Yep it’s that time again but we know you haven’t had enough of us yet as the blog views are still climbing and we have now had well over 9,200 hits which for us is fantastic.
Our first stop back on mainland Italy was at Lago Trasimeno which is sort of in the middle and is the 4th largest Italian lake which covers 128 square kilometres. We only really picked this spot as it was a handy mid-way stop between East and West on our route to Livorno to catch the ferry across to Sardinia but we were really pleased with this lovely little site called Camping La Spiaggia situated right on the lakes edge and within walking distance to the village of Passignano with it's castle ruins up above. We got a great spot right at the edge of the lake too.
There are 3 islands on the lake, Polvese, Minore and Maggiore, Maggiore is the only one that is inhabited with roughly 30 people and also the one that we decided to catch a short boat trip to while we were there. We had a good walk around the island which didn’t take that long as its only very small and while waiting for the ferry back we found a nice spot to have a beer in the sun and to support the local residents (well that’s our excuse anyway).
After 2 nights here we then hit the road again to a little site as close as we could find to the ferry port at Livorno which also happened to be a stones throw from Pisa and it’s famous leaning tower. The campsite was well off the beaten track and tarmac roads come to mention it with just gravel/dust tracks for the last mile to the reception and this site was an agri-tourism site which basically is a farm or house with the facilities to camp and usually family owned. We were made very welcome by the lady and told we could go anywhere we wanted so after a quick walk round we picked a pitch overlooking a lovely fishing lake owned by the farm (as you should know by now we are always by water of some description). Once the van was all set up Julie piped up with “I wish I had a fishing rod” which she had mentioned a few times while in Croatia but it was one of those things when packing the van up back in January that I think we didn’t need. So after a quick search for the nearest Decathlon on the sat-nav it was on the XT and off to buy fishing gear for Julie. We opted for a simple whip style of set-up as it’s quick and easy and packs down small so with whip, hooks, floats, disgorger, lead weights, line and a few different baits it was back to camp and to catch us some fish!!!!! One thing I must add is although Julie does fish she doesn’t touch the fish nor the hooks or the bait so really she loves casting and catching and leaves the rest to me!! After trying various different baits (sweetcorn, bread, cat food & some soft lake pellets) it didn’t take long before we started to hook into some small bream (we think that’s what they were anyway), but they all seemed to be about the same size and we never did catch the elusive big one….
The next day we said that we would shoot into Pisa and have a look round so back on the XT and a nice ride through the countryside until we got into the centre of Pisa. One thing that we love about having the XT is that you can park basically anywhere and also if you spot something that catches your eye you can just pullover and stop and grab a photo etc etc. We parked the bike right at the entrance locked the helmets up and strolled in through the City walls and were amazed at the three beautiful buildings before us in this lawned area, and you just can’t miss the huge Bell Tower leaning 14ft one way that it shouldn’t. It’s quite strange coming from my background (Construction/Demolition) and looking at this thing thinking OMG how has it not fallen over or crumbled to a heap of stone so after all the photo taking we went and found out some interesting facts. Back in 1991 it was at a point so close to collapse that something had to be done so a team of specialists came up with an idea to build a concrete collar around the base but with no concrete actually coming into contact with the stone work and then putting 60, 10 tonne lead weights on the collar on one side to try and sink the high side a little to straighten it up a bit but that wasn’t enough so they added another 27 weights making a total of 870 tonnes of lead, they then dug underneath and buried the same lead weights which did actually work and brought the tower back into a safe position, once this was completed they then did some remedial work on the foundations with huge ground anchors and drilled 47m down into the ground to almost peg it down, they then removed the collar and lead weights completely and so far so good it’s still leaning but it’s safe. Like any project it wasn’t without it’s problems though as at one point when carrying out the works it’s tilt actually accelerated to a point where all work was suspended until they came up with the final method.
