You may have noticed by now that I love a ruddy road trip, I mean who doesn't. If you don't, then you haven't been on one. Or at least you haven't been on the right one.
I've wanted to travel around Italy for as long as I can remember. I've been romanticising it in my head for the last 10 years, so finally Spring 2017 I got to go have a look around. For 16 days, I drove around with my boyfriend, and Hendrix. We borrowed Hendrix from Wicked Campers, and boy we did not want to give him back. In fact, I'm still plotting ways to get him back.
(If you're reading this at Wicked Campers then I'm not really... Maybe)
Although my dream is to buy an old transit and build up my own camper one day, when the rates are so reasonable to hire one, it just doesn't make sense! I've hired from a few different companies in different countries, and they all vary. If you're also planning a trip on a budget, then check out Wicked first. They're a great budget option, and will even beat a quote found elsewhere.
So now you've got a motor, here's a route - tried and tested.
ITINERARY
NIGHT 1 & 2
Rome
An awesome location for a city break... but not one for a camper! We stayed in a stunningly chic apartment in the lively borough, Trastevere
I'm so glad we started our trip here - it did not disappoint!
DAY 3
Meeting Hendrix
The Wicked Campers depot in Rome felt a little ropey compared to other camper depots I've been to! It was in the middle of nowhere (blessing in disguise when it came to driving off...) and it was just a room in a working garage! But it got the job done - we were out of there swiftly, and very casually!
This is when we first realised.
What. Have. We. Done.
I always dream up exciting trips, well what I think are exciting... but am not always able to see them through, for the reasons we all know too well. This road trip plan started with me wanting to take my beloved Fiat 500, back to her routes. With a few alterations, this one was actually possible, but it wasn't til this point that I realised, sometimes, just sometimes, maybe my trip ideas can be a bit too ambitious?! All those times that people respond to my ideas with, "oh... wow... really?!" They suddenly had a point! I mean, we're the middle of nowhere, in an old camper, with no fuel, no bedding, and no experience driving on the wrong side of the road!
But this trip quickly became one of my favourites yet. So, moral of the story, ignore those doubts, and go for it! We got our first tank of fuel (granted to was €70... turns out Italy is NOT cheap for fuel), it may not have been until 5PM that we could find anywhere to buy bedding, but do you know what?! The wrong side of the road - now feels like the right side of the road!
The next concern is where the heck are we going... or even staying?! Well, lucky I did read my own tips before we picked up the camper and decided to head to Grosseto; just two and a half hours up the coast. After much searching, I found the best tool for booking decent campsites on the road... Pitch Up! Not all sites are on there but it should definitely be your first port of call. All our favourite sites were booked through them, plus it's really easy and you don't have to rack up a phone bill calling up!
NIGHT 3
Grosseto
Very cute small town, if you stop by here, make sure you go to the marina
NIGHT 4 & 5
Florence & Tuscany
NIGHT 6, 7, & 8
Portofino & The Italian Riviera
NIGHT 9
Milan
NIGHT 10 & 11
Lake Como
Would have loved to have spent longer here but the wind wasn't on our side which ruled out the swimming and paddle boarding
DAY 12
Crossing Borders
We were so excited for this grand moment... But in reality, not so spectacular. No fireworks. No welcome banners. Not even a wave. But we were excited nevertheless. The most common route from Rome to London would cut through France. But as we have both holiday'ed in France as kids, we were much more curious about sticking east.
NIGHT 12 & 13
Lavertezzo, Zurich, & Liechtenstein
NIGHT 14
Black Forest: The home of the fairy tales
NIGHT 15
Luxembourg City
NIGHT 16
Bruges
NIGHT 17
Tucked up in our own warm bed... dreaming of Hendrix and new adventures.
So do you think we missed anywhere out?! Rather than giving you all the secrets on the places to stay, food to eat, drinks to drink, roads to ride, and things to do, I will fill you in on more dedicated posts through the weeks or, let's face it, this will be WAY too long! Drop your email into the subscription box below and you'll be updated on them as we go along. Or if you've got any questions in the meantime, send a message or comment below.
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