Tam &Toby do Europe ...Take two

I almost said isn't it mad to visit Italy and not rome....But then I don't Spain and not Madrid and did France and not Paris....I've not even visited London so maybe it isn't that mad

I could probably get a better photo of the colloseum off Google anyway lol as I'm not going in to see it I jist wanted to see the outside
 
Northernraider said:
So rome isnt worth a visit then ?

I mean to be fair I wanted to see the colloseum but I'm not making a special trip if that's all there's worth going for.

The Vatican city...the architecture perhaps but somehow I think that will be a very busy place and hard to park.

My original thought was drive down west side of Italy then up the bottom and take a ferry to Greece coming up through Albania etc to Croatia.

I'm now wondering if maybe I should only go down as far as Tuscany and then back up Venice etc in to Slovenia Croatia Albania down to Greece and back up through Bulgaria Romania Hungary Poland.

There's no point in me going all the way down through Italy and a ferry if it isn't going to be what I want to see.
Croatia, Albania, Greece etc are full of architecture , castles etc plus nice beaches and aren't as expensive as France Italy

Because I'm half way there I think I should go Madrid then lake maggiore, through a bit of Switzerland to lake como then down towards piza lucca etc Florence Tuscany and back up east coast to Venice.

Id plan to spend at least a month doing that so Croatia around the end of May
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YES,YES,YES...........do that!
 
May be easier for Venice to stay on lido De Jesolo side and get a water taxi across the lagoon. Not sure about the dogs tho. Venice is a must see in my opinion - if only to say you don’t like it (I love it!). Be better now, out of season I would think - less busy.
 
If you wanted the smell of the chocolate, you only needed to go to swanick in Derbyshire.They do the FR and Nutella at the Thornton factory there.
 
I love the Italian cities BUT wouldn't want to go near them with the motorhome and dogs. To get the best of them you want nice warm weather and plenty of time to wander and enjoy..... Venice is really atmospheric and worth a visit but I agree with the previous suggestion re the water taxi, if that's possible with the dogs?

Once you get into Croatia the Istrian peninsula has lots of pretty little towns which are very Italian feeling.....but cheaper and with less hysterical drivers!

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Well we loved Rome, loads of interesting things to see & do we spent 5 or 7 days there nowhere near enough time it needs longer. Didn't think much of Florence may because I was driving a hire car with Italian plates so got treated like a local.
Napels is another place not to miss, whatever you do don't take your van into Rome or Naples unless you like demolition derbys, really not worth the risk.
Just south of Naples Herculaneum well worth a visit much better than Pompei.
Just west of Naples is the Phlegraean Fields, Campi Flegrei, supposed to be a dead volcano but all the mud is bubbling up and sulphur venting off. There is a camp site in the crater. Was all closed last year as a mother & child got killed there, hopefully it's re-opened now, fascinating place.
 
If you do decide to go inland Milan way, don’t miss the Ferrari museum at Marenello. It has the atmosphere of a cathedral ! You like those don’t you ?
https://musei.ferrari.com/en/modena
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Northernraider said:
I'm now wondering if maybe I should only go down as far as Tuscany and then back up Venice etc in to Slovenia Croatia Albania down to Greece and back up through Bulgaria Romania Hungary Poland.

There's no point in me going all the way down through Italy and a ferry if it isn't going to be what I want to see.
Croatia, Albania, Greece etc are full of architecture , castles etc plus nice beaches and aren't as expensive as France Italy

Because I'm half way there I think I should go Madrid then lake maggiore, through a bit of Switzerland to lake como then down towards piza lucca etc Florence Tuscany and back up east coast to Venice.

Id plan to spend at least a month doing that so Croatia around the end of May
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Not knowing an awful lot of experience with Italy that looks like a bit of a plan to me.
The only trouble is the amount of miles you are doing which is zigzagging a bit and as pointed out the diesel is a tad expensive in Italy.
This is the right time of year to visit the lakes (Or september) IMHO, Croatia at the end of May for a month might be the wrong time as just getting into season and allegedly no wild camping there. (Yeah) and no aires as we know them.
Question. Are you trying to do too much in too short a time ? Only you can answer that. I know i have done that in the past and this year I plan to only do Provence (which i have done before) in 40 days or so and then bits of Germany on the way down and back. Thats because i missed so much of it previously. Our motto now is "It ll be there next year" and we have slowed down significantly. Only you can answer that question and we will continue to try to offer (sometimes) helpful hints.
 
suavecarve said:
Not knowing an awful lot of experience with Italy that looks like a bit of a plan to me.
The only trouble is the amount of miles you are doing which is zigzagging a bit and as pointed out the diesel is a tad expensive in Italy.
This is the right time of year to visit the lakes (Or september) IMHO, Croatia at the end of May for a month might be the wrong time as just getting into season and allegedly no wild camping there. (Yeah) and no aires as we know them.
Question. Are you trying to do too much in too short a time ? Only you can answer that. I know i have done that in the past and this year I plan to only do Provence (which i have done before) in 40 days or so and then bits of Germany on the way down and back. Thats because i missed so much of it previously. Our motto now is "It ll be there next year" and we have slowed down significantly. Only you can answer that question and we will continue to try to offer (sometimes) helpful hints.
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Not that much zigzagging really I I go from here towards lake maggiore then through mont sainte giorgio In Switzerland to lake como then Milan....Down towards piza then Florence Tuscany over to the east coast and up and around Venice.

