# Italy March? Any tips?



## ActiveCampers

Hi
I'm having a change of heart from Czech & Hungary as it appears they will be flippin' cold! 
So Italy is getting a look in for our next trip.

We have camperstop 2008 and Bordatlas 2009 and ACSI 2009 - do we need "Guida Camper" (http://www.vicarious-shop.co.uk/view_product.php?c_id=4&sc_id=&p_id=9) too? Or does what we have cover most?

A quick route plan shows a route via Switzerland, and also I've heard that there is an expensive toll tunnel to get in to Italy? Whats the cheapest/easiest drive through?

Any "must do" activities or things to see? And as Italy is a long thin country, assume you may as well go down one side and up the other? 

Any info appreciated.

Decisions eh?


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## hilldweller

>> Italy March? Any tips?

Beware the ides.


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## ActiveCampers

hilldweller said:


> >> Italy March? Any tips?
> 
> Beware the ides.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March ?


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## Addie

Hi Ryan and Mel!

My girlfriend and I took so much from your website when preparing for our 3 month EU tour, its great to have the chance to give some information back!

You'll be ok in Switzerland, Austria and Italy with tyres - but Winter Tyres are a legal requirement in Czech from November - March as of 2008 and am told police are rigorously checking foreign registered vehicles we were advised not to go which was a bit disappointing.

As far as books go - we had the POI Pushpins from your site which seemed to conside with what was on the 'Guida Camper' - but seen as this book also doubles up as a very detailed ring bound road atlas I'd say pick it up if you can.

We like the French Passion so we purchased the Greenstop book from Vicarious - but I wouldn't recommend it (see my other thread), we were going to get the Fattore Amico but time didn't allow so maybe pick that up instead (needs to be ordered from italy) and let us know how you get on.

We free camped everywhere except Venice, Pompeii and Rome - with hind sight we could have free camped at Venice as if you go to Camp Fusina you can actually park on the side of the road next to the port for free (right outside the campsite!) and get the ferry over to Venice if thats something you want to do. Venice is fantastic - but TAKE WELLYS! We took walking boots and still got our feet soaked, parts of Venice are almost permanently under water now.

We did Italy into Switzerland, free camping in Como and then went to Chur - we paid no tolls anywhere in Switzerland. Depending on where you want to go in Switzerland I'd recommend a trip to Innsbruck in Austria which was fantastic and then dropping down into Italy this way which will be perfect for Venice - not a route I have travelled though but its there on the map. You could then go to Lake Garda, Pisa, Rome and then you can decide where to go from there.

You'll be pleased to know that your UK Three 3G Internet Dongle will work in Italy at full HSDPA speeds most of the time (as well as Austria should you decide to go). We have a PAYG dongle which we topped up £15 (3GB/30days) online and used it for streaming iPlayer - even in remote locations!

Go to Pisa for the tower (try not to be taken in by the miles of tourist tat) - I can recommend a very nice farm stopover that was one of the gems in our green stop guide nearby. Tuscany was very nice - we stopped at an amazing aire cut into the mountainside here. For Rome we stayed at Camping Roma which I believe has the best access (on a bus route, 20-30min ride, drops off at a metro and Vatican, 4 euro ticket also valid on all metros and buses) - although 25 euros a night they will allow you to leave your van there for a day so you can squeeze an extra day out of rome and then spend that night on a free Aire meaning you don't have to battle with the traffic in the morning.

San Marino is unmissable in my opinion - shops filled with leather goods and pottery makes a refreshing change from the tourist tat, again there is a free aire here on your POI's - but if you follow the signs from here to the second carpark marked for campers (Number 10 I think) this is free and also perfectly located for the cable car to the top.

Italy was a funny place - it was somewhere both Sophie and I were desperate to go but we have mixed feelings on it. Anywhere south of Rome is like another world and Pompeii (the town) was a nightmare. We spent a couple of days travelling from Naples to Taranto (we missed out the toe of italy and went to the heal and the up the east coast) up to Bari and along the cost this way. The east cost of italy is full of closed down tourist resorts - but all the Aires were closed when we were there in November, we spent two nights in supermarket carparks / truck stops.

I can't believe how much I've written so I'll stop for now - visit our blog at http://adamsophie.blogspot.com/ if you want to read some more about the places we visited - be sure to look at Innsbruck if thats something you think you'd like to consider.

