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Tour to Italy 2024
  • Travel with the Burges
  • Travel with the Burges

Tour to Italy 2024

A 66-day adventure by Travel with the Burges Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 19, 2024
    Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    The Juggs

    March 18, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We chose to park for the night in the car park of a 14th century pub in Kingston ( Close to Newhaven) . Cracking decision as food was fab.....steak and kidney pudding for David and Steak and Guiness pie for me. Long way to go but 10/10......the way a pub should be.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Pont- de- L'Arche

    Mar 19–20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Aire : free.
    Uneventful crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe. Empty ferry, no freight just predominantly a few motorhomers. Stopped in a free aire overlooking the Seine, close to dark when parked up but nice view, quiet location and free to boot. Closed campsite next door.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Liked the cat in the window box.
    Managed to avoid thus temptation, Ellie1Versaille Palace

    Versaille and nearby

    March 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Spent the morning in the charming village of Pont de l'Arche with ancient buildings and stunning view over the river. Then moved on to Versaille and cycled in warm sunshine around the parkland and town, the latter thronged with Japanese tourists. Found a quiet campsite for the night only a few miles from Paris but the nightmare of the peripherique (ring road) lived up to its reputation!Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Italy

    March 23, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Arrived in Italy.........we drove across the border and straight into bedlam, roads that were running smoothly became gridlocked, road surfaces started to rattle your fillings, ears were bombarded by the sound of car horns but the eyes were rewarded by verdant mountainous terraces, snow topped peaks in the distance and an attractive all be it chaotic, quaint charm.
    We want to visit Monaco but it is difficult to park a motorhome there so we chose a Campsite that provides a shuttle service to the train station . The site was full though they squeezed us into a corner, it remains to be seen if we can get out!    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    2
    1Reminiscent of Baz in his youth!Casino only open to foreigners

    A day in Monte Carlo

    March 24, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Took the train into Monaco, so back across the French border, heavily policed, unlike entry into Italy. Monte Carlo lavishly oppulant, not a speck if rubbish, Ferrari , Lambougini and Bentley everywhere. The marina was even worse. The whole of Monoco no bigger than Hyde Park with 30,000 residents of whom 1 in 3 are millionaires. Again police everywhere, crime is almost non-existant. Managed to avoid any purchases as even 1 scoop of ice cream was £4.50!Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Menton

    March 25, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Back over the border to France again, less than a mile away, to explore Menton. Still bright but the weather is on the change with rain forecast for the next couple of days. The old part of the town is mostly inaccessible to vehicles, hilly with narrow walkways. You have to be fit and able-bodied to live here.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Rapallo

    March 26, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    First real day in Italy and greated by rain this morning. Motored on for a couple of hours along motorway characterised by tunnels and viaducts. We reckon we spent more time in tunnels than in open road! Camped in Rapallo for the night and plan to move on to Lucca tomorrow, via a laundromat - might as well get the essentials done whilst the weather is poor!Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Lucca

    March 27, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Only 1.5 hr drive to here but spent the rainy day on the essential activities of laundromat and food shopping on the way. Sun came out during the afternoon but we discovered that the campsite we arrived at, and many others in the area, were fully booked for the Easter period. So now parked up for free in a large carpark just outside the city walls. Ideal in many ways and saves 30 euros a night but limited by the fact that we have to bear in mind water supply, water disposal and, more importantly, toilet emptying! No doubt a solution will be found.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Lucca is famous for Puccini, the opera man, not to be confused with Porcini, who invented mushrooms
    Yet another churchRustic camping

    Lucca 2

    March 28, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Heavy rain in a motorhome is noisy, hail is deafening!! So a noisy night and slow start waiting for the rain to stop. It eventually did so we explored Lucca, saw the sights and sampled our first Italian ice cream - it won't be the last! Decided to move on but only 7 miles south to a rural campsite at a Garden Centre so now surrounded by hens, geese and ponies. Plan to cycle back to Lucca tomorrow as sun is forecast.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    En route to Lucca
    Look who we found snuffling around the motorhome!This fellow makes his presence known in competition with the cockrel.

    Lucca d3

    March 29, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Good cycle ride to Lucca and back today, with sun mostly, through Tuscany countryside. Had our first Italian pizza for lunch and had to follow that with another ice cream. Aim to go to Pisa tomorrow either by bike or train depending on weather.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Timber!!
    Furry feet chooks

    Pisa

    March 30, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Cycled into Pisa today, which was thronging with tourists. The tower is impressive, tilting 15 degrees and made to look more because the adjoing cathedral tilts 5 in the other direction! Market day so hundreds of stalls including some wonderful street food, tempting salami and smelly cheeses. Rode on to the sea at the Pisa marina, which was drab in comparison.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Volterra (Elevation 530 m)

    Mar 31–Apr 1, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Area sosta de camper: Viale dei Filosofi, 56048 Volterra PI, Italy 15 euros/24 hrs
    The Italian weather forecasters are as bad as the English, heavy rain forecast all day! Well no rain to speak of just warm hazy sunshine. The guide book said Volterra was not touristy so sounded a good choice. The car park instructions in Volterra were explicit for 7m motorhomes.......Do NOT approach from the east......so which way did we come from .?......the east of course. A three point turn later on a hair pin bend coupled with a hill start like no other got us out of that mess.
    All the car parks in this non touristy town were heaving, we managed to secure a place at lunchtime, the last one at the time. In between a walking tour of the town ( up a lot of steps) we have managed to see the sights. One interesting fact is the main fortress is now used as a maximum security prison , no tunnelling out possible from those 13th century stone walls.    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Centre of Sienna
    Looked a long walk uphill to Sienna but....7 of these end to end to take you up there.Parked on MonteTypical Tuscany viewWine cellar 100ft down in the rock.

