# Spring in Italy?



## esperelda (Sep 17, 2010)

Hi all,

As we are both retiring this summer, we are planning to visit Italy early 2015 for a month or so, our first big trip out of school holidays.

I will be looking through the information on here re Italy but before I start serious planning we need to decide when we are going to go. 

I am eager and want to go early in the year but Himself is worried that campsites etc will be closed and wants to leave it until April. I have just looked through the ACSI book and there are some sites open all year.

Can I please ask your advice as to a good time to go? we haven't decided on a route yet. We want to see so much but may split the visit into North or South Italy, and then do the other half at another time.

Any / all advice welcome.

Many thanks an anticipation.


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

We did Italy in April last year. Mother had summoned us all to Rome for her birthday. We took our tile and went all the way down the coast then back up through the middle. We only used a campsite in Florence, the rest of the time either wild or sostas. 
IMO it was a good time to visit. Not too busy but weather pleasant enough.
We also go to Northern Italy a lot in winter for winter sports. Many campsites are open then . We usually do Verona and Venice at the same time...but stay on sostas.
Either time is great but for winter you will need to be properly winterised.


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## esperelda (Sep 17, 2010)

Sostas will be a new experience for us. Are they the same as aires?


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

We used to live in northern Italy close to Lake Maggiore and most of the campsites etc were closed till late March/ early April (depending on easter) and some didn't open till June. Most Sosta were open all year and Fattore Amico was an option. You will also find that many of the ferries on the lakes are seasonal.
We did use the van out there 'off season' but we tend not to use campsites
Chris


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

> *esperelda wrote: *Sostas will be a new experience for us. Are they the same as aires?


Yes just the same. Loads in Italy. Same as France. Some free others around major attractions or hot spots will cost a few quid. Some up around Lake Garda etc are over €20.

Plenty of Sosta guides about but I just use www.campingcar-infos.com for all of Europe.

Not been that early so cannot comment anymore really.


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## jarcadia (May 1, 2005)

We have over wintered on the Italian Riviera for a few years now. There are plenty of camp-sites and sostas open all year from Ventimiglia to Albenga, after Albenga the Alps retreat inland and the temperature falls, it can be 4 or 5C lower in Genoa.

This coast is very popular with Italian campers who come down from Milan and Turin to escape the winter cold, in Diano Marina we counted at least 8 camp-sites, all of which were full or nearly full over Christmas and New Year. Spring begins in February and the blossoms, including mimosa, are wonderful. 

We have only seen a handful of Brits there, but this was a favourite winter destination for the Victorians. We usually go the beginning of December and return end of March, temperatures can vary but it is normally mild, down to 5C at night and as high as 25C during the day.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

For Sosta-finding, I found http://www.areasostaitalia.it/ to be pretty reliable.

It's all in Italian, but has loads of photos - which I find useful for deciding whether a Sosta is worth visiting.

I'm just back from 3 weeks in the Italian lakes and one thing I found was that, once you get outside the main tourist areas, Sostas are rather few and far between compared to Aires in France, for example. Ditto campsites.

It seems any two-horse town in France has an aire, or a municipal campsite, but you couldn't rock up in a mid-sized town in Italy - such as Lodi in Lombardy (1796, Battle of Lodi, anyone?), for example, and expect to see signs for a Sosta.

Doubtless loads of places to wild camp, but not a Sosta or a Campsite in sight.

All that this means is that you might have to think ahead a little bit more to make sure you hit a Sosta every few days to empty the loo, or whatever.

Having said that, some of the Sostas that do exist are excellent. Soave, for example, has a really well-appointed one €5 per night incl. EHU, water etc. Just outside the walls of the town, which is famed for it's crisp dry white wines.

Stick these co-ordinates in Google Maps, and have a look on streetview (I'd post a direct link to the streetview view, but that functional capability seems to be broken nowadays...)

45.423429,11.245435

Morph

EDIT: thanks to the 'posting attachments' thread, I shrunk this photo of us on the Soave Sosta so that it would post.


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

Sicily is very good in March and April, plenty of sostas and campsites open. People very friendly and helpful, food very good far better than northern Italy.

Wild flowers are spectacular at this time of year and the oranges and lemons are in season.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Morph. Here is a link to that Sosta

http://goo.gl/maps/a0vDb

Looks ok for an overnight.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

Yup, thanks, that's the one!

Handy stopover en route to/from Venice. Well thought-out borne with clearly marked taps for fresh water and for tank cleaning, decent recycling, and one of the least-splashy loo emptying tubes I've seen.

One of my simple pleasures in life is NOT being splashed with my own (or SWMBO's) poo whilst emptying the loo.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Sosta*

The two new sostas at Lake Garda are open all year - 12 euro inc hook up at the present time.

Pics and review by clicking here

Russ


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## esperelda (Sep 17, 2010)

*St Gotthard tunnel*

I am now plotting our route from Calais to Italy, using one of Russells toll free routes (thank you Russell):

Calais
Dunkirk
Lille
Mons
Arlon
Luxembourg
Metz
Chateaux Salins
Sarrebourg
Phalsbourg
Signs to Wassolnne, Molsheim, Obernai, Colmar
Basle/Mulhouse
Lucerne
St Gotthard tunnel

I have a couple of questions:

After we have bought our tax/toll document, do we actually go through the St Gotthard tunnel?

What sort of mileage can I look at us covering daily, we don't like to drive all day, usually from 9am to 3pm is preferable.

Many thanks in anticipation.


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

*Re: St Gotthard tunnel*



esperelda said:


> I have a couple of questions:
> 
> After we have bought our tax/toll document, do we actually go through the St Gotthard tunnel?
> 
> ...


Yes St Gotthard tunnel is included, pass will be closed in March April.

The route you have picked is nearly all motorway and your average speed should be close to your cruising speed.

Last March we did Calais to Milan in 1.5 days, we cruise at 60 mph.


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## esperelda (Sep 17, 2010)

can anyone tell me how much the vignette is if your van is over 3.5 tonne? can't seem to see it on the internet, it just says a 'heavy toll' which is a bit frightening....


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## selstrom (May 23, 2005)

esperelda said:


> can anyone tell me how much the vignette is if your van is over 3.5 tonne? can't seem to see it on the internet, it just says a 'heavy toll' which is a bit frightening....


You can purchase 10 individual days (within 12 month period) use for CHF 25, you have to fill in form each day you use Swiss roads.


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

With a tiny deviation you can stay out of cookoo land & cross from France into Italy by using the Mont Blanc tunnel & on to Aosta !


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