21.05.2023 - Umbria (I)
It is Sunday May 21, 2023, the departure of our next trip. This time we travel to Italy, more specifically, to Umbria - the 'green heart of Italy'.
The green, hilly landscape is rough and hardly affected or modernized, making it seem as if time has stood still here. The medieval towns and villages with monumental monasteries and churches are displayable reminders of Umbria's rich cultural history. The region is named after the 'Umbri', a tribe that settled in this area in the sixth century BC. Umbria is also the heart of the black truffle industry and the 'Baci Perugia': a chocolate bonbon!

We discover the discreet and endearing beauty of Umbria, its peaceful towns, its leisurely life and its abundant nature. It is the region of undulating plains and rugged mountain areas, of St. Francis of Assisi and 'Il Perugino', of Spoleto and Gubbio, of the Monti Sibillini and the small Lake Trasimeno. A region on a human scale, where culture and nature are in perfect balance.
Day 1
Just a travel day. After a whole day on the highway we arrived at our first stop. A camper place of camping-car park, namely area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442. A quiet, neat camper place with all amenities. After removing all the insects from the front of the motorhome (and there were a lot of them, pfff) we can still enjoy the sun. After the 16°C at home, 24° is more than welcome.
Day 2
This is our second moving day. After 484 km we call it a day and stop in Bonneville. Once again it is an overnight stay of Camping-car Park. This at Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312 in Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573. A park with about 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. The special thing about this place is that caravans are also allowed in the high season, but at the time of our presence there were still a few caravans. It is noticeable that the place has been used by locals for a long time.
It can be a pleasant place, but it is less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Bonneville is located a stone's throw from Geneva, Switzerland, and 57 km from the Mont Blanc tunnel.
We will cross that tunnel tomorrow to enter Italy.
Day 3
We got up early because we have a large distance planned for us to cover. Namely 520 km.
As mentioned, we head towards the Mont Blanc tunnel. We are approaching the Alps and the mountain landscape is breathtaking. A bit of a dampener on the joy was the traffic jam to the tunnel, which was long: we stood still for 45 minutes and then had to queue for another fifteen minutes before being able to enter the tunnel. Since we will not return via the tunnel within 7 days, we had to buy a one-way ticket, which is quite expensive, namely €68.10!
We finally enter the tunnel and after 11.8 km we enter Italy. We could see the same beautiful landscape.
The intention was to stop in Parma, but then we would have to continue via Bologna the next day. And as you know, Bologna was right in the middle of the area that was hit by a water bomb and which had a lot of water misery until the end of May.
We then decide to continue driving along the coast. Monique feels like a rabbit hopping from pipe to pipe. We must have driven through 80 tunnels!
It is already 6.30 pm when we reach Pisa in Tuscany. We pay for two nights at the camper place, which is located two km from the centre (Via Pratale 78, Pisa).
Day 4
Today we visit the city of Pisa. We do not leave on foot and take a bus from the camper place (Navette E) that takes us to the centre. We enter the old city through a passage in the ancient city wall.
Like everyone else, we first go to the legendary leaning tower. This is located in a very beautiful square, the Piazza dei Miracoli, together with the cathedral, the baptistery and several other historic buildings. All the highlights of Pisa can be found here. It looks like a large open-air museum. At the same time you also find a sea of people, and the masses gather in front of the tower. They all want to take the perfect photo.
The weather is beautiful and we enjoy the view. The buildings are whiter than white and the grass greener than green. We bought a multi-ticket to also see the buildings inside (10€/person and 17€/person if you also want to visit the tower). We stroll further along the buildings, taking plenty of time to absorb everything.
In the afternoon we settle down on a terrace for a delicious lunch (fruiti di mare and pasta vongole).
Of course, Pisa offers much more than just the tower. After lunch we walk around the tourist centre. What is not so kind in Pisa are the pushy street vendors with all kinds of knick-knacks. Ignore or dismiss it firmly and they will leave you alone. This is typical of large cities (cf. Paris, Rome, Prague, etc.). We stroll through the streets past dozens of churches and pass the piazza with the university building. The most striking are the beautiful murals on the outside. The physicist Galileo Galilei was still a student here.
At the River Arno (which splits the city in two) we walk through the oldest district of Pisa. This one is less touristy. Through the windows of the tall buildings in the narrow streets you can almost reach out to each other. The laundry is hanging on the balconies everywhere.
We end our walk in the pastry shop of "la mama", with a caffé americano and tiramisu pastry. It is probably one of the oldest businesses in Pisa. Both sisters who still pamper customers are well over 80 years old.
Day 5
We leave Pisa and head to the region we want to discover, namely Umbria. By noon we reach our destination for the next three days. We are in Castiglione del Lago, at the Listro campsite, located on Via Lungolago. The campsite is located immediately on Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake in central and southern Italy. From our spot we have a view of this beautiful lake. Currently there is sufficient water in it, as the lake has an artificial supply of mountain water from the Apennines. Last year you had to walk 150m in the bed to get to the water, due to the extremely dry previous years. This year started much wetter, which they experienced dramatically in the northeast of Italy!
After installing the motorhome, we decide to enjoy the afternoon in the sun. But at 3 p.m. the weather decided differently and a heavy thunderstorm broke out over the lake. Luckily there wasn't too much rain falling from the sky. After an hour and a half the storm was over, but it remained cloudy for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Day 6
We wake up under a radiant sun. The lake sparkles and the water birds chatter and croak. The white herons stare into the water looking for fish. A few swimmers venture out for their morning swim.
We laze around the camper all morning. In the afternoon we visit the old town of Castiglione del Lago. This village, high on a hill, is labeled “I borghi più belli d'Italia” and is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The road to it is very steep. It was a bit of a breath of fresh air when we reached the top of the high city walls that surround the medieval village.
We enter the old centre through the Porta Senese, one of the three gates in the city wall. We are immediately charmed by the buildings, cobbled streets and idyllic churches. As mentioned, there are three city gates, and in the centre you will encounter three squares and three churches.
We walk along Via Vittorio Emanuele, the pedestrian street that crosses the entire city. The many restaurants radiate conviviality and the shops mainly offer local Umbrian specialties. At the end of the street is one of the sights, the Palazzo della Corgna. From the Palazzo you can reach the main attraction of Castiglione del Lago via a long and narrow covered corridor that is incorporated into the old medieval city wall: the Rocca del Leone, the Fort of the Lion. This fortress overlooks Lake Trasimeno. It has a pentagonal shape and was built in the thirteenth century. Both can only be visited with a ticket, cost €9/person. We decide not to visit it and find a terrace for a nice ice cream and a refreshing drink. Tomorrow we will go to the lake.
Day 7
The lake is shining in the sun again. It is Saturday and extended Pentecost weekend. The campsite is full of Italians who want to spend the long weekend at the lake.
There is a strong wind today, ideal for the many kite surfers who populate the lake.
In the afternoon we also go on the water. We board a “traghetto di linea”, a ferry that takes us to Isola Maggiore. Isola Maggiore is the only inhabited island in Lake Trasimeno.
There is one street on the island. It is pleasant to walk along the picturesque buildings. The houses are mainly inhabited by fishermen. Normally they hang their fishing nets to dry between the churches of Sant'Angelo and San Salvatore, but there were none hanging at the time of our visit. I came across exactly one fishing net hanging over a barrier.
The St. Francis Church is located at the highest point of the island. It was again a very steep climb to get there. I had to stop a few times along the way to catch my breath. The church of San Michele Arcangelo was built there in 1136. In the 13th century it was built over by the Franciscans, after St. Francis of Assisi took refuge on the island for a short time. There are still well-preserved frescoes in the church. The oldest date back to the 13th century.
What also makes the island special is the many lacework that can be found there. The main occupation of the fishermen's wives was weaving and mending fishing nets, but in winter they did not have much work. Until a lady arrived on the island who crocheted lace. A friend of hers who was a very good lace maker was willing to teach the art to the local fisherwomen. A real trade was thus set up, which greatly increased the income of the fishermen in the winter.
Nowadays you can still regularly admire the old women crocheting lace in front of their door. Many old works with a mainly Irish stitch can be viewed in the small museum and lace is also for sale in the shops.
After a few hours we had to return to the embarkation jetty to catch the last ferry of the day that took us back to the mainland.
Day 8
Our three days at Lake Trasimeno are over. We head towards the Apennines. At the foot and on the flank of this mountain range we arrive in a well-preserved medieval village, namely: Gubbio.
We settle in at the local camper stopover (Via del Bottagnone - GPS: n43.35000 - o12.56389). Fortunately, there are only a few campers and we have enough space as all the pitches are narrow. The electricity is expensive (€0.5/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Far too little for us since we can't even use the coffee maker. But no problem, there is enough sun so that our solar panel has fully charged the battery.
In the afternoon we move to the historic city centre. On the way we pass the ruins of a Roman amphitheater.
Within the city wall, the yellow color of the buildings is immediately noticeable. All the houses in the city are made of yellow limestone and have roofs of terracotta tiles, and many of the 14th and 15th century palaces (palazzos) also follow this architectural style. This produces a very beautiful and idyllic image.
Since the village is built on the slopes of a mountain, the streets run steeply upwards until we reach one of the biggest sights, the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo.
Fortunately, you don't have to do the entire climb. There are elevators in the city that take you up two levels. On the second level you are already at the basilica.
21.05.2023 - Umbria (I)
It is Sunday May 21, 2023, the departure of our next trip. This time we travel to Italy, more specifically, to Umbria - the 'green heart of Italy'.
The green, hilly landscape is rough and hardly affected or modernized, making it seem as if time has stood still here. The medieval towns and villages with monumental monasteries and churches are displayable reminders of Umbria's rich cultural history. The region is named after the 'Umbri', a tribe that settled in this area in the sixth century BC. Umbria is also the heart of the black truffle industry and the 'Baci Perugia': a chocolate bonbon!

We discover the discreet and endearing beauty of Umbria, its peaceful towns, its leisurely life and its abundant nature. It is the region of undulating plains and rugged mountain areas, of St. Francis of Assisi and 'Il Perugino', of Spoleto and Gubbio, of the Monti Sibillini and the small Lake Trasimeno. A region on a human scale, where culture and nature are in perfect balance.
Day 1
Just a travel day. After a whole day on the highway we arrived at our first stop. A camper place of camping-car park, namely area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442. A quiet, neat camper place with all amenities. After removing all the insects from the front of the motorhome (and there were a lot of them, pfff) we can still enjoy the sun. After the 16°C at home, 24° is more than welcome.
