Tuscany

For Christmas and New Year we both had time for a longer holiday so we decided on a tour of Tuscany in Italy. Although Leela had spent a lot of time there in the past for me it was a region that I had somehow missed. I don’t quite know why as it was absolutely incredible.

The van was now ready for winter and colder travel with the last of the piping and electrical modifications completed a few days before. So after going to the Auto wash for an hour and removing the 2 inches of ice from the roof and solar panels which had built up we were ready to load up and leave the snow and freezing conditions of Austria.

As we headed out late in the afternoon of December 23rd we first had to negotiate the snowy motorway toward the Italian border. And as the temperature gauge slowly climbed above freezing we left the high mountains in the rear view and began our journey south. First past Venice in the setting sun, then Bologna, before the crazy holiday traffic built up as we approached Florence. Which was fine as this was where we were making our first stop at Lago di Bilancino. And after a quite chaotic stop in the local store we were at our destination lake side around 9pm.

Not wanting to fill the boiler water system before leaving for fear of freezing I bled the hot and cold on arrival to find a small leak in my new valve system. A panic filled 30 minutes later and all was fixed and it just turned out to be that I had not tightened the valve clips up enough.

Arriving late and leaving early did not give us a chance to explore the area but the views looked great and I am sure a nice place to visit again. But this time we had a whole lot more interesting things on our list.

San Gimignano

First was a drive to San Gimignano, a truly wonderful hill-top town famous for its four towers. After finally finding a parking place that could fit the van in such tight surroundings we spent a lovely morning exploring, drinking coffee, and enjoying delicious croissants in this idyllic town.

Then later in the afternoon we drove to our destination for Christmas which was a lovely park-up at the foot of Monteriggioni. And after a quick walk round the village which doesn’t take long as its only a couple of hundred meters wide we went for a run in the local woods before watching the sunset from our perfect vantage point.

Siena

Waking early on Christmas morning to a beautiful blue sky and crisp day we exchanged a few wonderful gifts, had a large breakfast, and then took our bikes on the  20 km ride through the back roads to Siena.

Parking the bikes directly in Piazza del Campo we had a lovely few hours exploring the town, eating the most amazing pistachio croissant, and laying in the square soaking in the Italian Christmas atmosphere in the warm sun. Hard to believe that they hold a crazy horse race here. Getting back to the van at sunset we got cleaned up and had some perfectly cooked hamburgers for our Christmas dinner.

Gladiator

Boxing day we left and drove the chianti road stopping in Radda for a walk around then in a hillside lay-by for the perfect pasta lunch with amazing views.

Back on the road south with a stop at the delightful hilltop town of Montalcino, then a stop at Russel Crowes house in Gladiator, and finally the most idyllic park-up we have ever had, smack bang in the middle of the most photographed landscape in perhaps all of Italy.

We enjoyed a perfect sunset, a quiet night, and an even more perfect sunrise. The morning light filtering through the mist that was holding to the incredible landscape with Cyprus and Pine trees lining the horizon in every direction. A landscape photographer’s dream location.

Bagni San Fillipo

After breakfast was a short drive to the first of two natural hot-springs we would visit in succession. Bagni San Fillipo is a series of hillside pools surrounded by forest. Its mostly visited by locals for its so called healing properties and flies a little under the radar. At this time of year it was very quiet and we were able to enjoy one pool just to ourselves. It was quite wet and dirty getting to the pools but once in, the water was nearly 40°C and very difficult to get out of again! After a couple of lovely hours there we reluctantly dragged ourselves away and made the drive through the countryside to our next overnight stop at Saturnia.

Saturnia

Saturnia is a spa town which has been inhabited, as most towns in this region have, since ancient times. Its most famous for its sulphurous hot-spring pools which cascade at the side of an abandoned mill. These pools hold water at around 37°C and are formed by the deposition of calcareous rock from the evaporation of the water under the gushing waterfall. Its really a spectacular sight and a joy to just lie in for much longer than is probably recommended!

The van park was quite dilapidated with very uneven access, a sanitary area that really needs an upgrade and a camper service that needed to be condemned. But it served a purpose even at a high price and as it was the only park-up within reasonable walking distance.

Arriving late in the afternoon we went immediately to the pools and were a little surprised to find it completely full. It’s an incredible natural phenomenon and still free to access so it has continuous traffic through the day. And although we enjoyed it, there were far too many people for us so we went back to the van and enjoyed a sunset meal and an early night.

The next morning we were already back at the pools before sunrise which seemed to be the perfect time for us as there were only 2 other people there for the next 60 minutes. We enjoyed a wonderful time jumping between the pools and being pounded by the waterfalls. We were already making our way back for breakfast and smelling of sulphur before the masses had even opened their eyes.

Later that morning we took the bikes out to explore the countryside on a track found on my usual app for such things. Normally these tracks are pretty accurate but this time after a lovely start on hard packed farm tracks the route we wanted to take had been locked shut. So after checking the map there seemed to be a very short work around which involved crossing a field and a river before returning to path on the other side. Easy…

This however turned out to be the most challenging couple of hours for both of us. The river crossing was fine. Indeed quite exciting as it was a run-off from the pools and thus still hot. But then we found ourselves in the most horrific wet mud that was impossible to ride over or indeed even push the bikes. Include the sound of gunfire going off all around us by the local boar hunters and this provided a torturous hour before we reached the original intended path which was less than one km away.

