Italy, thigh to heel

Our route from Hondarribia took us via Pau to Camping Le Commanderie at Rustique, from where we cycled beside the Canal du Midi into Carcassonne, magnificent as always. From there, we stopped in the Camargue at Camping Crin Blanc near St Gilles, to visit Arles, famous for Roman remains, course camarguaise (a form of bullfighting in which bulls are unharmed), and many of Van Gogh’s greatest works.

               Near St Tropez, we chose the expensive Kon Tiki beach site, an enjoyable indulgence. From there we cycled into the village, little changed since my last visit in the ’80s, except for the size of the gin palaces moored there.

               Afterwards, we drove the fabulous Riviera corniche past Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo to spend our first Italian night inland at Camping Delle Rose, Isolabona in the Val Nervia. After exploring the lovely village of Dolceacqua we returned to the coast, where highlights include Imperia, Portofino (impossible to park - we walked 5km from Santa Margherita), and the Cinque Terre National Park, staying at Camping Acqua Dolce in Levanto. The park is popular with hikers but the main coastal trail has been hit by landslides and only short stretches remain open. We walked from Monterosso to Vernazza and then caught the train to delightful Riomaggiore.

               Farther south, Tuscany is a must on anyone’s itinerary. With much to see, we were selective and concentrated on smaller places such as San Gimignano with its competing medieval towers, and Volterra. 

               For visiting Rome, we stayed at Camping Porticciolo, on Lake Bracciano, travelling by train to the city, which was teeming with visitors. Beyond Naples, Pompeii is a disaster area in more ways than one.The ruins of the town, destroyed by Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79AD, are worth visiting (go early to avoid the crowds) but the noisy, dirty surrounds have nothing going for them other than a string of convenient campsites. We stayed at Camping Spartacus, opposite the ruins’ entrance.

               South of Pompeii, the beautiful Amalfi coast is hard to enjoy. Unable to park, we had to drive through Positano and Amalfi and other attractive villages, even early in the season, stopping only at occasional lay-bys and lesser known villages like Praiano and Minori.

               Beyond Salerno, Paestum was a surprise - huge Greek temples in beautiful condition and without crowds. Don’t miss the excellent museum with colourful funerary art, once decorating ancient tombs.

               To the south, the Cilento coast is less grand than Amalfi’s, but is far more enjoyable. There are campsites, too; we stopped near Marina di Camerota at Porticello Camping Village, which has beach access.

               Our original plan was to continue to Italy’s toe, but with our schedule slipping again we crossed to the Adriatic, en route taking in Matera, a fascinating town of troglodyte dwellings, and Alberobello, renowned for its trulli, cone-shaped, whitewashed houses. Some are still people’s homes, many are souvenir shops. 

               From there we drove to Bari for the overnight ferry to Dubrovnik, back on schedule.

Pictures on the story are of: Gillian cycling to Carcassone along the Canal du Midi, Coastal village, Vernazza on the Cinque Terre coastal trail, Greek temple at Paestum, On site at Porticello Camping Village, Marina di Camerota, Cave dwellings at Matera.