How it all started

On 6 August 2023, we left for Italy by motorhome for a four-week holiday. A prosperous journey took us to our first destination in Italy, Bologna, capital of the Emilia Romagna region. An absolute must see.

After technical hassles with the motorhome, we were able to move on. We headed towards Umbria. On Lago di Trasimeno, in Passignano sul Trasimeno, we found an idyllic spot. We stayed a few days to explore the area. No punishment! After dark, we admired shooting stars!

We dove further south. On the way, we stopped byDeruta, famous for Majolica pottery.

Towards the evening, we looked for a campsite at Lago di Bolsena. This was not easy as it is popular with water sports enthusiasts. We finally succeeded at campsite Massimo. The next day we took our bikes to visit Bolsena. Quite a challenge due to the lack of safe cycle paths but worth the visit.

It didn't sit well with me that we had only passed by Orvieto. A small loop back enabled us to visit the impressive Duomo.

After this, fast forward into the south towards Abruzzo. The drive took us past Terni, Rieti and L'Aquila. A pleasant surprise. Rugged, sometimes high mountains, beautiful forests, bears if you're unlucky and lots of goats.

We had lunch at the brothers' house in Greccio. In the early evening, we arrived at forest campsite Colle dei Lupiin Sant' Eufemia a Maiella - San Giacomo.

Lovely days were spent in the woods and we even has a short walk despite the heat.

Neptune statue in Bologna

Our next destination was region Campania. Via the Molise region, we arrived in Pompeii in the late afternoon. Good getaway to visit both the ruined city and Naples.

Pompeii is impressive. Naples is a real experience. History, art, culture, drama, chaos, stench, good food, football and heat! We will come back again!

The southernmost point of our holiday was Amalfi Coast.I have read that no motorhomes are allowed on the route but Harry suggested we would give it a try. Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far. Maybe one day we will plan to take the little train from Salerno.

We started the journey north towards Tuscany.A scenic drive that stoped at 7pm in Tarquinia, in northern Lazio.The farm campsite is an open plain with young olive trees.Creating shade is a challenge as it is hot, very hot, around 39 degrees. We grilled a fish on the barbecue and put the air conditioning on the highest setting to sleep later. When I put my toes outside the door early the next morning, it was already 30 degrees! This place was not for us to stay. The news predicted extreme heat.

We literally fled to the forests of Umbria.

On the way, we did stop at Montecchio.Historic little town. Quickly shot some photos during a short walk in the heat!!!

After lunch, I searched for a shady campsite with a swimming pool on the app. I found one in Baschi (Umbria) , atcampsite Il Falcone.

We stayed here until the heat subsided.Early in the morning we walked to Civitella del Lago for a cappuccino and cornetto and in the late afternoon we cooled down in the pool.

After about five days, we left for Montefalco and Todifor a short visit to the last two gems in the green heart of the trip.

With a delicious lunch, roast suckling pig and a glass of Sagrantino Rosso, we concluded our visit to Umbria.On to Castellina in Chianti where we would stay one night before travelling to Liguria where we were visiting Cinque Terre.

The day began sunny.The Ligurian coast is beautiful. Then the weather turned! Rain, lightning and lots of wind. We drove uphill to Cinque Terre but were ushered back down by the carabinieri because it was too dangerous. Too bad! This also remains on the bucket list for next time. We landed in Rapallo at the end of the day, where it rained until the next afternoon.

The penultimate destination was Genoa. The route along the coast was beautiful!

We parked at the port in Genoa and had a city walk through the historic centre. Very worthwhile for an extended visit.

Cathedrals, squares with buskers, the home of my favourite writer Ilja Leonard Pfeiffer, Doge's Palace and so on. We had to stop due to lack of time. Late lunch, bought gifts for the little ones and a gelato to finish up. Goodbye Genoa.

The last destination was Piedmont where we visit ed John and Martijn in Montegrosso. The campsite was in Agliano Terme, less than five kilometres from the village where they run their B&B.

As we drove into the region, we enjoyed the rolling landscape where grapes are lushly maturing on the vines. ‘It's beautiful here!’ Said Harry then. At International Le Fonti campsite, we were allocated a nice pitch. Fortunately, the swimming pool was still open.

The next morning we walked to Agliano Terme to admire the village. A lovely walk up through the vineyards with beautiful views. Harry was looking at his phone and pushed a picture in my fave of a house in Montegrosso.

In the afternoon, John picked us up. A nice reunion after 2 years!!!

We had drinks, dinner and caught up with each other. Harry also showed the house on his phone to John and Martin. ‘I think Merian would like to live here!’, he said, laughing.  Martijn quickly switched gears quickly and said he knows the estate agent. ‘Shall I ask him if we can have a look?’, he asked. The request to broker Emanuel, was sent.

The evening progressed very nicely and we joked about becoming neighbours. Not much later, we got confirmed that the house could be viewed at four o'clock the next afternoon. The plan was to start the trip to the Netherlands but we gladly postponed it. To fill the time nicely, we drove to Asti for coffee and a walk. We looked in shop windows of estate agents for comparison. Asti is great! We will definitely come back!

John and Martijn picked us up at the motorhome site. Not much later, we checked out the house and its location. It needed work but had potential. Huh, what about potential? What did we actually want? The view is beautiful. You look towards the Alps with snow, in clear weather!

After the viewing, we talk it over at the local bar. We headed home with some serious thinking to do after saying goodbye.

To be continued...