I've heard that with Croatia but park4night is literally full of places in Croatia so will see how it goes.
I know it seems doing a lot and really it will depend how things go it's just a rough idea.

But if I don't go right down the south of Italy that saves time fuel and a ferry cost.
Whilst I don't like having a set plan I need to have some sort of outline plan.
As the crow flies I'm 122km from lake maggiore at the minute

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Northernraider said:
Not that much zigzagging really I I go from here towards lake maggiore then through mont sainte giorgio In Switzerland to lake como then Milan....Down towards piza then Florence Tuscany over to the east coast and up and around Venice.

I've heard that with Croatia but park4night is literally full of places in Croatia so will see how it goes.
I know it seems doing a lot and really it will depend how things go it's just a rough idea.

But if I don't go right down the south of Italy that saves time fuel and a ferry cost.
Whilst I don't like having a set plan I need to have some sort of outline plan.
As the crow flies I'm 122km from lake maggiore at the minute
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Maggiore from Arona. free aire with the worlds second largest statue (state of liberty before you ask) that you can climb up inside for great views of the lake for a fiverish. Bit of a downhill trek to the town which is OK 45.76971, 8.54402
 
Lenny HB said:
Well we loved Rome, loads of interesting things to see & do we spent 5 or 7 days there nowhere near enough time it needs longer. Didn't think much of Florence may because I was driving a hire car with Italian plates so got treated like a local.
Napels is another place not to miss, whatever you do don't take your van into Rome or Naples unless you like demolition derbys, really not worth the risk.
Just south of Naples Herculaneum well worth a visit much better than Pompei.
Just west of Naples is the Phlegraean Fields, Campi Flegrei, supposed to be a dead volcano but all the mud is bubbling up and sulphur venting off. There is a camp site in the crater. Was all closed last year as a mother & child got killed there, hopefully it's re-opened now, fascinating place.
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Echo what @LennyHB says about Herculaneum. They do some free days too ... check on fb Scavi Di Ercolano https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scavi-di-Ercolano-Herculaneum/532847043768164

All the artefacts from Pompeii are on display in the archeological museum in Naples ... I think it’s free on Sundays. Well worth a visit. There’s a secret room full of erotica.

The Amalfi coast is stunning but scary road.

Paestum is an absolute must. Greek temples, brilliantly preserved. At least as memorable as Herculaneum.

If you end up in Vico Equense fab pizza at Pizza da Franco and, different but still good at Pizza a metro .... you do t have to buy a metre ... I seem to recall 30cm a person was the recommended length!
 
Northernraider said:
What makes you think I'd not like to see venice...It's on my list ...I just have to work it in to a route
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well to go to venice with a motorhome you really have to park in jesolo, think benidorm 5 times over, then you have to catch a number 5 bus to the water taxi station and then to venice , no way would i think of doing it with dogs , mostly standing room only on the bus, that many people in venice you cant get near anything on your own never mind with dogs, and it takes most of a day so you would be a bit stuck for leaving them, every thing is probably 10 times as dear as anywhere else.
i love it , been many times and hope to be there again but in your situation i wouldnt dream of it.
 
chaser said:
well to go to venice with a motorhome you really have to park in jesolo, think benidorm 5 times over, then you have to catch a number 5 bus to the water taxi station and then to venice , no way would i think of doing it with dogs , mostly standing room only on the bus, that many people in venice you cant get near anything on your own never mind with dogs, and it takes most of a day so you would be a bit stuck for leaving them, every thing is probably 10 times as dear as anywhere else.
i love it , been many times and hope to be there again but in your situation i wouldnt dream of it.
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I had planned to use this one €10 for 24 hour and €3 return on the bus in to Venice
Screenshot_20190416-211806_park4night.jpg
 
Grianan said:
Echo what @LennyHB says about Herculaneum. They do some free days too ... check on fb Scavi Di Ercolano https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scavi-di-Ercolano-Herculaneum/532847043768164

All the artefacts from Pompeii are on display in the archeological museum in Naples ... I think it’s free on Sundays. Well worth a visit. There’s a secret room full of erotica.

The Amalfi coast is stunning but scary road.

Paestum is an absolute must. Greek temples, brilliantly preserved. At least as memorable as Herculaneum.