    Sienna and Montepulciano

    April 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Busy day in Tuscany exploring Sienna in the morning and Montepulciano (where the film Twilight was shot) in the afternoon. In between was what should have been a simple journey but...David thinks he may have misprogrammed the satnav...Melanie is certain he did! Saw a bit more of the countryside than intended. Bonus was being able to refill the gas cylinder en route, something that we had heard can be difficult or impossible in Italy.
    Both towns are stunning, perched high on hilltops with amazing views. Did a wine tasting in Monte but surprisingly Montepulchiano grapes are not grown here! So the local wine was OK but not what was hoped for.    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Thermal baths
    Hot spring water cascades down from the top of the cliffand leaves yellow deposit all the way downThis point is on the pilgrimage from Rome to Canterbury

    Bagno Vignoni

    April 3, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Travelled on through Tuscany heading south. Another journey longer than expected due to road closures. Stopped here for lunch and to visit the thermal spring. Quite a sight as it used to overflow from the baths to drive a mill but the mill collapsed years ago leaving the overflow to cascade over a cliff into a terrace of pools.
    Motored on to camp by a beautiful lake - more on this tomorrow.    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Lakeside

    April 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Having a couple of days at a campsite by one of Italy's biggest lakes and the weather has turned sunny and warm by day, if chilly at night. Taking the opportunity to catch up on chores as well as walking and sampling the local pizza. Also planning our visit to Rome next week which requires advanced booking of the main sights.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    View from the castle wall
    Yet another cathedral, said to be the most decorated church facade in ItalyOne if the many ceramic shops - just massive urns and platters

    Orvieto

    April 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Moved on to this small but fascinating town in Umbria, less than an hour from the lake. Funicular from an excellent motorhome car park to the town itself with the typical numerous churches, cobbled streets and spectacular views. Stuck away in the backstreets was an ancient toy shop with an ancient owner who eagerly demonstrated his magnificent display of musical toys. One was a man playing the piano and the tune was determined by which of a selection of hats you chose to put on his head.
    Continued our exploration of excellent local wines by a short tasting and purchase of Orvieto Classico. Maybe dry May cos April is certainly up the spout.    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Before diversion
    and after1Reached the top!

    Cascata Delle Marmore

    April 7, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Visited the highest man-made waterfall in the world today. Created in Roman times by diverting a river over a cliff. Used to provide power but now a tourist attraction. The stream is diverted twice a day at 11 and 3 for 2 hours at a time so prior to diversion there is just a trickle but after it is very impressive. Various viewpoints with 600 steps to the top, made harder by most of Italy and their dogs and children being here.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler

    Arrived in Rome

    April 7, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Only an hours drive to the campsite in Rome where we plan to stay the next few days, although the difficulty interpreting the satnav with multiple motorway exits took us round in circles a couple of times. Thinking of cycling into the city via a riverside cycle path but getting on it requires negotiating some busy roads, so assessed this and way to the railway station on foot this evening. Have booked city walking and bus tours plus the Colosseum and Vatican so expect to have a busy few days.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    The Trevi....
    ...and the crowds.PantheonThe dome, which is open at the top do the rain does get in, not today as v sunny

    Rome d1

    April 9, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Decided to take the train in to the centre today, which was very reminiscent of India! Don't think we have ever been on an older train. Tool a hop on hop off bus to get our bearings. Rome is heaving with tourists adding to the already crammed roads. We could have walked the journey just as fast but did get a good view of the layout of the city.
    Got off at the Trevi Fountain stop, then walked to the Pantheon via lunch at a little alleyway restaurant. The Pantheon is quite spectacular, but then most of Rome is too. The train ride back was complicated by our choice to use contactless station entry but then never found anywhere to swipe the cards on the way out! May be riding the rails evermore.    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    View from a river bridge
    And one from the botanical gardensPity any speeding drivers when the police have a Lamborghini

    Rome d2

    April 10, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Cycled into the city today which was a mixed experience. The first few miles from the campsite is a wonderful cycle path partly along the river Tiber, but as it enters the city it disappeared leaving us struggling with Google maps, one way steets and Italian drivers.
    Had a guided city walk this morning, a doze for David in the botanical gardens at lunchtime and a guided tour of the Catacombs in the afternoon. The last of these was amazing, just a glimpse of 14 miles of underground burial chambers on 4 levels.
    The cycle back was even more chaotic so may be back on the train tomorrow!    Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    Inside the Colloseum
    View of the Forum from Palatine HillOur train!

    Rome d3

    April 11, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Did opt for the train again (see pic). Spent most of the day in the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill. Quite breathtaking and an on-line guide helped with the history. Ended with a pizza at one of the hundreds of streetside restaurants, the streets still thronged with people well into the evening. Saw the Trevi fountain floodlit but just as underwhelming as by day. Off to the Vatican City tomorrow.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    The dome from insideView from top of the dome1Better than Sistine

    Rome d4

    April 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Spent a very hot day at the Vatican exploring St Peter's literally from top to bottom, then on to the museums including the Sistine Chapel. Although the ceiling is impressive we were more impressed by that of a church we just randomly walked into last evening.Read more

  • Travel with the BurgesTour to Italy 2024Traveler
    The campsite and view uo the valley

    In the mountains

    April 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Moved on from bustling Rome to find the complete opposite in the mountains in central Italy. Virtually the only people in a secluded campsite in warm sunshine with nothing more to do than walk 2k to the town and have an ice-cream. Very good at 5 Euro for 2 compared to the worst price in Rome of 15 Euro each. Might just stay a couple of days before heading for the east coast.Read more

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