Day 2
This is our second moving day. After 484 km we call it a day and stop in Bonneville. Once again it is an overnight stay of Camping-car Park. This at Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312 in Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573. A park with about 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. The special thing about this place is that caravans are also allowed in the high season, but at the time of our presence there were still a few caravans. It is noticeable that the place has been used by locals for a long time.
It can be a pleasant place, but it is less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Bonneville is located a stone's throw from Geneva, Switzerland, and 57 km from the Mont Blanc tunnel.
We will cross that tunnel tomorrow to enter Italy.
Day 3
We got up early because we have a large distance planned for us to cover. Namely 520 km.
As mentioned, we head towards the Mont Blanc tunnel. We are approaching the Alps and the mountain landscape is breathtaking. A bit of a dampener on the joy was the traffic jam to the tunnel, which was long: we stood still for 45 minutes and then had to queue for another fifteen minutes before being able to enter the tunnel. Since we will not return via the tunnel within 7 days, we had to buy a one-way ticket, which is quite expensive, namely €68.10!
We finally enter the tunnel and after 11.8 km we enter Italy. We could see the same beautiful landscape.
The intention was to stop in Parma, but then we would have to continue via Bologna the next day. And as you know, Bologna was right in the middle of the area that was hit by a water bomb and which had a lot of water misery until the end of May.
We then decide to continue driving along the coast. Monique feels like a rabbit hopping from pipe to pipe. We must have driven through 80 tunnels!
It is already 6.30 pm when we reach Pisa in Tuscany. We pay for two nights at the camper place, which is located two km from the centre (Via Pratale 78, Pisa).
Day 4
Today we visit the city of Pisa. We do not leave on foot and take a bus from the camper place (Navette E) that takes us to the centre. We enter the old city through a passage in the ancient city wall.
Like everyone else, we first go to the legendary leaning tower. This is located in a very beautiful square, the Piazza dei Miracoli, together with the cathedral, the baptistery and several other historic buildings. All the highlights of Pisa can be found here. It looks like a large open-air museum. At the same time you also find a sea of people, and the masses gather in front of the tower. They all want to take the perfect photo.
The weather is beautiful and we enjoy the view. The buildings are whiter than white and the grass greener than green. We bought a multi-ticket to also see the buildings inside (10€/person and 17€/person if you also want to visit the tower). We stroll further along the buildings, taking plenty of time to absorb everything.
In the afternoon we settle down on a terrace for a delicious lunch (fruiti di mare and pasta vongole).
21.05.2023 - Umbria  (I)
It is Sunday May 21, 2023, the departure of our next trip. This time we travel to Italy, more specifically, to Umbria - the 'green heart of Italy'.
The green, hilly landscape is rough and hardly affected or modernized, making it seem as if time has stood still here. The medieval towns and villages with monumental monasteries and churches are displayable reminders of Umbria's rich cultural history. The region is named after the 'Umbri', a tribe that settled in this area in the sixth century BC. Umbria is also the heart of the black truffle industry and the 'Baci Perugia': a chocolate bonbon!

We discover the discreet and endearing beauty of Umbria, its peaceful towns, its leisurely life and its abundant nature. It is the region of undulating plains and rugged mountain areas, of St. Francis of Assisi and 'Il Perugino', of Spoleto and Gubbio, of the Monti Sibillini and the small Lake Trasimeno. A region on a human scale, where culture and nature are in perfect balance.
Day 1
Just a travel day. After a whole day on the highway we arrived at our first stop. A camper place of camping-car park, namely area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442. A quiet, neat camper place with all amenities. After removing all the insects from the front of the motorhome (and there were a lot of them, pfff) we can still enjoy the sun. After the 16°C at home, 24° is more than welcome.
Day 2
This is our second moving day. After 484 km we call it a day and stop in Bonneville. Once again it is an overnight stay of Camping-car Park. This at Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312 in Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573. A park with about 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. The special thing about this place is that caravans are also allowed in the high season, but at the time of our presence there were still a few caravans. It is noticeable that the place has been used by locals for a long time.
It can be a pleasant place, but it is less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Bonneville is located a stone's throw from Geneva, Switzerland, and 57 km from the Mont Blanc tunnel.
We will cross that tunnel tomorrow to enter Italy.
Day 3
We got up early because we have a large distance planned for us to cover. Namely 520 km.
As mentioned, we head towards the Mont Blanc tunnel. We are approaching the Alps and the mountain landscape is breathtaking. A bit of a dampener on the joy was the traffic jam to the tunnel, which was long: we stood still for 45 minutes and then had to queue for another fifteen minutes before being able to enter the tunnel. Since we will not return via the tunnel within 7 days, we had to buy a one-way ticket, which is quite expensive, namely €68.10!
We finally enter the tunnel and after 11.8 km we enter Italy. We could see the same beautiful landscape.
The intention was to stop in Parma, but then we would have to continue via Bologna the next day. And as you know, Bologna was right in the middle of the area that was hit by a water bomb and which had a lot of water misery until the end of May.
We then decide to continue driving along the coast. Monique feels like a rabbit hopping from pipe to pipe. We must have driven through 80 tunnels!
It is already 6.30 pm when we reach Pisa in Tuscany. We pay for two nights at the camper place, which is located two km from the centre (Via Pratale 78, Pisa).
Day 4
Today we visit the city of Pisa. We do not leave on foot and take a bus from the camper place (Navette E) that takes us to the centre. We enter the old city through a passage in the ancient city wall.
Like everyone else, we first go to the legendary leaning tower. This is located in a very beautiful square, the Piazza dei Miracoli, together with the cathedral, the baptistery and several other historic buildings. All the highlights of Pisa can be found here. It looks like a large open-air museum. At the same time you also find a sea of people, and the masses gather in front of the tower. They all want to take the perfect photo.
The weather is beautiful and we enjoy the view. The buildings are whiter than white and the grass greener than green. We bought a multi-ticket to also see the buildings inside (10€/person and 17€/person if you also want to visit the tower). We stroll further along the buildings, taking plenty of time to absorb everything.
In the afternoon we settle down on a terrace for a delicious lunch (fruiti di mare and pasta vongole).
Of course, Pisa offers much more than just the tower. After lunch we walk around the tourist centre. What is not so kind in Pisa are the pushy street vendors with all kinds of knick-knacks. Ignore or dismiss it firmly and they will leave you alone. This is typical of large cities (cf. Paris, Rome, Prague, etc.). We stroll through the streets past dozens of churches and pass the piazza with the university building. The most striking are the beautiful murals on the outside. The physicist Galileo Galilei was still a student here.
At the River Arno (which splits the city in two) we walk through the oldest district of Pisa. This one is less touristy. Through the windows of the tall buildings in the narrow streets you can almost reach out to each other. The laundry is hanging on the balconies everywhere.
We end our walk in the pastry shop of "la mama", with a caffé americano and tiramisu pastry. It is probably one of the oldest businesses in Pisa. Both sisters who still pamper customers are well over 80 years old.
One of the most famous streets of Gubbio is Via dei Consoli. This road crosses the old centre of the village and takes us past several nice shops, bars and restaurants. The Piazza Grande is located halfway. From this square you have a beautiful view of the valley and the terracotta roof tiles of the lower part.
And so we traverse the entire medieval centre, from one beautiful, tall building to another, and from one palazzo to the next. It is a really pleasant place to be and when you walk around you will be greeted by the smell of the local specialties.
We end the afternoon on a terrace located on one of the nice squares. When we want to leave the city, we are treated to a historic parade on the occasion of Pentecost.
Day 9
Today the capital of Umbria is on the program. We are in Perugia, a city spread over a long hill, which was already an important city in the 6th century BC.
We install our motorhome at the municipal camper stopover Il Bove (Via Giovanni Ruggia, GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386), in the lower town. Despite our expectations, there were still many places available when we arrived. It is not an ideal place to spend the night. It is located on a very busy road, but all amenities are available.
We go via a staircase to the adjacent road where we take bus G, the stop is just next to the parking lot, which takes us to the heart of the historic city. It is also the final stop of the bus.
We are on the “piazza Italia”, a beautiful square with the Palazzo Cezaroni and a picturesque park. However, the view is marred by the many parked cars.
We walk via the central main street towards the main square of the city. We are surrounded by many high and richly decorated buildings, and there is a pleasant bustle. The street, like many others, slopes slightly. The higher you go in the city, the older the buildings are. Most date from the 13th, 14th centuries.
We reach the main square, the “Piazza IV Novembre”. There is a sculpted fountain from the 13th century, the “Fontana Maggiore”, with a beautiful series of reliefs and statues.
On the same square we visit the San Lorenzo Cathedral. It is striking that the church has a pulpit on the outside. We were able to view the cathedral from the inside just long enough. At 12.30 the church keeper came to us with a very large key in his hand. We had to leave the church, just like the other visitors, after which it was irrevocably locked until the next day. Once more the heavy latch of the door opened to let out a few stragglers.
So it was time to settle on a terrace, where we ate a large, delicious pizza.
After lunch we stroll further through the city and discover one gem after another. Many beauties are hidden in narrow alleys, which can only be reached via a passage in a facade.
Then there are the museums, which are also housed in large “palazzos”, with the “Museo Capitolare”, dedicated to art from Umbria and Siena, and the “Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria” being the most important.
We only visited the historic centre of the city, but Perugia has several interesting parts of the city.
We left the city the way we came, ... by bus.
Day 10
The sun comes out early. The market vendors also get up early. There is a market in the parking lot just above the camper place. So before we leave Perugia we visit the market to buy fruit and vegetables. There is a supermarket 100 meters away, but fresh from the farm still tastes better. If you want to go to the supermarket, it is best to walk from the camper stopover because there is no possibility to park the camper at the supermarket.
After our purchases we leave for Assisi. A town dedicated to the most famous resident of Assisi, Saint Francis.
We install the motorhome about 4 km from the city, at the Green Village campsite (via s.g. In campiglione 110).
The rest of the day we do nothing but lazily enjoy ourselves under our awning.
Day 11
Today we visit Assisi, a city that attracts many Catholics.
At the entrance of the campsite we board the campsite shuttle bus that takes us to the entrance gate of the old city. He drives to the old center and back four times a day.
We start our visit, just like the other 5 million tourists and pilgrims who flood Assisi every year, in the San Francesco Basilica, one of the most beautiful basilicas in Italy. It's a pity that the many RAI television trucks mar the view of the square and basilica. Our first climb of the day is over. Many will follow because the city is built on the slopes of a hill. The church building consists of two churches built one above the other. First we enter the lower church (Basilica Inferiore). The numerous frescoes immediately catch the eye. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside the church, and there is a lot of control that politely nips any attempt in the bud. Still, I was still able to take a few pictures!
