would appear however that the chapel is still in use (much like the church in Dorset’s abandoned village of Tyneham). As we left I spotted the sign saying it was too dangerous to enter (as I said to Calv I’m not daft, and I was careful to not step anywhere dodgy…)

Customs and the Border: The village is behind a large car park and hut. This is the customs hut (no longer used). This isn’t the actual border as we first thought (hence the daft photo – we thought that 1 of us was in France and the other in Italy…), but where the border is, a little way further along the road, there is no possibility of a customs point. There is also evidence of the original road here. Whilst at the village we spotted some more Marmots running around and hiding from us behind clumps of grass – although we could still hear them squeaking to each other (and, who knows, perhaps to us as well 🙂

Overnight in Chianocco: By the time we were in Italy we were shattered, so made a quick stop at the first Lidl supermarket we saw – Calv stayed in the van whilst I went in to get a couple of essentials (it would appear that Lidl in Italy is way better than Lidl in France).

For our first overnight stay in Italy we headed up just beyond Bussonelo to the village of Chianocco. We parked up amidst the scenic beauty of the countryside enjoying views of mountains and grapevines, and enjoyed a restful night’s sleep after sitting out for the 1st time on our trip (with coats on though!!). This set us up nicely for our onward journey south through Italy (starting with a stay in the beautiful city of Cuneo)

Conclusion:

We’re so glad that we met up with Gary from @Happy2Dream who persuaded us (although it didn’t take much to be fair!) to abandon our plans to go through the Frejus tunnel (which would have cost us at least 68Euros – probably more like 80Euros) and head over the pass.

Because driving over the Mont Cenis Pass, even in an 8.5m motorhome, from France to Italy gave us an unforgettable experience, and is the highlight of our trip so far 🙂 (especially the village of Grand Croix). I watched Calv enjoying every minute of the drive – he said it’s so much better than using the motorways 🙂

So, if this is something that you’ve considered and dismissed, or are still undecided, our advice is to go for it (unless it’s snowing….) You won’t regret it – we didn’t 🙂

Coronavirus and Travel Plans – To Go or Not To Go…..?

So here we are at the end of February with a planned date to leave for Europe of 5th March… Our plans? Head down through France to Italy, take in Rome and Venice on our way through Italy to visit Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Belgium.
Hmm – little spanner in the works now called CoronaVirus means our plans are up in the air – what to do?

Do you ever get that feeling that you should be more excited for your upcoming plans than you are? And then something happens that suggests you were right not to be excited – you’re pshycic – you knew all along that this might happen (or not, as the case may be). Ever been there?

Well, I suspect that we’re not the only people in this position currently. Only perhaps we are slightly more fortunate in that we have nothing booked and we can just do what we want, when we want – to a certain degreee anyway.

What am I talking about? Well our plans for our next trip were well underway – in sofaras we ever plan. This time the plan was catch a ferry, possibly on 5th March (we haven’t booked it yet), pootle down through France, finally crossing the Millau Viaduct on the way; head into Italy and down Continue reading “Coronavirus and Travel Plans – To Go or Not To Go…..?”