After getting there and the bikes now completely inoperable, we found a small stream and spent the next hour trying to clean them to a point where they would be ridable again. This felt like it took forever and by the time we reached the asphalt once more we were both pretty exhausted and very hungry. So we just made our way back on the road to the park-up, cleaned the bikes and us both the best we could with a hose pipe, and just had some lunch. The longest 13 km bike ride of my life! At sunset we went back to the pools, but once again it was too full for us so we decided just to call it a night.

The following day we went again at dawn and found ourselves completely alone there and once again were able to enjoy all the pools and waterfalls naked. We stayed for a long time before breakfast and clearing the sulphur from our bodies at the park-up showers and then were once again on the road to our destination for New Year.

Assisi

Assisi is the birthplace of St. Francis the shared patron saint of Italy. The town is of high religious significance not only for Italians but to all followers around the globe. And even for two complete Atheists like ourselves it holds a lot of interest.

The hillside town really is quite the spectacle and after arriving through the valley we made our way to the quite delightful hillside campsite situated only a couple of km’s walk away. This campsite was pretty much empty when we arrived and we had the pick of the plots so we chose a perfect position with views through the trees over the valley and walked into town to explore.

Assisi really has a lot going on. From its labyrinth of tiny streets, wonderful artisan shops selling everything from exquisite jewellery, fresh foods, handmade art supplies, all the way through to every conceivable piece of tat that your average religious nut job could dream of. And after a lot of exploring, visiting the castle, and doing some photography, we eventually arrived at the church.

Now normally you wouldn’t get me within a mile of a church door but Leela being an artist and student of the Italian greats got me inside to look at the world renowned frescos. And I must say I was incredibly impressed how these masterpieces had stood the test of a 1000 years.

Putting the slavery, pain, hardship and general horrific abuse that the church/rich inflicted on the normal person to create these wonders, it was quite a marvel. The ability to create such buildings, carvings and paintings in that time and with the tools on offer is quite mind blowing. And it was a joy to see Leela appreciating these frescos from the ability and perspective of their creators.

Returning to the camp in the early evening we were greeted by a now constant flow of Italian campervans making their way in. The campsite had a limit of 50 according to their information but by late evening they were well past that number and waking up on New Year’s Eve there were vans crammed in every conceivable space which made us very nervous and claustrophobic.

So by mid morning we were out on the bikes and high on the mountainside forest roads in peace and quiet and far away from the noise and mass crowds. Knowing we would have to experience it again soon, we reluctantly made our way back, got cleaned up, and walked into town just as the sun was setting giving us a much better show than any fireworks could.

We enjoyed a glass of wine in the square as they prepared for the nights entertainment and then made our way back to the van as everyone else was making their way out. We spent New Year’s Eve in our own little world, had a few drinks and watched the fireworks from our high vantage point over the valley.

Rimini

The following morning we were up and on the road early. We had to get out of the campsite before the now packed site began to surface. There must have been over a 100 vans in there and the chaos to get out would have taken hours. So leaving the hillside morning sunshine we drove down into the valley fog not knowing that we wouldn’t see the blue sky again for the rest of our trip.

We headed east towards the coast with a first stop at Portonovo which is situated in the del Conero national park. It turned out to be a bit of a strange place. Untidy, littered, and it was made much worse by the thick fog. But we had a walk on the beach and it was nice to be at the ocean again.

The next day we drove to Rimini, but once again the thick fog spoiled the drive and the beach. So we walked around the old town which was nice and the beach front which was terrible and after an evening and following morning beach run, we continued north wishing we had gone south!

Delta del Po

Next stop was at the Delta del Po nature reserve. We stayed here last November and had a lovely time and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and nature (diary entry). We chose a different park-up this time at the end of an island and the peace in the late afternoon listening to the birds was magical, if only we could have seen them through the fog.

We were having a restful night there until around 4:30 am when a couple of cars arrived and 6 or 7 men were out in the pitch dark looking for something in the long grass all around us. This freaked us out somewhat and kept our attention until daybreak when we felt a little more at ease. That was until they started unloading their guns on whatever poor defenceless animal they were hunting. So it was time to leave this wonderful environment when we still had a full list of working parts.

Caorle

Last stop on our trip was Caorle but once more we had wished we had just stayed in Tuscany. A built up holiday town filled to the brim with people that we had spent the last 2 weeks trying our best to avoid. It was nice to see such places but they hold no interest to us. And we would never visit there in the summer months. But it was nice to take a walk on the beach at sunset and enjoy an early morning run before leaving for home.

A truly amazing Christmas and New Year trip. Tuscany is a region we would gladly re-visit and recommend to everyone. An astonishing landscape to be enjoyed by nature and photography lovers.

A happy new year to everyone and best wishes from us both for the coming years travel and adventure.