Then I descend into the Cripta di San Francesco. The monumental tomb of Francis of Assisi is located here. I find it strange to see believers lying on the ground in worship of the grave.
After visiting the upper church (Basilica Superiore), we move further into the city, via Via San Francesco, one of the most beautiful streets in Assisi. We stroll (if you can call walking in a steeply ascending street strolling) past very beautiful houses and cozy boutiques and souvenir shops where almost all souvenirs are also dedicated to Francis.
Along the way we stop for a pizza, after which we reach the center of Assisi, the Piazza del Comune. Here we admire some of the city's important monuments, including the town hall.
We walk further through the city and at Piazza San Rufino we visit the San Rufino Cathedral. And there is no shortage of churches and basilicas in Assisi, in addition to those mentioned, there are also: the Santa Chiara Basilica, the Chiesa Nuova, ... On the square in front of the Nuova church we notice a beautiful bronze statue. Turns out they are Franciscus' parents.
Back to the San Rufino Cathedral: here I also walk along the many steep stairs to the top of the tower. My clothes almost blow off, and with my head between the bells I have a beautiful view of the city and a panoramic view of the surroundings.
An hour later our visit is over and at that moment it starts to rain (it was cloudy almost the entire afternoon and we had already seen a thunderstorm approaching from the distance).
We have to take shelter for a while until the van comes to pick us up back to the campsite.
Day 12
No major move today. At 18km from Assisi we reach the town of Spello, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Umbria. At the foot of it we install ourselves at the municipal camper stopover (on the via central Umbra).
Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars.
Back to our excursion: we are heading towards the centre and have a very steep climb ahead of us. We climb up between the centuries-old houses. In between we enjoy the breathtaking view.
Sweaty from the effort, we arrive in the historic centre. We had a pleasant walk along the picturesque streets full of light pink colored houses decorated with many containers and pots full of flowers and plants.
If you want to see even more flowers, you should come the second weekend after Pentecost, when the entire city is transformed into a work of art made of flowers.
It was warm and sunny all morning, but shortly in the afternoon we had a thunderstorm, luckily with not too much rain. In the meantime, we took shelter on the covered terrace of a bar-pattiseria. In this way we combined the pleasant with the unpleasant.
We finally left the city along the gently sloping main street, which ended at the centuries-old Porta consulare. A little further we reached the camper stopover again, which was filled with cars for the second time. Wondering what the night will bring.
Day 13
All in all we had a quiet night. The last cars left around 11pm and we had no noise from the gypsy families.
Today is a national holiday in Italy and the people are up early. From 7am it is already a process of arriving and departing from the sports complex.
We cleaned up faster than usual and continued our trip.
We drive into Montefalco. The camper place radiated tranquility (Via G. Pascoli - when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below that large parking lot!)
We are at an altitude of 475m and Montefalco is also called the balcony of Umbria. The town is located high above the vineyards. Right, it is a wine town, very famous for its wines: sagrantino wines. Wine tasting is the message today.
We walk through one of the old gates to the central square of the town, also the highest point. The narrow streets with the old houses wind their way up to the square. There are many cosy restaurants and wine sales points around the square.
We visit a shop at one of the renowned wineries for a wine tasting. I skip the expensive but powerful Sagrantino di Montefalco, but taste several Rosso di Montefalco DOC. I also taste the 2018 reserve and decide to purchase my stock for the winter.
Then time to find a terrace on the central square. It is pleasant to sit there and we enjoy the good weather. I do this with a glass of Rosso Di Montefalco and with some olives the day can't be ruined. The wine is from another winery and I also really like it. Afterwards I look for a shop and buy a few more bottles of that brand.
Day 14
From the wine we drive to the olive oil. We arrived in Trevi high on a hill. The free camper place (Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221) is actually a normal parking lot (with a pit for both gray water and toilet cassette) on which you can only place the camper transversely or lengthwise between the trees.
The town is surrounded by olive groves and apparently one of the best olive oils in Italy is produced here.
Through one of the gates in the city wall, which used to completely encircle Trevi, we walk to the heart of the village: the Piazza Mazzini, with the Palazzo Comunale (the central square with the town hall).
There is no shortage of churches, within the walls you will find no fewer than 20 old churches.
Along narrow streets with centuries-old houses, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, we reach the highest point of Trevi, where we enter the main church, the Duomo di Sant'Emiliano. We then walk back to the town square via the same streets. We take a seat on the terrace of the caffé Roma bar, where drinks have been served for more than 100 years.
A little later a thunderstorm breaks out. Since it is raining anyway, we enter the former Convento di San Francesco monastery, where several museums are now located. We will visit the Museo della Civiltà dell'Ulivo, where the history of the centuries-old production of olive oil is discussed.
We conclude our visit to Trevi in a shop specialized in olive oil. There I taste the renowned Trevi olive oil. It's really tasty and of course I'll buy a bottle.
Day 15
Upon waking, Trevi and the surrounding olive groves are completely shrouded in fog. The frequent rain last night and the warm temperature this morning ensure that the city is hidden.
After breakfast we continue our way and 20 km further we drive in full sun to a camper stopover in Spoleto (Via del Tiro a Segno, the coordinates will take you to the road above the camper place!).
The pitches are quite large and nicely demarcated by Italian standards.
The old walled city is located high on the hillside, with the Rocca Albornoziana fortress strategically located at the top.
Fortunately, we don't have to do any steep climbs today; We climb up to the historic centre via underground escalators. The first set of escalators takes us to the fortress. There are beautiful exhibitions inside and from the fortress walls we have a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings and... our motorhome.
From the fortress we walk to the Basilica di San Salvatore, a church that dates back to the fourth and fifth centuries. There was a pleasant bustle at the church, where a mass was being celebrated. Many Italians visit this beautiful city at the end of their extended weekend. We have already seen several beautiful and picturesque villages and towns in Umbria, Spoleto is certainly one of them.
We then wander further along narrow streets, alleys with stairs, past old houses and cosy squares. Fortunately, everything is on a downward trend since we started our visit at the highest point.
We walk further along a Roman arch: Arco di Druso on the Piazza del Mercato and near the Piazza Libertà we discover a real Roman theater.
On this side of the old city, after enjoying it on a nice terrace, we take the escalators up to take other escalators back down to the parking lot and camper place via the basilica on the other side of the center.
We visited the city in the morning and early afternoon, with the weather forecast in mind. These were correct, at half past three we were treated to the daily rain shower.
Day 16
We leave our overnight spot in the light rain. Compared to Belgium we do not have good weather. Fortunately, it is usually dry during the day and we regularly see the sun. The temperature is certainly not bad (around 25 degrees, and even when it rains we still reach 20 degrees). Italian traders and catering operators are complaining a lot, the current weather is normal for them in April. The tourists, and certainly the Italian day tourists, stay away, which we also notice, everywhere we go it is quiet and few tourists, with a few exceptions.
Today the Marmore Falls are on the program.
Marmore Waterfall is the largest man-made waterfall. The waterfall was created by the Romans in the 3rd century BC to divert the water of the Velino River away from the Rieti Valley.
At 165 meters, the waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Italy.
We first settle at Le Marmore campsite, a campsite located 50m as the crow flies from the upper viewpoint of the waterfall.
Apart from two old, worn-out caravans, a Swiss and an Italian motorhome, there is no one there. We have to pay an incredibly high price (32€/night) for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently determined solely by the proximity of the waterfall. We paid for two nights when we arrived, which we would not have done if we had been able to view the campsite in advance.
In the afternoon the sun comes through and we walk to the access point to the waterfalls. If you want to see them, you are limited to certain hours. The waterfall is regulated by dams and these are opened a few times a day. Currently this is between 11am and 1pm and between 3pm and 5pm. At other times the waterfall is not flowing.
There are two different entrances: Belvedere Superiore and the other is Belvedere Inferiore. We start at the top of the waterfall, the second starts at the bottom part. A ticket costs €12/person.
After descending 85 stairs we reach the viewpoint. The view is beautiful and the reflection of the sun on the water droplets creates a spectacular rainbow.
Monique then stays on site to enjoy the view and I descend on one of the six marked walks. Hiking trail 1 is also the most challenging. I descend to the middle part of the waterfall via very steep and now very slippery stairs. It is a beautiful area, deep in the woods. I reach this part 500m lower and can continue climbing to the heart of the waterfall via hiking trail 3. However, I don't like this as I still have to do the climb back.
After resting for a few minutes, I start the climb. It is very difficult, steep with often no handholds. I regularly have to stop to pant and feel my heart beating in my throat. I arrive at the top sweaty and puffing, but still happy to have made the effort. Now 85 stairs back to the exit!
In the evening it starts to rain again, pouring water until midnight.
Day 17
To visit the lower part of the waterfall, with a view of the entire waterfall, we have to drive the motorhome to the Belvedere Inferiore. Then pay €5 for the parking and another €24 for the entrance. We decide not to do this.
You can do everything in 1 day, but not on foot from the campsite. You can drive to the upper or lower part in the morning and then drive to the other part in the afternoon, for example, all with the same ticket (I now know!).
We make it a rest day.
The sun regularly shines through in the morning. At 2 p.m. the rest is already over. A heavy thunderstorm breaks out, with a lot of rain. The surface of the campsite cannot handle the amount of water and soon we are standing at the motorhome with our feet in the water.
We will spend the rest of the day in the camper. Can also be nice with a coffee and a cookie.
At 4pm the sun comes out, so we sit outside with our feet between the puddles.
Day 18
The water has penetrated the hard forest floor of the campsite and we are back on the road for our last days in Ubria.
In the morning we visit the beautiful archaeological site of Carsulae, located on a plateau north of the city of Terni.
In 220 BC, a Roman city arose here after the construction of the “Via Flaminia”, a Roman highway. 500 years later, the city was largely abandoned after several major earthquakes and fell into oblivion. This ensured that archaeologists found the site in exceptionally well-preserved condition.
We walk from the entrance, where a small museum is also located, down a gently sloping slope. We already have a beautiful view of the remains of the monumental buildings that were located along the road.
I think it's impressive to walk on a more than 2000 year old Roman road.
We then walk past what was once a “basilica”, not a church but a large public space where trade was conducted.
We also see the remains of the forum, two identical temples, the amphitheater and the semicircular theater. In the north we leave the city through an imposing arch. Behind it lay the cemetery and even further a few settlements of farmers and traders.
We sat down on a large stone to take a good look at everything and realize that so many centuries ago legionaries marched in and out of the city here and the ox carts of traders bumped over the large stones of the road. The traces of those carts can still be seen in the stones in certain places.