Our time on mainland Italy was now coming to an end with another ferry trip imminent and as the last one was a bit sketchy getting the van on and off we were a bit worried what this one was going to be like. We left our lovely little campsite and found our way to Livorno port and waited for our ship to come in, well when it docked right next to where we were queued up it was huge and with the name of The Mega Express you could see why!!! Julie had booked our crossing prior via the good old internet and was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of this Ferry Company (Corsica & Sardinia Ferries) replying straight away via email with our tickets etc etc, a vast improvement on the last lot (Blue Line Ferries). This time we knew what had to be done to get the van on safely but much to our liking this company took great care getting the vehicles on. Julie went walk about while I waited in the van and found a little Italian chap who was in charge of the loading/unloading of the vehicles and explained to him that our van was pretty low on the back end to which he replied, “don’t worry” well our turn came to load and with that he waved us forward and guided us on the ramp but this time they took you on at 45 degrees to the ramp not straight up plus Julie was also out watching at the back and the big difference was that they put us on the bottom car deck so the ramp was only shallow thank god - it’s funny that the small things can make such a difference and the other good thing with the Mega Express is that you drive right round to the far end of the boat so you are then pointing in the right direction ready to unload the other end so no 10 point turns needed!!
Once onboard we went for a walkabout around the ship, again we were like two excited kids on an adventure, but I guess that’s what we are I suppose. The ship was just amazing and so much better than the Blue Line one, we couldn’t believe it, it was like a mini cruise ship and really quite posh. It had a couple of different restaurants, the usual self-service type and then another one, a proper sit down jobbie with all the bells and whistle, best crystal glasses and fine bone China and there was even a dance floor too.
You then went up an elaborate spiral staircase to the upper deck with an open-air beach bar area with a small swimming pool and cocktail bar, it had everything from funky music, disco lights and a bamboo & grass roof, the only thing missing was the sandy beach but we knew that was to come!!!
We then went down a couple of decks and found a nice piano bar with a young Italian lady playing some chilled out tunes so we found ourselves a comfy corner and relaxed with a drink which was delivered to us by a waiter along with some complementary snacks, it was like a cruise I guess, but for us for one night only.
This time Julie and I had decided to treat ourselves to a cabin rather than try and get a good nights sleep in a so called “comfort reclining seat” so we retired to our cabin for a glass of wine and then settled into our comfy beds for the night, it was well worth the extra £55. It was amazing and really spacious too, we thought so anyway after living in the motorhome for over 9 months now, and as we were on the upper deck it even had a huge rectangular window and not a tiny porthole. The whole cabin was immaculate and the bathroom even had a full size shower, to be honest it was better than some of the campsite toilets/showers we have experienced and we have done a few now!!
We arrived at Golfo Aranchi in Sardinia to a beautiful morning feeling quite refreshed after a good night’s sleep and made our way to the van ready to unload. Our little Italian chap was again brilliant and waved us forward, again telling us to cross the ramp at a 45 degree angle with him watching carefully along with Julie at the back, they even had rope mats that they threw under the rear wheels just to give you that vital bit of clearance, not just for us but for other motorhomes/caravans/artic lorries etc. So once we were back on terra ferma Julie shook him by the hand and thanked him for being so helpful and then jumped back in the van ready for our 40 mile trip to our first stop on the Island of Sardinia.
It’s funny how you get a feel of places and straight away we knew Sardinia was going to be right up our street.
Arrivederci for now.
J&J
x
Once onboard we went for a walkabout around the ship, again we were like two excited kids on an adventure, but I guess that’s what we are I suppose. The ship was just amazing and so much better than the Blue Line one, we couldn’t believe it, it was like a mini cruise ship and really quite posh. It had a couple of different restaurants, the usual self-service type and then another one, a proper sit down jobbie with all the bells and whistle, best crystal glasses and fine bone China and there was even a dance floor too.
You then went up an elaborate spiral staircase to the upper deck with an open-air beach bar area with a small swimming pool and cocktail bar, it had everything from funky music, disco lights and a bamboo & grass roof, the only thing missing was the sandy beach but we knew that was to come!!!
We then went down a couple of decks and found a nice piano bar with a young Italian lady playing some chilled out tunes so we found ourselves a comfy corner and relaxed with a drink which was delivered to us by a waiter along with some complementary snacks, it was like a cruise I guess, but for us for one night only.
This time Julie and I had decided to treat ourselves to a cabin rather than try and get a good nights sleep in a so called “comfort reclining seat” so we retired to our cabin for a glass of wine and then settled into our comfy beds for the night, it was well worth the extra £55. It was amazing and really spacious too, we thought so anyway after living in the motorhome for over 9 months now, and as we were on the upper deck it even had a huge rectangular window and not a tiny porthole. The whole cabin was immaculate and the bathroom even had a full size shower, to be honest it was better than some of the campsite toilets/showers we have experienced and we have done a few now!!
Arrivederci for now.
J&J
x
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