Wednesday 5th April
Basil had a very proud start to the day. For half and hour he was the most economical and ecological motorhome in Europe. As we descended from the Gotthard Tunnel, towards Italy, Basil achieved an astounding 47 mpg. Not bad for a boy with big bones.
It was another day of travelling in our ongoing quest to find some heat and once we had crossed the Alps the temperature was appreciably warmer. We stuck to the motorways and made our way across the fertile plains of Northern Italy.
At Parma we turned off the motorway briefly to find a lovely aire on the banks of the river Po, just outside the village of Boretto. It was €20 including electricity (44.9052,10.5608). I took Skye for a quick wander round the small, workaday village and on the way back, I managed to ascertain, in my sparse Italian, that a well reviewed local restaurant accepted dogs. So I booked a table.
When we arrived at the restaurant we were firstly astounded that the restaurant was completely full on a Wednesday evening. Our second surprise was how cheap the dishes were. We had a complementary appertiser, two enormous delicious pizzas, wine, bottled water, a complementary chocolate liqueur for Sarah and a not so complementary grappa for me, all for €27!!!! We could get seriously fat on this trip.
Thursday 6th April
We had a discussion in the morning as to wether we would continue to push on south or visit the Unesco World Heritage towns of Sabbioneta and Mantova (Mantua to English speakers). We decided on the latter, but not before a first Lidl stop of the trip.
Following the shop we first went to Sabbioneta. Its Unesco award is due to it being one of the best examples of Renaissance town planning. The centre is set out on a grid with a central square which contains the Ducal Palace, a Basilica and a town hall. Renaissance thinking also required there to be a theatre, which is unfortunately currently closed.
We wander around the pretty little town, admiring the 16th century buildings from the outside. It was interesting, but probably not worth a detour, except perhaps in combination with its neighbour Mantova.
Basil transported us to Mantova and we parked up on a huge free parking area, with numerous Italian motorhomes, and caught the free shuttle bus into the centre.
Mantova, which is only 20 miles or so from Sabbioneta, is a whole different kettle of fish. It is an ancient city, predating the Romans. We have visited many, if not most, of Italy’s famous ancient cities, but Mantova took us completely by surprise. It a large walled Renaissance city and the centre still has the air of a medieval settlement. It was the capital of a province ruled by the powerful Gonzaga family from the early 14th Century until the early 17th Century and it was during this period that most of the important buildings were erected. Around the three central piazzas are arranged several palaces, including the huge Ducal Palace. There is a Cathedral and Basilica and numerous attractive houses of wealthy merchants of the time.
Again we only viewed buildings from the outside, partly due to having Skye with us and also because we did not have time to do them justice. Mantova is definitely a place worth a detour and it would easily possible to fill a long weekend here.
We spent a peaceful night on the car park, which although it had no facilities, it was well lit and we were surrounded by fellow travellers. (45.1463, 10.7909).
Friday 7th April
After a slowish start we headed for our first campsite stop, about 2 hours south.
On this trip to Italy we have noticed that some speed limits, especially roads in the countryside, have been reduced to a ridiculous 50kph (31mph) and not just for large vehicles. These are perfectly good wide roads and not in built up areas. Obviously Italians are not going accept such a curb on their need for speed and so routinely fly past Basil at double the speed limit. A learner driver with his instructor, elicited a wry smile from us as he accelerated away from Basil, considerably above the speed limit. I wonder whether breaking the speed limit, crossing double white lines, undertaking etc. are automatic fails in an Italian driving test or just minor infringements?
We arrived at Camping Village Mugello Verde (43.960981, 11.312477 €21 with ACSI) in mid afternoon. It’s a large hilly site located very near the famous Mugello motor racing circuit. It is perfectly adequate but nothing outstanding. We’ve got a large pitch and we have already been sitting in the warm spring sunshine. Sarah, of course, immediately got our washing done, but as soon as she hung it out, inevitably it started to rain!