We then drive to the camper stopover in Todi (Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168). This is in a good location to visit the medieval town. There is a free train lift at the parking lot that takes you straight to the centre.
Like all other towns, it is a maze of small, steeply ascending or descending streets. We visit the cathedral on the central square. There are also several impressive palazzos around.
The most impressive was the Santa Maria della Consolazione, a Renaissance church hidden in a narrow alley and with an inconspicuous facade. The contrast with the inside is spectacular.
The weather has evolved very favorably today and we finally relax on a terrace, enjoying an ice cream and a drink.
Day 19
We spend our last day in Umbria in Orvieto, a medieval fortified town on top of a rock plateau. We install ourselves at the beautiful camper stopover (Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736). It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper site are the regular railway lines and on the other side a high-speed train line.
It is around 11 am that we head towards the historic centre. We plan to visit several sights, that's why we buy the Carta Unica Orvieto. With this ticket we can visit all the main attractions in Orvieto.
Outside the camper place we go up a few stairs and go through the tunnel under the railway lines. Outside the station we take the 'Funiculare', a cable car that takes us to the edge of the old town.
After a visit to the weekly market, we settle down on the terrace of a nice and cosy restaurant. The beautifully presented dishes were really tasty.
Satisfied, we then walk to the Torre del Moro. I climb the 265 stairs while Monique goes to do some shopping. At the top I have a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding vineyards.
Back downstairs it goes towards the Duomo, a cathedral that brings together different styles. Within this church we also visit the two beautiful chapels.
The cathedral was built with stones cut from the underlying rock plateau.
This also makes it possible to take a walk through the underground tunnel system under the city.
Of course we also visit Orvieto Underground. There are only guided walks and we were the only visitors for the English-language tour. So we had a private guide! Everywhere under the city there are such caves and corridors, almost all of which are still used as storage cellars for homes and workshops. However, they never functioned as a home.
The corridors we visit were used as a workshop where olive oil was pressed and processed. Other corridors have numerous holes in the walls: these were used to breed pigeons, not for pigeon racing but for eating! This was a special walk.
The last attraction I visit is a 16th century well of 62 meters deep and a diameter of 6 meters, the Pozzo of San Patrizio. The special feature of the well are the two independently built spiral staircases that run one above the other and are illuminated by 72 windows. You descend via one staircase and go back up via the other. Periodically, as I descended the 250 stairs, I would poke my head through a window to look up and down. I was really impressed. I looked around with my mouth open and imagined myself inside some kind of metric figure ... strange feeling.
We rest for a while and sit on a terrace to reflect and reflect on our fantastic journey.
Tomorrow we start the way back to Belgium.
Day 20
We left Umbria with some reluctance. After several traffic jams on the A1, we arrived at our first stop. We are in Fontanellato in the province of Parma (Via XXIV Maggio,  Fontanellato  GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987). We store the motorhome in an unusual location. We have a special roof over our heads: a battery of solar panels! The shade of the panels is welcome, because in the meantime the temperature has risen to above 30°C.
There is little wind, and suddenly we are attacked en masse by what we first thought were small mosquitoes. But they turn out to be "knijten", small gadflies that suck blood just like mosquitoes. We both get stung about 20 times. Their bite causes even more itching than mosquitoes and we soon scratched open a number of bumps.

Day 21
Again we have rain when we leave in the morning. After an hour's drive we have left the rain behind us and the sun comes through the cloud cover. We will soon reach 25° and the temperature will continue to rise. We are very lucky because there is almost no traffic on the highways. Only a bit around Milan and Turin (the fact that it is Saturday today may also play a role). We do not leave Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel but via the Fréjus tunnel (T4) because we are driving towards Lyon. On our outward journey we paid €68.10 for the Mont Blanc tunnel in France, from Italy to France the journey costs €69.30. Why it is more expensive to drive through the tunnel from Italy is a mystery to me. We also paid €69.30 for the Fréjus tunnel. The advantage of this tunnel is that you almost never have traffic jams or waiting times. Not again, we were able to immediately enter the tunnel upon arrival.
Before Lyon we take the highway towards Paris to leave it for our second stop, Villefranche-sur-Saône (Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 ). The camper place, which has 128 places, was more than half full and at the back we settled in a spot with a view of the Saône river. It was lovely sitting outside in a bit of shade, especially after we had been on the road all day to cover 564 km.

Day 22
Still on the way home we stop at a quiet camper stopover in Connantre, located in the south of the Champagne region (Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre - GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957).
It is another warm day and during the afternoon we relax under the awning.
But, to conclude our trip, we experience another heavy thunderstorm at 5:30 PM. The rain is pouring down from the sky and is accompanied by hail, countless lightning bolts and thunder. At 8 p.m. the worst is over, but it continues to rain.
Yet, despite the changeable weather, we enjoyed our stay in Umbria, in a country (Italy) that was unknown territory for us until now.

Tomorrow we plan to come home!
Summary overnight stays
Camping-car Park - area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – Halte Sainte Balzème, 10700 Le Chêne - GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442 – 10€/21pl – all amenities
Camping-car Park - Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312, 74130 Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573 – 12€/68pl – all amenities.
About 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. Less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Parcheggio camper Scambiatore - Official camper place - Via de Pratale 78, Pisa - 12€/100pl - all amenities - center 2 km - guarded parking - at parking bus Navetta E every 15 minutes. From final stop 400m to Pisa tower
Camping Listro - Via Lungolago, Castiglione del Lago – €21/night (acsi) – all amenities – bar and shop – private beach on the lake – historic centre 800m
Camper Club Gubbio - Official camper place - Via del Bottagnone 06024 Gubbio - GPS: n43.35000 o12.56389 – 10€/56pl – narrow pitches - max. 8m - all facilities, electricity is expensive (0.5€/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Which is too little to use even a light coffee maker - video surveillance - teatro romano 500m, historic centre 850m via 2 escalators - there would be a shuttle bus to the centre at 50m
Il Bove - Area Comunale Piazzale del Bove - Via Giovanni Ruggia, 06124 Perugia - GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386 - 20€/50pl - mixed parking on a very busy road near the police station, video surveillance - all amenities - centre 1.5 km - bus line G at 200m - supermarket 100m
Camping Green Village Assisi - Via S.G. in Campiglione 110, Assisi – 23€/night (acsi from 29/5) – all amenities – small shop, pizzeria – 4x daily shuttle bus to Assisi
Area Comunale - Official camper place - Via Centrale Umbra, Spello - GPS: n42.99371 o12.66730 - 8€/70pl - facilities without electricity - village 500m - Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars. Toilet cassette could not be emptied, it was completely clogged, probably by pampers.
Official camper stopover - Via G. Pascoli, 6036 Montefalco - GPS: n42.89230 o12.64791 – 5€/25pl – all amenities included – mixed parking 100m from the village center. Please note, when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below the large parking lot!
Area communal - Official camper place - Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221 - free/20pl (up to 50pl) - facilities without electricity - village 500m
Parcheggio Ponciano - Official camper place - Via del Tiro a Segno Spoleto GPS: n42.73687 o12.74212 - 8€/20pl - fairly large pitches - service column, no electricity - old town 500m accessible by escalators
camping Le Marmore - Via Cascata 34, Località Campacci, Terni – €32/night! Far too expensive for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently only determined by the proximity of the waterfall. – shop – 50m from the viewpoint of the waterfall (above) – discount on ticket for access to the waterfall
Area Porta Orvietana - Official camper place - Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168 – 16€/16pl – facilities without electricity – old town 550m – at the parking there is a train lift (free) to the centre
Area Sosta Camper Battistelli Renzo - Official camper place - Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736 – 18€/40pl – all amenities included – guarded parking – It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper place are the regular railway lines and on the other side a line for a high-speed train - 400m to the cable car for the centre (€2 return)
Fontanellato - Official camper stopover - Via XXIV Maggio, Fontanellato GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987 – 10€/20pl – all amenities included – places under solar panels!
Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 – 13.86€/128pl – all amenities
Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre – GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957 – 13.30€/23pl - all amenities

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Of course, Pisa offers much more than just the tower. After lunch we walk around the tourist centre. What is not so kind in Pisa are the pushy street vendors with all kinds of knick-knacks. Ignore or dismiss it firmly and they will leave you alone. This is typical of large cities (cf. Paris, Rome, Prague, etc.). We stroll through the streets past dozens of churches and pass the piazza with the university building. The most striking are the beautiful murals on the outside. The physicist Galileo Galilei was still a student here.
At the River Arno (which splits the city in two) we walk through the oldest district of Pisa. This one is less touristy. Through the windows of the tall buildings in the narrow streets you can almost reach out to each other. The laundry is hanging on the balconies everywhere.
We end our walk in the pastry shop of "la mama", with a caffé americano and tiramisu pastry. It is probably one of the oldest businesses in Pisa. Both sisters who still pamper customers are well over 80 years old.
Day 5
We leave Pisa and head to the region we want to discover, namely Umbria. By noon we reach our destination for the next three days. We are in Castiglione del Lago, at the Listro campsite, located on Via Lungolago. The campsite is located immediately on Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake in central and southern Italy. From our spot we have a view of this beautiful lake. Currently there is sufficient water in it, as the lake has an artificial supply of mountain water from the Apennines. Last year you had to walk 150m in the bed to get to the water, due to the extremely dry previous years. This year started much wetter, which they experienced dramatically in the northeast of Italy!
After installing the motorhome, we decide to enjoy the afternoon in the sun. But at 3 p.m. the weather decided differently and a heavy thunderstorm broke out over the lake. Luckily there wasn't too much rain falling from the sky. After an hour and a half the storm was over, but it remained cloudy for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Day 6
We wake up under a radiant sun. The lake sparkles and the water birds chatter and croak. The white herons stare into the water looking for fish. A few swimmers venture out for their morning swim.
We laze around the camper all morning. In the afternoon we visit the old town of Castiglione del Lago. This village, high on a hill, is labeled “I borghi più belli d'Italia” and is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The road to it is very steep. It was a bit of a breath of fresh air when we reached the top of the high city walls that surround the medieval village.
We enter the old centre through the Porta Senese, one of the three gates in the city wall. We are immediately charmed by the buildings, cobbled streets and idyllic churches. As mentioned, there are three city gates, and in the centre you will encounter three squares and three churches.
