Pitchside VIEWS
Fiona Scott offers her advice for preparing for your next big adventure in Europe Following on from her last column about European travel, Fiona Scott extols the virtues of Italy
Often caravanners head to France, Belgium, Germany or Spain for their first forays into Europe – however, I’d happily recommend northern Italy. We’ve been twice and hope to head there again this year if the pandemic situation allows.
This year we’ll be taking the
Eurotunnel into France and then heading south, staying at a site to break up the journey and then heading off to Lake Garda which is the largest lake in Italy in a beautiful area.
Lake Garda is around 32 miles in length, 11 miles at its widest point and to travel all the way around is about 100 miles and its deepest point is about 346m. Due to its size it’s split between three Italian regions: Veneto, Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige. It’s a freshwater lake and, unsurprisingly, there are many activities involving boats, yachts and windsurfing.
All around the lake there are campsites with pitches for touring caravans, though it’s worth checking that they can take large units as some have challenging entrances and exits due to their position on the lake.
Our favoured site (as you’ll know if you read my column last month) is Fornella Camping and Wellness Resort which is large and has a restaurant which overlooks the lake. There are several types of pitches for touring caravans (and tents) which include basic and standard. We have opted for a superpitch which is between 120 and 140m and offers water as well as the usual hook-up. There is a more premium option, too – it’s the same size, but also offers a private bathroom. These pitches are also pet friendly, though it can be so hot, we’ve never felt it was fair to take a dog.
The position of this site is what makes it so appealing. The resort itself offers many excursions and it’s worth checking out any ‘deals’ on hiring a boat or booking a cruise around the lake.
MY TOP THREE SUGGESTIONS ARE:
VENICE
If you’ve never been to this beautiful city, you can visit for a day trip from Fornella. To do so
you can book train tickets from the nearest train station which is Desenzano, and you can even book the tickets from home before travelling overseas. The journey takes about two hours.
Parking at the station was free on our last visit and, as you come up the hill to the train station, you head left to parking spaces which are under scrubby trees. The journey is beautiful and when you arrive, Venice train station is nothing special – until you go out of the main entrance and you find the Grand Canal right in front of you. It’s an astonishing revelation. Wandering around Venice is out of this world as it’s so beautiful if you love arts, architecture, glass and history. There are many, many eateries, wonderful shops and stalls, street artists, gardens, squares and, of course, bridges and gondolas. A gondola ride is not cheap – about €100. In fact, Venice is expensive due to its unique position, no traffic and the fact that everything has to be brought in. It costs about €1 to use a public loo and food and drink are expensive, too. For us it’s worth every single penny to visit for a day.
SIRMIONE
This is Lake Garda’s most popular town and it’s a popular tourist destination, offering a medieval thirteenth century castle with world-famous thermal spas. Anyone can drive and park nearby, or catch a bus. However be prepared for a busy time – it’s a small place which can be packed. If you want to really push the boat out you can get there and back (and avoid the traffic) by taking a speedboat taxi which will set you back about €50 each way. One very popular purchase here is Italian ice cream which is offered by various vendors – I recommend only purchasing the smallest cones as they don’t last long on a hot day!
THE MARKETS
I’ve never been anywhere that has markets like the ones on offer here. Fornella posts details in reception of which markets are operating on which days. It’s best to get there early to have any chance of parking within walking distance! These markets offer fresh food, clothes, household linens, shoes – all a riot of colour and noise. And you can haggle! Not that I’m any good at that.
A gondola ride is not cheap – about €100 and it costs €1 to use a loo!