# First time motorhomeing in Italy



## Stevemotorhome (Oct 31, 2008)

Can anyone help.
We have toured Italy several times before camping in our tent but never with our motorhome. 
What are the aire de sotas like ? 
Do they compare to France and are there many near the Italian Lakes ? The last time we were in Italy the campsites were very expensive.
We are also thinking of going on to Tuscany and then the Ambru zzo area in August as we have done all the main towns.
Any other tips would be great.
Many thanks
Steve


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## weldted (May 1, 2005)

*lakes in Italy*

If you go around the lakes (Como) etc try to go around them clockwise ie with the water on your right. Then if you have to move in for a large lorry or coach you will be ok. If you go the other way around you will have to pull in against where in some places there are overhanging rocks some of which are quite low.


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

The sostas (sorry eddied I know that is not the correct Italian plural) vary enormously - some are good some are really bad, it is very different to France from our experience. A number are in the database on here. There is Fattore Amico - the Italian version of France Passion, we have only tried 1 place so far but that was a very good experience. Get the camperstop book which along with sostas lists all the motorway services with motorhome service points, many of them are free and they are very good for filling and emptying tanks.
The campsites and sosta around the lakes are already pretty busy at weekends, we have brought the MH back to the UK for the summer rather than fight our way through the crowds in July and August.
Don't know how big your MH is but be on the lookout for size restrictions in some places (often on length) the signs are often difficult to spot but the police lie in wait ready to take your credit card details!
Any more specific info you want on Piedmont or Lombardy I will try to help but there are others on here who are more expert than me

Chris


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*Italy touring*

 Buon giorno Steve, ciao Ardgour.
Ok, let's call them sostas for the sake of convenience  
Have to agree with ardgour that if possible it is best to avoid August in Italy; July shouldn't be too bad.
Sostas are plentiful, but vary widely in facilities and costs. Many are municipal and free or a nominal charge. Many, known as 'aree attrezzate' are really mini campsites for motorhomes, are privately owned, and cost anything between 10 - 20 Eurines a night.Free camping is often frowned upon, but widely practiced, and currently the subject of fierce debate amongst the motorhoming community.
Some town councils are making regulations/signage that according to the Highway Code and the Minsitry of Transport are illegal. Basically you have the right to PARK as long as not over 3500 Kgs. wherever a car has the right to park. This means you can't open compass windows, put down steadies, put out chairs, or start a BBQ etc; becaue then you begin CAMPING>
The best listings for sostas etc are on www.camperonline.it
whilst campsites are on www.camping.it
Bear in mind that on all Italian autostrade most service stations now provide (have to by law) a motorhome service point with grill type grey/black waste dump and fresh water supply. 
Don't rush things and try to cram too much into a short time. Italy is a country to be savoured like its food and wine - slowly.
The Abruzzo happens to be very indicated for free camping, lots of wide open and uninhabited areas. In Toscana you will need sostas/campsites - too much human influence and people!
Don't be afraid of the traffic or idiot drivers; just drive defensively, take your time, and don't make eye contact in tricky situations.
I'm beginning to waffle, so I'd better go now :lol: 
Do enjoy your trip to Italy, have a good search through the forums here, and 'buon viaggio'
saluti,
eddied


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Don't forget your reflective backboard if you carry bikes or have anything sticking out at the back of your van and also your reflective jackets in case you get out of your van on a road.

From observation these laws seem to be more honoured in the breach if you have Italian numberplates but other nationalities are more vulnerable !

I'd strongly recomend you buy a copy of the excellent Guida Camper: Aree di Sosta . Not only has it very good maps of the whole country but it is easy to use and shows all the sostas as well as many campsites and Agriturismo sites. It's the one aires guide we have no trouble at all using.

G


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Quote from Chris (Ardgour)
[There is Fattore Amico - the Italian version of France Passion, we have only tried 1 place so far but that was a very good experience. ]

We haven't tried this yet but hope to do so later in the year. Can you say which site you stayed at ? Will you be going to any more this summer/autumn?
Grateful for any information,
Lala


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*First time motorhoming in Italy*

Another useful website is
http://mitglied.multimania.de/womosp/
a German site which has Aires for many European countries, with GPS co-ordinates. 
For this, however, and for some of the guide books, it really helps to know what your postcode is - this applies to France too.
Work out a map of provinces etc. on the web, and print it off - it will be invaluable.

Another good guide book is Mondadori's Viaggiare in Camper in Italia.

We especially loved an aire just outside the city walls in Lucca. Like many Italian aree da sosta it is a carpark, with campervan facilities, - you pay, I think around 10 Euros per 24 hours. Take bikes and cycle into the old town, and around the path on top of the walls. There is a good butcher/ greengrocer/baker in the street behind the Aire.

Another favourite was at Marina da Pisa, again around 10 Euros per 24 hours - we took a bus into Pisa for the day - you have to buy your ticket before you get on the bus - which we didn't know, so got a free ride one way, waiting for someone to come and sell us a ticket!

We don't like the Northern Autostrada between Turin and Milan, it must be one of the old originals, and always has roadworks, and very short approach roads from the small underspecified service stations. We take the South-about route when we can.

If you are coming from France there is an excellent free municipal Aire just before you get to Genoa at Arenzano, in a central carpark, close to a good little supermarket. ( Aslo a useful one to drop onto if you get off a boat at Genoa, late in the day!) N 44 24' 08 E 8 41' 03

Have fun!

Helen


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## gerardjanice (May 1, 2005)

Just came back from 5 weeks round the Italian Lakes and Venice expecting cheap stop-overs. Our experience is that there are very few sostas left around the lakes, some we checked out had closed down, one was privately owned and charged 15 euros, some we never found. None had what my wife refers to as scenic views (of the Lakes). We spent most nights on campsites (15 to 25 euros) and on some car parks. Sorry to be negative but I think this is now becoming typical near the main tourist spots, especially if you want something "nice".


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi

In the Abruzzo National Park we can highly recommend
Campeggio La Genziana
Barrea, Abruzzo

The walking from the site is fantastic - the owners have a book their father wrote which is in English and has details of walks in it. The views are beautiful and it is next to the lovely village of Barrea, which has some good bread shops and small grocery stores, as well as places to eat.

Its not the cheapest site, but it is one of the best situated.

Our blog at
www.candakubicki.blogspot.com

will give you some photos and info about there and Italy generally.

Enjoy
Canda


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## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

lalala said:


> Quote from Chris (Ardgour)
> [There is Fattore Amico - the Italian version of France Passion, we have only tried 1 place so far but that was a very good experience. ]
> 
> We haven't tried this yet but hope to do so later in the year. Can you say which site you stayed at ? Will you be going to any more this summer/autumn?
> ...


The one we have tried so far is agritourismo amarant - I have put it on the database. Hopefully will get to a few more later in the year but the MH is back in the Uk for a couple of months over the summer.
Will put others in the database as we try them

Chris


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