We walk along Via Vittorio Emanuele, the pedestrian street that crosses the entire city. The many restaurants radiate conviviality and the shops mainly offer local Umbrian specialties. At the end of the street is one of the sights, the Palazzo della Corgna. From the Palazzo you can reach the main attraction of Castiglione del Lago via a long and narrow covered corridor that is incorporated into the old medieval city wall: the Rocca del Leone, the Fort of the Lion. This fortress overlooks Lake Trasimeno. It has a pentagonal shape and was built in the thirteenth century. Both can only be visited with a ticket, cost €9/person. We decide not to visit it and find a terrace for a nice ice cream and a refreshing drink. Tomorrow we will go to the lake.
Day 7
The lake is shining in the sun again. It is Saturday and extended Pentecost weekend. The campsite is full of Italians who want to spend the long weekend at the lake.
There is a strong wind today, ideal for the many kite surfers who populate the lake.
In the afternoon we also go on the water. We board a “traghetto di linea”, a ferry that takes us to Isola Maggiore. Isola Maggiore is the only inhabited island in Lake Trasimeno.
There is one street on the island. It is pleasant to walk along the picturesque buildings. The houses are mainly inhabited by fishermen. Normally they hang their fishing nets to dry between the churches of Sant'Angelo and San Salvatore, but there were none hanging at the time of our visit. I came across exactly one fishing net hanging over a barrier.
The St. Francis Church is located at the highest point of the island. It was again a very steep climb to get there. I had to stop a few times along the way to catch my breath. The church of San Michele Arcangelo was built there in 1136. In the 13th century it was built over by the Franciscans, after St. Francis of Assisi took refuge on the island for a short time. There are still well-preserved frescoes in the church. The oldest date back to the 13th century.
What also makes the island special is the many lacework that can be found there. The main occupation of the fishermen's wives was weaving and mending fishing nets, but in winter they did not have much work. Until a lady arrived on the island who crocheted lace. A friend of hers who was a very good lace maker was willing to teach the art to the local fisherwomen. A real trade was thus set up, which greatly increased the income of the fishermen in the winter.
Nowadays you can still regularly admire the old women crocheting lace in front of their door. Many old works with a mainly Irish stitch can be viewed in the small museum and lace is also for sale in the shops.
After a few hours we had to return to the embarkation jetty to catch the last ferry of the day that took us back to the mainland.
Day 8
Our three days at Lake Trasimeno are over. We head towards the Apennines. At the foot and on the flank of this mountain range we arrive in a well-preserved medieval village, namely: Gubbio.
We settle in at the local camper stopover (Via del Bottagnone - GPS: n43.35000 - o12.56389). Fortunately, there are only a few campers and we have enough space as all the pitches are narrow. The electricity is expensive (€0.5/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Far too little for us since we can't even use the coffee maker. But no problem, there is enough sun so that our solar panel has fully charged the battery.
In the afternoon we move to the historic city centre. On the way we pass the ruins of a Roman amphitheater.
Within the city wall, the yellow color of the buildings is immediately noticeable. All the houses in the city are made of yellow limestone and have roofs of terracotta tiles, and many of the 14th and 15th century palaces (palazzos) also follow this architectural style. This produces a very beautiful and idyllic image.
Since the village is built on the slopes of a mountain, the streets run steeply upwards until we reach one of the biggest sights, the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo.
Fortunately, you don't have to do the entire climb. There are elevators in the city that take you up two levels. On the second level you are already at the basilica.
One of the most famous streets of Gubbio is Via dei Consoli. This road crosses the old centre of the village and takes us past several nice shops, bars and restaurants. The Piazza Grande is located halfway. From this square you have a beautiful view of the valley and the terracotta roof tiles of the lower part.
And so we traverse the entire medieval centre, from one beautiful, tall building to another, and from one palazzo to the next. It is a really pleasant place to be and when you walk around you will be greeted by the smell of the local specialties.
We end the afternoon on a terrace located on one of the nice squares. When we want to leave the city, we are treated to a historic parade on the occasion of Pentecost.
Day 9
Today the capital of Umbria is on the program. We are in Perugia, a city spread over a long hill, which was already an important city in the 6th century BC.
We install our motorhome at the municipal camper stopover Il Bove (Via Giovanni Ruggia, GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386), in the lower town. Despite our expectations, there were still many places available when we arrived. It is not an ideal place to spend the night. It is located on a very busy road, but all amenities are available.
We go via a staircase to the adjacent road where we take bus G, the stop is just next to the parking lot, which takes us to the heart of the historic city. It is also the final stop of the bus.
We are on the “piazza Italia”, a beautiful square with the Palazzo Cezaroni and a picturesque park. However, the view is marred by the many parked cars.
We walk via the central main street towards the main square of the city. We are surrounded by many high and richly decorated buildings, and there is a pleasant bustle. The street, like many others, slopes slightly. The higher you go in the city, the older the buildings are. Most date from the 13th, 14th centuries.
We reach the main square, the “Piazza IV Novembre”. There is a sculpted fountain from the 13th century, the “Fontana Maggiore”, with a beautiful series of reliefs and statues.
On the same square we visit the San Lorenzo Cathedral. It is striking that the church has a pulpit on the outside. We were able to view the cathedral from the inside just long enough. At 12.30 the church keeper came to us with a very large key in his hand. We had to leave the church, just like the other visitors, after which it was irrevocably locked until the next day. Once more the heavy latch of the door opened to let out a few stragglers.
So it was time to settle on a terrace, where we ate a large, delicious pizza.
After lunch we stroll further through the city and discover one gem after another. Many beauties are hidden in narrow alleys, which can only be reached via a passage in a facade.
Then there are the museums, which are also housed in large “palazzos”, with the “Museo Capitolare”, dedicated to art from Umbria and Siena, and the “Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria” being the most important.
We only visited the historic centre of the city, but Perugia has several interesting parts of the city.
We left the city the way we came, ... by bus.
Day 10
The sun comes out early. The market vendors also get up early. There is a market in the parking lot just above the camper place. So before we leave Perugia we visit the market to buy fruit and vegetables. There is a supermarket 100 meters away, but fresh from the farm still tastes better. If you want to go to the supermarket, it is best to walk from the camper stopover because there is no possibility to park the camper at the supermarket.
After our purchases we leave for Assisi. A town dedicated to the most famous resident of Assisi, Saint Francis.
We install the motorhome about 4 km from the city, at the Green Village campsite (via s.g. In campiglione 110).
The rest of the day we do nothing but lazily enjoy ourselves under our awning.
Day 11
Today we visit Assisi, a city that attracts many Catholics.
At the entrance of the campsite we board the campsite shuttle bus that takes us to the entrance gate of the old city. He drives to the old centre and back four times a day.
We start our visit, just like the other 5 million tourists and pilgrims who flood Assisi every year, in the San Francesco Basilica, one of the most beautiful basilicas in Italy. It's a pity that the many RAI television trucks mar the view of the square and basilica. Our first climb of the day is over. Many will follow because the city is built on the slopes of a hill. The church building consists of two churches built one above the other. First we enter the lower church (Basilica Inferiore). The numerous frescoes immediately catch the eye. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside the church, and there is a lot of control that politely nips any attempt in the bud. Still, I was still able to take a few pictures!
Then I descend into the Cripta di San Francesco. The monumental tomb of Francis of Assisi is located here. I find it strange to see believers lying on the ground in worship of the grave.
After visiting the upper church (Basilica Superiore), we move further into the city, via Via San Francesco, one of the most beautiful streets in Assisi. We stroll (if you can call walking in a steeply ascending street strolling) past very beautiful houses and cozy boutiques and souvenir shops where almost all souvenirs are also dedicated to Francis.
Along the way we stop for a pizza, after which we reach the center of Assisi, the Piazza del Comune. Here we admire some of the city's important monuments, including the town hall.
We walk further through the city and at Piazza San Rufino we visit the San Rufino Cathedral. And there is no shortage of churches and basilicas in Assisi, in addition to those mentioned, there are also: the Santa Chiara Basilica, the Chiesa Nuova, ... On the square in front of the Nuova church we notice a beautiful bronze statue. Turns out they are Franciscus' parents.
Back to the San Rufino Cathedral: here I also walk along the many steep stairs to the top of the tower. My clothes almost blow off, and with my head between the bells I have a beautiful view of the city and a panoramic view of the surroundings.
An hour later our visit is over and at that moment it starts to rain (it was cloudy almost the entire afternoon and we had already seen a thunderstorm approaching from the distance).
We have to take shelter for a while until the van comes to pick us up back to the campsite.
Day 12
No major move today. At 18km from Assisi we reach the town of Spello, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Umbria. At the foot of it we install ourselves at the municipal camper stopover (on the via central Umbra).
Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars.
Back to our excursion: we are heading towards the centre and have a very steep climb ahead of us. We climb up between the centuries-old houses. In between we enjoy the breathtaking view.
Sweaty from the effort, we arrive in the historic centre. We had a pleasant walk along the picturesque streets full of light pink colored houses decorated with many containers and pots full of flowers and plants.
If you want to see even more flowers, you should come the second weekend after Pentecost, when the entire city is transformed into a work of art made of flowers.
It was warm and sunny all morning, but shortly in the afternoon we had a thunderstorm, luckily with not too much rain. In the meantime, we took shelter on the covered terrace of a bar-pattiseria. In this way we combined the pleasant with the unpleasant.
We finally left the city along the gently sloping main street, which ended at the centuries-old Porta consulare. A little further we reached the camper stopover again, which was filled with cars for the second time. Wondering what the night will bring.
Day 13
All in all we had a quiet night. The last cars left around 11pm and we had no noise from the gypsy families.
Today is a national holiday in Italy and the people are up early. From 7am it is already a process of arriving and departing from the sports complex.
We cleaned up faster than usual and continued our trip.
We drive into Montefalco. The camper place radiated tranquility (Via G. Pascoli - when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below that large parking lot!)
We are at an altitude of 475m and Montefalco is also called the balcony of Umbria. The town is located high above the vineyards. Right, it is a wine town, very famous for its wines: sagrantino wines. Wine tasting is the message today.
We walk through one of the old gates to the central square of the town, also the highest point. The narrow streets with the old houses wind their way up to the square. There are many cosy restaurants and wine sales points around the square.
We visit a shop at one of the renowned wineries for a wine tasting. I skip the expensive but powerful Sagrantino di Montefalco, but taste several Rosso di Montefalco DOC. I also taste the 2018 reserve and decide to purchase my stock for the winter.
Then time to find a terrace on the central square. It is pleasant to sit there and we enjoy the good weather. I do this with a glass of Rosso Di Montefalco and with some olives the day can't be ruined. The wine is from another winery and I also really like it. Afterwards I look for a shop and buy a few more bottles of that brand.