If you end up in Vico Equense fab pizza at Pizza da Franco and, different but still good at Pizza a metro .... you do t have to buy a metre ... I seem to recall 30cm a person was the recommended length!
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I guess with regards to rome I'll just have to decide once I'm closer which won't be for a few weeks I'd imagine.

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Northernraider said:
I had planned to use this one €10 for 24 hour and €3 return on the bus in to Venice View attachment 297341
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must admit i dont know that one, so might save you the jesolo part but the comments on the bus and venice still hold.
not trying to put you off as i said we love the atmosphere and the buildings and stuff, just dont know about the dogs.
 
chaser said:
must admit i dont know that one, so might save you the jesolo part but the comments on the bus and venice still hold.
not trying to put you off as i said we love the atmosphere and the buildings and stuff, just dont know about the dogs.
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Aye I'd leave the dogs in the van for that
 
We visited Rome last year and stayed on a site out of the Camperstop book, inside Rome....cant remember the name, but it had a bus and tram stop outside, that took you into the city centre. We stayed a couple of nights and moved on to "Camping Jolly", still in Rome and on a bus route! This site was lovely! We ended up staying a week(y)
We then moved to Venice and stayed on the campsites sister site.......cant remember the name. They ran a bus service, very easy, that took you into and dropped you of at the centre of venice.
 
We visited Pozzuoli 10km north of Naples. The Phlegraen Fields volcanic area, and the Flavian Amphitheater in Solfatara definitely worth a visit. The amphitheater is amazing. You can camp in the campsite adjacent to the volcanic area.
 
The standard of driving in this country would be funny if it wasn't scary as hell at times I've nearly been wiped out 3 times today!!!


And the road surfaces are worse than the UK ...the poor dogs have been on edge all morning
 
If you go to Rome - being as you're someone who prefers to look at the outside of buildings - can I recommend a really touristy thing to do...
A Hop On, Hop Off Bus tour - we did one when in Rome and it was great for getting our bearings and seeing "everything"

They apparently even allow dogs, [but terms & conditions apply].
It's not too expensive €13-€15 for the basic ride around.
https://www.tickitaly.com/tours/rome-bus-tour.php

http://montecristotravels.com/blog/what-every-dog-owner-ought-to-know-about-rome-italy/
 
Northernraider said:
The standard of driving in this country would be funny if it wasn't scary as hell at times I've nearly been wiped out 3 times today!!!


And the road surfaces are worse than the UK ...the poor dogs have been on edge all morning
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Yep,that’s normal for Italy!
 
Northernraider said:
The standard of driving in this country would be funny if it wasn't scary as hell at times I've nearly been wiped out 3 times today!!!


And the road surfaces are worse than the UK ...the poor dogs have been on edge all morning
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Yep they use the eyes front ,foot down , and smile type of driving , EFFEN NUTTERS:).
Keep alert (y)(y)
John

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Northernraider said:
The standard of driving in this country would be funny if it wasn't scary as hell at times I've nearly been wiped out 3 times today!!!


And the road surfaces are worse than the UK ...the poor dogs have been on edge all morning
Click to expand...

They all learn to drive from their mothers.....:whistle:
 
Langtoftlad said:
If you go to Rome - being as you're someone who prefers to look at the outside of buildings - can I recommend a really touristy thing to do...
A Hop On, Hop Off Bus tour - we did one when in Rome and it was great for getting our bearings and seeing "everything"

They apparently even allow dogs, [but terms & conditions apply].
It's not too expensive €13-€15 for the basic ride around.
https://www.tickitaly.com/tours/rome-bus-tour.php

http://montecristotravels.com/blog/what-every-dog-owner-ought-to-know-about-rome-italy/
Click to expand...
Oh that's useful thanks
 
suavecarve said:
Maggiore from Arona. free aire with the worlds second largest statue (state of liberty before you ask) that you can climb up inside for great views of the lake for a fiverish. Bit of a downhill trek to the town which is OK 45.76971, 8.54402
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Hmphhh I'm rather dissapointed

World's second largest statue indeed ....I mean it's big but it's no that big and it made me have a Google at the world's largest statues ...It's no even on the page and there's like 127 of them
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_statues

I'm glad I didn't post pics on Facebook and make that statement I'd never have lived it down.
 
So we left Alba this morning heading up towards lake maggiore. Stopped at this nice wee nature park and had lunch and a walk ....Lovely quiet secluded place with no noise buy birds singing ...loads of butterflies etc
Made me sad I was single it was the ideal location for a romantic picnic and a frolic on a blanket before a swim in the river lol

I need to stop reading those books:p

Anyway after that I drove to arona to see this big statue some bugger telt me was the second biggest in the world ....pfft

There's a parking spot here but it's noisy as hell so I'm going to drive down the the lakeside one near the town of arona it's only 4 km and think it will be quieter.
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I think it might be too late.
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And then

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