Cheers!

Adam and Sophie


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## JacSprat

Hi - I'm in Greece now after spending a few weeks touring Italy. There is plenty on the forum regarding routes. I went down through the Cote d'Azure and was stalled by a blizzard in Marseille, no less. Mont Blanc Tunnel cost my Hymer neighbors here a walloping €44, but they wanted the experience of doing it once - I think Frejus is quite a bit less. No tunnel to get from Menton to Italy and the toll roads are fast (the coastal secondary zig zags up and down through a lot of crowded towns and cities. Can get monotonous). The Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, and all of Tuscany - and a zillion other wonderful sights are within easy distance. They would be lovely that time of year, I should think. 
I spent quite a bit of time in the mountains of Abruzzo? and then around Puglia. Very interesting and definitely like stepping off the bus and onto a different continent, but you must be able to look past the mountains of rubbish, crumbling roads and poverty to get at the character of the place. The North is a lot more, well, gentrified. If you are going for the culture, get some good guide books specific to the region. It will enhance your understanding enormously.
As for motorhome guides, I would have benefitted greatly from a hard copy of Guida but left it too late to order one - too early in the season to find one in Italy either. Aires are usually hard to find with luck alone, and some of them leave a bit to be desired on the 'services' side. Better to plan ahead slightly. 
Check the venerable Don Madge's posts, also eddied for routes - they are the experts. 
Enjoy your planning!
Jacquie


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## FoweyBoy

We are planning to visit northern Italy in late Feb/March. Our plan was to go down through France to the French Riviera first, and then if time allows (got 3 weeks) go along the coast towards Florence. We decided to head for the S of France (never been there) to hopefully keep away from snow and ice on the more direct high altitude routes through Switzerland. I have no experience of Switzerland in Winter so maybe I am unnecessarily wary of road conditions.


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## hmh

I think the blizzard in Marseilles was a once in a decade event - it brought the whole town to a standstill!

As you say, Don Madge and eddied have lots of good info. We like the border crossing via Barcelonnette - colle della Maddalena - Cuneo - joining the Autostrada at Asti, but we are coming from Central France, not the same thing at all. 

That is a very pleasant road though, and pretty quiet. Central Italy is lovely, lots of small towns around Lake Trasimeno with original 15th Century frescoes in the churches. 

If you are crossing N. Italy, the South-about A21 Autostrada via Piacenza is much nicer than the North-about A4 Turin - Milan route, which is overcrowded and poorly maintained.

Be sure to try the hot chocolate near Turin, it is like the stuff you get in N. Spain, you can stand a spoon up in it.

Helen


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## SpeedyDux

Just an observation on what JacSprat said:

"Mont Blanc Tunnel cost my Hymer neighbors here a walloping €44, but they wanted the experience of doing it once - I think Frejus is quite a bit less."

When I looked into this in 2007, the tolls for both the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels were exactly the same. My impression is that both tunnels are operated by the same company. You need to choose which route suits best, not by reference to cost. Either way it's an expensive way to cross the Alps!  

Cheers,

SD


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## JacSprat

SpeedyDux said:


> Just an observation on what JacSprat said:
> 
> "Mont Blanc Tunnel cost my Hymer neighbors here a walloping €44, but they wanted the experience of doing it once - I think Frejus is quite a bit less."
> 
> When I looked into this in 2007, the tolls for both the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels were exactly the same. My impression is that both tunnels are operated by the same company. You need to choose which route suits best, not by reference to cost. Either way it's an expensive way to cross the Alps!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> SD


Yup, sorry - I'll ditto that after just checking the French website.
Vehicles over 2m high are €44 one-way. Of course you have to do what suits your trajectory.


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## hmh

*Italy touring*

For aires we use http://mitglied.lycos.de/womosp/womo_SP_I.asc

which is a German site, free details of aires in most European countries. They don't list GPS co-ordinates, but the towns by postcode, so it takes a bit of sorting through, but can be a life-saver.

We also have an Italian guide book published by www.mondadori.com, "Viaggiare in Camper in Italia e in Europa", which we picked up half-price in a bookshop there.