Day 14
From the wine we drive to the olive oil. We arrived in Trevi high on a hill. The free camper place (Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221) is actually a normal parking lot (with a pit for both gray water and toilet cassette) on which you can only place the camper transversely or lengthwise between the trees.
The town is surrounded by olive groves and apparently one of the best olive oils in Italy is produced here.
Through one of the gates in the city wall, which used to completely encircle Trevi, we walk to the heart of the village: the Piazza Mazzini, with the Palazzo Comunale (the central square with the town hall).
There is no shortage of churches, within the walls you will find no fewer than 20 old churches.
Along narrow streets with centuries-old houses, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, we reach the highest point of Trevi, where we enter the main church, the Duomo di Sant'Emiliano. We then walk back to the town square via the same streets. We take a seat on the terrace of the caffé Roma bar, where drinks have been served for more than 100 years.
A little later a thunderstorm breaks out. Since it is raining anyway, we enter the former Convento di San Francesco monastery, where several museums are now located. We will visit the Museo della Civiltà dell'Ulivo, where the history of the centuries-old production of olive oil is discussed.
We conclude our visit to Trevi in a shop specialized in olive oil. There I taste the renowned Trevi olive oil. It's really tasty and of course I'll buy a bottle.
Day 15
Upon waking, Trevi and the surrounding olive groves are completely shrouded in fog. The frequent rain last night and the warm temperature this morning ensure that the city is hidden.
After breakfast we continue our way and 20 km further we drive in full sun to a camper stopover in Spoleto (Via del Tiro a Segno, the coordinates will take you to the road above the camper place!).
The pitches are quite large and nicely demarcated by Italian standards.
The old walled city is located high on the hillside, with the Rocca Albornoziana fortress strategically located at the top.
Fortunately, we don't have to do any steep climbs today; We climb up to the historic centre via underground escalators. The first set of escalators takes us to the fortress. There are beautiful exhibitions inside and from the fortress walls we have a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings and... our motorhome.
From the fortress we walk to the Basilica di San Salvatore, a church that dates back to the fourth and fifth centuries. There was a pleasant bustle at the church, where a mass was being celebrated. Many Italians visit this beautiful city at the end of their extended weekend. We have already seen several beautiful and picturesque villages and towns in Umbria, Spoleto is certainly one of them.
We then wander further along narrow streets, alleys with stairs, past old houses and cosy squares. Fortunately, everything is on a downward trend since we started our visit at the highest point.
We walk further along a Roman arch: Arco di Druso on the Piazza del Mercato and near the Piazza Libertà we discover a real Roman theater.
On this side of the old city, after enjoying it on a nice terrace, we take the escalators up to take other escalators back down to the parking lot and camper place via the basilica on the other side of the center.
We visited the city in the morning and early afternoon, with the weather forecast in mind. These were correct, at half past three we were treated to the daily rain shower.
Day 16
We leave our overnight spot in the light rain. Compared to Belgium we do not have good weather. Fortunately, it is usually dry during the day and we regularly see the sun. The temperature is certainly not bad (around 25 degrees, and even when it rains we still reach 20 degrees). Italian traders and catering operators are complaining a lot, the current weather is normal for them in April. The tourists, and certainly the Italian day tourists, stay away, which we also notice, everywhere we go it is quiet and few tourists, with a few exceptions.
Today the Marmore Falls are on the program.
Marmore Waterfall is the largest man-made waterfall. The waterfall was created by the Romans in the 3rd century BC to divert the water of the Velino River away from the Rieti Valley.
At 165 meters, the waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Italy.
We first settle at Le Marmore campsite, a campsite located 50m as the crow flies from the upper viewpoint of the waterfall.
Apart from two old, worn-out caravans, a Swiss and an Italian motorhome, there is no one there. We have to pay an incredibly high price (32€/night) for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently determined solely by the proximity of the waterfall. We paid for two nights when we arrived, which we would not have done if we had been able to view the campsite in advance.
In the afternoon the sun comes through and we walk to the access point to the waterfalls. If you want to see them, you are limited to certain hours. The waterfall is regulated by dams and these are opened a few times a day. Currently this is between 11am and 1pm and between 3pm and 5pm. At other times the waterfall is not flowing.
There are two different entrances: Belvedere Superiore and the other is Belvedere Inferiore. We start at the top of the waterfall, the second starts at the bottom part. A ticket costs €12/person.
After descending 85 stairs we reach the viewpoint. The view is beautiful and the reflection of the sun on the water droplets creates a spectacular rainbow.
Monique then stays on site to enjoy the view and I descend on one of the six marked walks. Hiking trail 1 is also the most challenging. I descend to the middle part of the waterfall via very steep and now very slippery stairs. It is a beautiful area, deep in the woods. I reach this part 500m lower and can continue climbing to the heart of the waterfall via hiking trail 3. However, I don't like this as I still have to do the climb back.
After resting for a few minutes, I start the climb. It is very difficult, steep with often no handholds. I regularly have to stop to pant and feel my heart beating in my throat. I arrive at the top sweaty and puffing, but still happy to have made the effort. Now 85 stairs back to the exit!
In the evening it starts to rain again, pouring water until midnight.
Day 17
To visit the lower part of the waterfall, with a view of the entire waterfall, we have to drive the motorhome to the Belvedere Inferiore. Then pay €5 for the parking and another €24 for the entrance. We decide not to do this.
You can do everything in 1 day, but not on foot from the campsite. You can drive to the upper or lower part in the morning and then drive to the other part in the afternoon, for example, all with the same ticket (I now know!).
We make it a rest day.
The sun regularly shines through in the morning. At 2 p.m. the rest is already over. A heavy thunderstorm breaks out, with a lot of rain. The surface of the campsite cannot handle the amount of water and soon we are standing at the motorhome with our feet in the water.
We will spend the rest of the day in the camper. Can also be nice with a coffee and a cookie.
At 4pm the sun comes out, so we sit outside with our feet between the puddles.
Day 18
The water has penetrated the hard forest floor of the campsite and we are back on the road for our last days in Ubria.
In the morning we visit the beautiful archaeological site of Carsulae, located on a plateau north of the city of Terni.
In 220 BC, a Roman city arose here after the construction of the “Via Flaminia”, a Roman highway. 500 years later, the city was largely abandoned after several major earthquakes and fell into oblivion. This ensured that archaeologists found the site in exceptionally well-preserved condition.
We walk from the entrance, where a small museum is also located, down a gently sloping slope. We already have a beautiful view of the remains of the monumental buildings that were located along the road.
I think it's impressive to walk on a more than 2000 year old Roman road.
We then walk past what was once a “basilica”, not a church but a large public space where trade was conducted.
We also see the remains of the forum, two identical temples, the amphitheater and the semicircular theater. In the north we leave the city through an imposing arch. Behind it lay the cemetery and even further a few settlements of farmers and traders.
We sat down on a large stone to take a good look at everything and realize that so many centuries ago legionaries marched in and out of the city here and the ox carts of traders bumped over the large stones of the road. The traces of those carts can still be seen in the stones in certain places.
We rijden vervolgens naar de camperplaats in Todi (Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168). Deze is op een goede locatie gelegen om het middeleeuwse stadje te bezoeken. Aan de parking is er een gratis treinlift die je recht naar het centrum brengt.
Zoals in alle andere stadjes is het een wirwar van kleine steil op- of aflopende straatjes. Op het centrale plein bezichtigen we de kathedraal. Rondom bevinden zich ook verschillende imposante palazzos.
The most impressive was the Santa Maria della Consolazione, a Renaissance church hidden in a narrow alley and with an inconspicuous facade. The contrast with the inside is spectacular.
The weather has evolved very favorably today and we finally relax on a terrace, enjoying an ice cream and a drink.
Day 19
We spend our last day in Umbria in Orvieto, a medieval fortified town on top of a rock plateau. We install ourselves at the beautiful camper stopover (Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736). It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper site are the regular railway lines and on the other side a high-speed train line.
It is around 11 am that we head towards the historic centre. We plan to visit several sights, that's why we buy the Carta Unica Orvieto. With this ticket we can visit all the main attractions in Orvieto.
Outside the camper place we go up a few stairs and go through the tunnel under the railway lines. Outside the station we take the 'Funiculare', a cable car that takes us to the edge of the old town.
After a visit to the weekly market, we settle down on the terrace of a nice and cosy restaurant. The beautifully presented dishes were really tasty.
Satisfied, we then walk to the Torre del Moro. I climb the 265 stairs while Monique goes to do some shopping. At the top I have a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding vineyards.
Back downstairs it goes towards the Duomo, a cathedral that brings together different styles. Within this church we also visit the two beautiful chapels.
The cathedral was built with stones cut from the underlying rock plateau.
This also makes it possible to take a walk through the underground tunnel system under the city.
Of course we also visit Orvieto Underground. There are only guided walks and we were the only visitors for the English-language tour. So we had a private guide! Everywhere under the city there are such caves and corridors, almost all of which are still used as storage cellars for homes and workshops. However, they never functioned as a home.
The corridors we visit were used as a workshop where olive oil was pressed and processed. Other corridors have numerous holes in the walls: these were used to breed pigeons, not for pigeon racing but for eating! This was a special walk.
The last attraction I visit is a 16th century well of 62 meters deep and a diameter of 6 meters, the Pozzo of San Patrizio. The special feature of the well are the two independently built spiral staircases that run one above the other and are illuminated by 72 windows. You descend via one staircase and go back up via the other. Periodically, as I descended the 250 stairs, I would poke my head through a window to look up and down. I was really impressed. I looked around with my mouth open and imagined myself inside some kind of metric figure ... strange feeling.
We rest for a while and sit on a terrace to reflect and reflect on our fantastic journey.
Tomorrow we start the way back to Belgium.
Day 20
We left Umbria with some reluctance. After several traffic jams on the A1, we arrived at our first stop. We are in Fontanellato in the province of Parma (Via XXIV Maggio,  Fontanellato  GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987). We store the motorhome in an unusual location. We have a special roof over our heads: a battery of solar panels! The shade of the panels is welcome, because in the meantime the temperature has risen to above 30°C.
There is little wind, and suddenly we are attacked en masse by what we first thought were small mosquitoes. But they turn out to be "knijten", small gadflies that suck blood just like mosquitoes. We both get stung about 20 times. Their bite causes even more itching than mosquitoes and we soon scratched open a number of bumps.