Helen


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## Rapide561

*Italy*

Hi

If you basically go Calais - Ostend - Brussels - Luxembourg - Metz - Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Basle -Lucerne - Chiasso - Milan, you only need a Swiss pass for the motorway network. This allows free passage of the 17km St Gotthard Tunnel and the 11km Seelisberg tunnel.

The above route is very cheap on tolls, with tolls paid from Metz - Strasbourg. You can avoid that too by using the D955 towards Chateau Salins - I use the road a fair bit and I like it.

Russell


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## ActiveCampers

Hmmm

After I posted, I could not get into MHF from any computer and assumed it was down - so surprised at so many replies!

Thanks for links and information - that will keep us busy for a day or two. And Adam/Sophie - thanks for the info to swap! 

We'd rather not see too many closed down tourist resorts, but hope Italy has enough open to see. Otherwise Feb/Mar/April is a tough time to go away

Anyway - mucho appreciated!

/time to get hold of Michel Thomas Basic Itallian...


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## eddied

*Italy in March - open for Spring in the Air*

Buona sera Activecampers,
you wouldn't want to see most of the tourist resorts open either. Those are the places mainly along the Adriatic Coast where Italian families, and German and British package holidaymakers go for their summer holidays.
To be avoided all year round!
You will find plenty 'open' at any time of year, and in March you'll miss a lot of the crowds. The weather could be bit iffy. I've seen people get themselves seriously sunburned in march, and I've also seen the autostrada system closed by snow in March. You will howver get the almonds, and mimosa, and cherries in blossom. You will get a feeling that Spring is around the corner if not here already.
As for getting here, then Russell's route is one of the best. You have to cross the Alps at some point, unless you drive down to the Cote d'Azur and come in via Nice - Ventimiglia. A bit longer, a bit more expensive, but very comfortable and picturesque too.
You will find many of the Ligurian Riviera resorts such as Bordighera, San Remo, Diano Marina, the Cinque Terre etc. can all be visited at any time of year. From there tootle down to Lucca, the Garfagnana, Pisa, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano etc etc in Tuscany. Go inland to Umbria, Lake Trasimeno, Perugia, Assisi. Further down to Rome, Tivoli, the Alban Hills.
Inland again to Abruzzo (here you could run into snow) the Marche, and Molise. I am presuming you have plenty of time, so you shouldn't miss Pompei, the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast. Searches on here will give you lots of additional information. From the Bay of Naples you can go across to Puglia - Alberobello, the Murge,Castel del Monte, the Salento, the Gargano peninsula. You can then go back up the eastern coast and see more of Molise and the Marche - Loreto, San Leo, San Marino.Then off up to the Veneto - Venice, Lake Garda, the Dolomites, the South Tyrol.
If you want to go further south from the Bay of Naples then Basilicata, Calabria, and the Sila mountains are beautiful too.
Sicily is a different chapter and needs a book all on its own.
Finding places to overnight, or stay a few days is easy.
Already mentioned is the book guida camper by Belletti.
Noticed that De Agostini, a well know publishing house, is also advertising a new camping/aires guide for 2009, but haven't seen it myself yet.
I picked a new one up from a recent motorhome show :
Caravan e Camper - guida alle Aree di Sosta Italia 2008/2009.
This should be available in good newspaper kiosks at 9 Euro.
www.caravanecamper.net
which is in any case a good site for aree di sosta.
For campsites I tend to use
www.camping.it
for soste and aree attrezzate
www.turismoitinerante.it
www.camperweb.it
as well as above mentiones.

Hope you make it and enjoy your trip.
saluti,
eddied

mselves


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## ActiveCampers

cheers eddied.
A lot there to keep me busy with.
Its looking likely it'll be Italy - decide on Monday


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## ActiveCampers

*Re: Italy*



Rapide561 said:


> Hi
> 
> If you basically go Calais - Ostend - Brussels - Luxembourg - Metz - Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Basle -Lucerne - Chiasso - Milan, you only need a Swiss pass for the motorway network. This allows free passage of the 17km St Gotthard Tunnel and the 11km Seelisberg tunnel.
> 
> The above route is very cheap on tolls, with tolls paid from Metz - Strasbourg. You can avoid that too by using the D955 towards Chateau Salins - I use the road a fair bit and I like it.
> 
> Russell


Hi - thanks for the route.