Day 21
Again we have rain when we leave in the morning. After an hour's drive we have left the rain behind us and the sun comes through the cloud cover. We will soon reach 25° and the temperature will continue to rise. We are very lucky because there is almost no traffic on the highways. Only a bit around Milan and Turin (the fact that it is Saturday today may also play a role). We do not leave Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel but via the Fréjus tunnel (T4) because we are driving towards Lyon. On our outward journey we paid €68.10 for the Mont Blanc tunnel in France, from Italy to France the journey costs €69.30. Why it is more expensive to drive through the tunnel from Italy is a mystery to me. We also paid €69.30 for the Fréjus tunnel. The advantage of this tunnel is that you almost never have traffic jams or waiting times. Not again, we were able to immediately enter the tunnel upon arrival.
Before Lyon we take the highway towards Paris to leave it for our second stop, Villefranche-sur-Saône (Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 ). The camper place, which has 128 places, was more than half full and at the back we settled in a spot with a view of the Saône river. It was lovely sitting outside in a bit of shade, especially after we had been on the road all day to cover 564 km.

Day 22
Still on the way home we stop at a quiet camper stopover in Connantre, located in the south of the Champagne region (Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre - GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957).
It is another warm day and during the afternoon we relax under the awning.
But, to conclude our trip, we experience another heavy thunderstorm at 5:30 PM. The rain is pouring down from the sky and is accompanied by hail, countless lightning bolts and thunder. At 8 p.m. the worst is over, but it continues to rain.
Yet, despite the changeable weather, we enjoyed our stay in Umbria, in a country (Italy) that was unknown territory for us until now.

Tomorrow we plan to come home!
Summary overnight stays
Camping-car Park - area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – Halte Sainte Balzème, 10700 Le Chêne - GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442 – 10€/21pl – all amenities
Camping-car Park - Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312, 74130 Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573 – 12€/68pl – all amenities.
About 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. Less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Parcheggio camper Scambiatore - Official camper place - Via de Pratale 78, Pisa - 12€/100pl - all amenities - center 2 km - guarded parking - at parking bus Navetta E every 15 minutes. From final stop 400m to Pisa tower
Camping Listro - Via Lungolago, Castiglione del Lago – €21/night (acsi) – all amenities – bar and shop – private beach on the lake – historic centre 800m
Camper Club Gubbio - Official camper place - Via del Bottagnone 06024 Gubbio - GPS: n43.35000 o12.56389 – 10€/56pl – narrow pitches - max. 8m - all facilities, electricity is expensive (0.5€/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Which is too little to use even a light coffee maker - video surveillance - teatro romano 500m, historic centre 850m via 2 escalators - there would be a shuttle bus to the centre at 50m
Il Bove - Area Comunale Piazzale del Bove - Via Giovanni Ruggia, 06124 Perugia - GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386 - 20€/50pl - mixed parking on a very busy road near the police station, video surveillance - all amenities - centre 1.5 km - bus line G at 200m - supermarket 100m
Camping Green Village Assisi - Via S.G. in Campiglione 110, Assisi – 23€/night (acsi from 29/5) – all amenities – small shop, pizzeria – 4x daily shuttle bus to Assisi
Area Comunale - Official camper place - Via Centrale Umbra, Spello - GPS: n42.99371 o12.66730 - 8€/70pl - facilities without electricity - village 500m - Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars. Toilet cassette could not be emptied, it was completely clogged, probably by pampers.
Official camper stopover - Via G. Pascoli, 6036 Montefalco - GPS: n42.89230 o12.64791 – 5€/25pl – all amenities included – mixed parking 100m from the village center. Please note, when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below the large parking lot!
Area communal - Official camper place - Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221 - free/20pl (up to 50pl) - facilities without electricity - village 500m
Parcheggio Ponciano - Official camper place - Via del Tiro a Segno Spoleto GPS: n42.73687 o12.74212 - 8€/20pl - fairly large pitches - service column, no electricity - old town 500m accessible by escalators
camping Le Marmore - Via Cascata 34, Località Campacci, Terni – €32/night! Far too expensive for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently only determined by the proximity of the waterfall. – shop – 50m from the viewpoint of the waterfall (above) – discount on ticket for access to the waterfall
Area Porta Orvietana - Official camper place - Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168 – 16€/16pl – facilities without electricity – old town 550m – at the parking there is a train lift (free) to the centre
Area Sosta Camper Battistelli Renzo - Official camper place - Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736 – 18€/40pl – all amenities included – guarded parking – It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper place are the regular railway lines and on the other side a line for a high-speed train - 400m to the cable car for the centre (€2 return)
Fontanellato - Official camper stopover - Via XXIV Maggio, Fontanellato GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987 – 10€/20pl – all amenities included – places under solar panels!
Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 – 13.86€/128pl – all amenities
Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre – GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957 – 13.30€/23pl - all amenities

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Day 5
We leave Pisa and head to the region we want to discover, namely Umbria. By noon we reach our destination for the next three days. We are in Castiglione del Lago, at the Listro campsite, located on Via Lungolago. The campsite is located immediately on Lake Trasimeno, the largest lake in central and southern Italy. From our spot we have a view of this beautiful lake. Currently there is sufficient water in it, as the lake has an artificial supply of mountain water from the Apennines. Last year you had to walk 150m in the bed to get to the water, due to the extremely dry previous years. This year started much wetter, which they experienced dramatically in the northeast of Italy!
After installing the motorhome, we decide to enjoy the afternoon in the sun. But at 3 p.m. the weather decided differently and a heavy thunderstorm broke out over the lake. Luckily there wasn't too much rain falling from the sky. After an hour and a half the storm was over, but it remained cloudy for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Day 6
We wake up under a radiant sun. The lake sparkles and the water birds chatter and croak. The white herons stare into the water looking for fish. A few swimmers venture out for their morning swim.
We laze around the camper all morning. In the afternoon we visit the old town of Castiglione del Lago. This village, high on a hill, is labeled “I borghi più belli d'Italia” and is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. The road to it is very steep. It was a bit of a breath of fresh air when we reached the top of the high city walls that surround the medieval village.
We enter the old centre through the Porta Senese, one of the three gates in the city wall. We are immediately charmed by the buildings, cobbled streets and idyllic churches. As mentioned, there are three city gates, and in the centre you will encounter three squares and three churches.
We walk along Via Vittorio Emanuele, the pedestrian street that crosses the entire city. The many restaurants radiate conviviality and the shops mainly offer local Umbrian specialties. At the end of the street is one of the sights, the Palazzo della Corgna. From the Palazzo you can reach the main attraction of Castiglione del Lago via a long and narrow covered corridor that is incorporated into the old medieval city wall: the Rocca del Leone, the Fort of the Lion. This fortress overlooks Lake Trasimeno. It has a pentagonal shape and was built in the thirteenth century. Both can only be visited with a ticket, cost €9/person. We decide not to visit it and find a terrace for a nice ice cream and a refreshing drink. Tomorrow we will go to the lake.
Day 7
The lake is shining in the sun again. It is Saturday and extended Pentecost weekend. The campsite is full of Italians who want to spend the long weekend at the lake.
There is a strong wind today, ideal for the many kite surfers who populate the lake.
In the afternoon we also go on the water. We board a “traghetto di linea”, a ferry that takes us to Isola Maggiore. Isola Maggiore is the only inhabited island in Lake Trasimeno.
There is one street on the island. It is pleasant to walk along the picturesque buildings. The houses are mainly inhabited by fishermen. Normally they hang their fishing nets to dry between the churches of Sant'Angelo and San Salvatore, but there were none hanging at the time of our visit. I came across exactly one fishing net hanging over a barrier.
The St. Francis Church is located at the highest point of the island. It was again a very steep climb to get there. I had to stop a few times along the way to catch my breath. The church of San Michele Arcangelo was built there in 1136. In the 13th century it was built over by the Franciscans, after St. Francis of Assisi took refuge on the island for a short time. There are still well-preserved frescoes in the church. The oldest date back to the 13th century.
What also makes the island special is the many lacework that can be found there. The main occupation of the fishermen's wives was weaving and mending fishing nets, but in winter they did not have much work. Until a lady arrived on the island who crocheted lace. A friend of hers who was a very good lace maker was willing to teach the art to the local fisherwomen. A real trade was thus set up, which greatly increased the income of the fishermen in the winter.
Nowadays you can still regularly admire the old women crocheting lace in front of their door. Many old works with a mainly Irish stitch can be viewed in the small museum and lace is also for sale in the shops.
After a few hours we had to return to the embarkation jetty to catch the last ferry of the day that took us back to the mainland.
Day 8
Our three days at Lake Trasimeno are over. We head towards the Apennines. At the foot and on the flank of this mountain range we arrive in a well-preserved medieval village, namely: Gubbio.
We settle in at the local camper stopover (Via del Bottagnone - GPS: n43.35000 - o12.56389). Fortunately, there are only a few campers and we have enough space as all the pitches are narrow. The electricity is expensive (€0.5/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Far too little for us since we can't even use the coffee maker. But no problem, there is enough sun so that our solar panel has fully charged the battery.
In the afternoon we move to the historic city centre. On the way we pass the ruins of a Roman amphitheater.
Within the city wall, the yellow color of the buildings is immediately noticeable. All the houses in the city are made of yellow limestone and have roofs of terracotta tiles, and many of the 14th and 15th century palaces (palazzos) also follow this architectural style. This produces a very beautiful and idyllic image.
Since the village is built on the slopes of a mountain, the streets run steeply upwards until we reach one of the biggest sights, the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo.
Fortunately, you don't have to do the entire climb. There are elevators in the city that take you up two levels. On the second level you are already at the basilica.
One of the most famous streets of Gubbio is Via dei Consoli. This road crosses the old centre of the village and takes us past several nice shops, bars and restaurants. The Piazza Grande is located halfway. From this square you have a beautiful view of the valley and the terracotta roof tiles of the lower part.
And so we traverse the entire medieval centre, from one beautiful, tall building to another, and from one palazzo to the next. It is a really pleasant place to be and when you walk around you will be greeted by the smell of the local specialties.
We end the afternoon on a terrace located on one of the nice squares. When we want to leave the city, we are treated to a historic parade on the occasion of Pentecost.
Day 9
Today the capital of Umbria is on the program. We are in Perugia, a city spread over a long hill, which was already an important city in the 6th century BC.
We install our motorhome at the municipal camper stopover Il Bove (Via Giovanni Ruggia, GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386), in the lower town. Despite our expectations, there were still many places available when we arrived. It is not an ideal place to spend the night. It is located on a very busy road, but all amenities are available.
We go via a staircase to the adjacent road where we take bus G, the stop is just next to the parking lot, which takes us to the heart of the historic city. It is also the final stop of the bus.
We are on the “piazza Italia”, a beautiful square with the Palazzo Cezaroni and a picturesque park. However, the view is marred by the many parked cars.