Just plotted it and it,as you say, goes through Switzerland. Is this the easilest way? what needs to be considered for Switzerland? Whats the motorway pass? As its not EU do I have other hassles?

Googles route is roughly the same in the latter stages, but when "avoiding toll roads" it goes almost via Frankfurt! I'll ask TomTom - but he takes a while on long routes.....

If Switzerland is the recommended route, then guess we should make sure we explore it on the way down - and pack the snowboarding gear 

Probably leaving in just under 2 weeks...


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## Rapide561

*Switzerland*

Hi

If your van is less than 3500kg, you buy the pass at the Swiss border and it costs 40 SFR. It is valid until the end of January 2010.

If you van is over 3500kg, it is a different type of pass and costs 32.50 SFR and allows ten days worth of Switzerland in a 12 month period.

I always go via Switzerland.

The route I mentioned via Chatea Salins is good - plenty of free places to pull in and park overnight, but I always have a night at Calais docks then a night in Obernai at the Municipal Camping - www.obernai.fr

Obernai is a lovely spot.


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## ActiveCampers

Under - so 40 CHF (SFR? ) - so about 25 quid.
Though the other one "10 days in 12 months" would also suit!
Assume the driving isn;'t too bad in Switzerland re: snow?
If you always go that way - sounds like there must be a reason!  Will look that route up in detail. Its only 700m from Calais (to Milan) so its not really a haul.
Cheers
(PS - package posted)


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## Grizzly

*Re: Italy*



ActiveCampers said:


> what needs to be considered for Switzerland? Whats the motorway pass? As its not EU do I have other hassles?


This is a route we use pretty often too.

Even if your van has the GB incorporated in the number plate you are supposed to have a GB sticker as well for Switzerland. I've never heard of this being enforced but....

The " motorway pass" is the Swiss vignette. Last year this cost 20 Swiss francs ( or could be bought in euros) and is stuck to your windscreen giving you freedom of travel on the Swiss motorways and through some tunnels - not all, some have heavy tolls. It lasts for one year from the date you buy it and comes apart in your hands if you try to remove it from the windscreen !

G


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## vicdicdoc

I agree, Umbria, [especially around] Lake Trasimeno, Perugia, Assisi.


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## hilldweller

*Re: Italy*



Grizzly said:


> It lasts for one year from the date you buy it G


Are you sure ?

I think they run for one year and a bit starting January.

If they don't we were ripped off buying one on line from a place in London.


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## Rapide561

*Vignette*

For vans less than 3500kg, the sticker costs 40 SFR or 30 Euro - payable at the border.

The sticker is presently valid for the whole of 2009 and the first month of 2010. If you buy the sticker in March, it will still expire in January 2010.

Russell

PS - I always go that way to Italy as it is easy peasy in my opinion. A nice route is via Geneva and Brig, then the Simplon Pass, but you are adding on the miles.


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## Grizzly

*Re: Italy*



hilldweller said:


> Grizzly said:
> 
> 
> 
> Are you sure ?
> I think they run for one year and a bit starting January.
> 
> 
> 
> Apologies, I'm clearly wrong on that one ! We tend to go in units of one year so the April bought one lasts us for the October trip and then we start again next year.
> 
> Sorry...
> 
> G
Click to expand...


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## hilldweller

*Re: Italy*



Grizzly said:


> Apologies, I'm clearly wrong on that one ! G


It's no bother to anyone in February, but if someone was planning ahead and bought one in December they'd not be happy.

It's a real pain for anyone having a long winter break, unless they do it every year.


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## Rapide561

*Vignette*

Hello

As far as I know, if you buy the vignette in December, it is valid for that December, the whole of the following year and the January of the year after!

Russell

November 30th is the worst value for number!


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## ActiveCampers

Thanks again everyone for all the tips. Just printing off all the necesasry now.

Leaving Wednesday and hopefully "bumping" into friends in Rome mid March. May bum around Switzerland on the way down or back - and will be "roughly following" Russels route! We'll take around 6-8 weeks.

If you see us over there - give us a beep! 

Trip will be logged on our site for others to benefit from.

Food, chocolate, buscuits and load of magazines packed! And for those that say we plan too much - I've not even looked at a real map yet we'll just see what happens!

We will *TRY* and break our Internet adiction and hopefully not use our 3 dongle too much (as its free in Italy) or use too much "free" wifi!


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