We walk via the central main street towards the main square of the city. We are surrounded by many high and richly decorated buildings, and there is a pleasant bustle. The street, like many others, slopes slightly. The higher you go in the city, the older the buildings are. Most date from the 13th, 14th centuries.
We reach the main square, the “Piazza IV Novembre”. There is a sculpted fountain from the 13th century, the “Fontana Maggiore”, with a beautiful series of reliefs and statues.
On the same square we visit the San Lorenzo Cathedral. It is striking that the church has a pulpit on the outside. We were able to view the cathedral from the inside just long enough. At 12.30 the church keeper came to us with a very large key in his hand. We had to leave the church, just like the other visitors, after which it was irrevocably locked until the next day. Once more the heavy latch of the door opened to let out a few stragglers.
So it was time to settle on a terrace, where we ate a large, delicious pizza.
After lunch we stroll further through the city and discover one gem after another. Many beauties are hidden in narrow alleys, which can only be reached via a passage in a facade.
Then there are the museums, which are also housed in large “palazzos”, with the “Museo Capitolare”, dedicated to art from Umbria and Siena, and the “Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria” being the most important.
We only visited the historic centre of the city, but Perugia has several interesting parts of the city.
We left the city the way we came, ... by bus.
Day 10
The sun comes out early. The market vendors also get up early. There is a market in the parking lot just above the camper place. So before we leave Perugia we visit the market to buy fruit and vegetables. There is a supermarket 100 meters away, but fresh from the farm still tastes better. If you want to go to the supermarket, it is best to walk from the camper stopover because there is no possibility to park the camper at the supermarket.
After our purchases we leave for Assisi. A town dedicated to the most famous resident of Assisi, Saint Francis.
We install the motorhome about 4 km from the city, at the Green Village campsite (via s.g. In campiglione 110).
The rest of the day we do nothing but lazily enjoy ourselves under our awning.
Day 11
Today we visit Assisi, a city that attracts many Catholics.
At the entrance of the campsite we board the campsite shuttle bus that takes us to the entrance gate of the old city. He drives to the old centre and back four times a day.
We start our visit, just like the other 5 million tourists and pilgrims who flood Assisi every year, in the San Francesco Basilica, one of the most beautiful basilicas in Italy. It's a pity that the many RAI television trucks mar the view of the square and basilica. Our first climb of the day is over. Many will follow because the city is built on the slopes of a hill. The church building consists of two churches built one above the other. First we enter the lower church (Basilica Inferiore). The numerous frescoes immediately catch the eye. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside the church, and there is a lot of control that politely nips any attempt in the bud. Still, I was still able to take a few pictures!
Then I descend into the Cripta di San Francesco. The monumental tomb of Francis of Assisi is located here. I find it strange to see believers lying on the ground in worship of the grave.
After visiting the upper church (Basilica Superiore), we move further into the city, via Via San Francesco, one of the most beautiful streets in Assisi. We stroll (if you can call walking in a steeply ascending street strolling) past very beautiful houses and cozy boutiques and souvenir shops where almost all souvenirs are also dedicated to Francis.
Along the way we stop for a pizza, after which we reach the center of Assisi, the Piazza del Comune. Here we admire some of the city's important monuments, including the town hall.
We walk further through the city and at Piazza San Rufino we visit the San Rufino Cathedral. And there is no shortage of churches and basilicas in Assisi, in addition to those mentioned, there are also: the Santa Chiara Basilica, the Chiesa Nuova, ... On the square in front of the Nuova church we notice a beautiful bronze statue. Turns out they are Franciscus' parents.
Back to the San Rufino Cathedral: here I also walk along the many steep stairs to the top of the tower. My clothes almost blow off, and with my head between the bells I have a beautiful view of the city and a panoramic view of the surroundings.
An hour later our visit is over and at that moment it starts to rain (it was cloudy almost the entire afternoon and we had already seen a thunderstorm approaching from the distance).
We have to take shelter for a while until the van comes to pick us up back to the campsite.
Day 12
No major move today. At 18km from Assisi we reach the town of Spello, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Umbria. At the foot of it we install ourselves at the municipal camper stopover (on the via central Umbra).
Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars.
Back to our excursion: we are heading towards the centre and have a very steep climb ahead of us. We climb up between the centuries-old houses. In between we enjoy the breathtaking view.
Sweaty from the effort, we arrive in the historic centre. We had a pleasant walk along the picturesque streets full of light pink colored houses decorated with many containers and pots full of flowers and plants.
If you want to see even more flowers, you should come the second weekend after Pentecost, when the entire city is transformed into a work of art made of flowers.
It was warm and sunny all morning, but shortly in the afternoon we had a thunderstorm, luckily with not too much rain. In the meantime, we took shelter on the covered terrace of a bar-pattiseria. In this way we combined the pleasant with the unpleasant.
We finally left the city along the gently sloping main street, which ended at the centuries-old Porta consulare. A little further we reached the camper stopover again, which was filled with cars for the second time. Wondering what the night will bring.
Day 13
All in all we had a quiet night. The last cars left around 11pm and we had no noise from the gypsy families.
Today is a national holiday in Italy and the people are up early. From 7am it is already a process of arriving and departing from the sports complex.
We cleaned up faster than usual and continued our trip.
We drive into Montefalco. The camper place radiated tranquility (Via G. Pascoli - when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below that large parking lot!)
We are at an altitude of 475m and Montefalco is also called the balcony of Umbria. The town is located high above the vineyards. Right, it is a wine town, very famous for its wines: sagrantino wines. Wine tasting is the message today.
We walk through one of the old gates to the central square of the town, also the highest point. The narrow streets with the old houses wind their way up to the square. There are many cosy restaurants and wine sales points around the square.
We visit a shop at one of the renowned wineries for a wine tasting. I skip the expensive but powerful Sagrantino di Montefalco, but taste several Rosso di Montefalco DOC. I also taste the 2018 reserve and decide to purchase my stock for the winter.
Then time to find a terrace on the central square. It is pleasant to sit there and we enjoy the good weather. I do this with a glass of Rosso Di Montefalco and with some olives the day can't be ruined. The wine is from another winery and I also really like it. Afterwards I look for a shop and buy a few more bottles of that brand.
Day 14
From the wine we drive to the olive oil. We arrived in Trevi high on a hill. The free camper place (Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221) is actually a normal parking lot (with a pit for both gray water and toilet cassette) on which you can only place the camper transversely or lengthwise between the trees.
The town is surrounded by olive groves and apparently one of the best olive oils in Italy is produced here.
Through one of the gates in the city wall, which used to completely encircle Trevi, we walk to the heart of the village: the Piazza Mazzini, with the Palazzo Comunale (the central square with the town hall).
There is no shortage of churches, within the walls you will find no fewer than 20 old churches.
Along narrow streets with centuries-old houses, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, we reach the highest point of Trevi, where we enter the main church, the Duomo di Sant'Emiliano. We then walk back to the town square via the same streets. We take a seat on the terrace of the caffé Roma bar, where drinks have been served for more than 100 years.
A little later a thunderstorm breaks out. Since it is raining anyway, we enter the former Convento di San Francesco monastery, where several museums are now located. We will visit the Museo della Civiltà dell'Ulivo, where the history of the centuries-old production of olive oil is discussed.
We conclude our visit to Trevi in a shop specialized in olive oil. There I taste the renowned Trevi olive oil. It's really tasty and of course I'll buy a bottle.
Day 15
Upon waking, Trevi and the surrounding olive groves are completely shrouded in fog. The frequent rain last night and the warm temperature this morning ensure that the city is hidden.
After breakfast we continue our way and 20 km further we drive in full sun to a camper stopover in Spoleto (Via del Tiro a Segno, the coordinates will take you to the road above the camper place!).
The pitches are quite large and nicely demarcated by Italian standards.
The old walled city is located high on the hillside, with the Rocca Albornoziana fortress strategically located at the top.
Fortunately, we don't have to do any steep climbs today; We climb up to the historic centre via underground escalators. The first set of escalators takes us to the fortress. There are beautiful exhibitions inside and from the fortress walls we have a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings and... our motorhome.
From the fortress we walk to the Basilica di San Salvatore, a church that dates back to the fourth and fifth centuries. There was a pleasant bustle at the church, where a mass was being celebrated. Many Italians visit this beautiful city at the end of their extended weekend. We have already seen several beautiful and picturesque villages and towns in Umbria, Spoleto is certainly one of them.
We then wander further along narrow streets, alleys with stairs, past old houses and cosy squares. Fortunately, everything is on a downward trend since we started our visit at the highest point.
We walk further along a Roman arch: Arco di Druso on the Piazza del Mercato and near the Piazza Libertà we discover a real Roman theater.
On this side of the old city, after enjoying it on a nice terrace, we take the escalators up to take other escalators back down to the parking lot and camper place via the basilica on the other side of the center.
We visited the city in the morning and early afternoon, with the weather forecast in mind. These were correct, at half past three we were treated to the daily rain shower.
Day 16
We leave our overnight spot in the light rain. Compared to Belgium we do not have good weather. Fortunately, it is usually dry during the day and we regularly see the sun. The temperature is certainly not bad (around 25 degrees, and even when it rains we still reach 20 degrees). Italian traders and catering operators are complaining a lot, the current weather is normal for them in April. The tourists, and certainly the Italian day tourists, stay away, which we also notice, everywhere we go it is quiet and few tourists, with a few exceptions.
Today the Marmore Falls are on the program.
Marmore Waterfall is the largest man-made waterfall. The waterfall was created by the Romans in the 3rd century BC to divert the water of the Velino River away from the Rieti Valley.
At 165 meters, the waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in Italy.
We first settle at Le Marmore campsite, a campsite located 50m as the crow flies from the upper viewpoint of the waterfall.
Apart from two old, worn-out caravans, a Swiss and an Italian motorhome, there is no one there. We have to pay an incredibly high price (32€/night) for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently determined solely by the proximity of the waterfall. We paid for two nights when we arrived, which we would not have done if we had been able to view the campsite in advance.
In the afternoon the sun comes through and we walk to the access point to the waterfalls. If you want to see them, you are limited to certain hours. The waterfall is regulated by dams and these are opened a few times a day. Currently this is between 11am and 1pm and between 3pm and 5pm. At other times the waterfall is not flowing.
There are two different entrances: Belvedere Superiore and the other is Belvedere Inferiore. We start at the top of the waterfall, the second starts at the bottom part. A ticket costs €12/person.
After descending 85 stairs we reach the viewpoint. The view is beautiful and the reflection of the sun on the water droplets creates a spectacular rainbow.
Monique then stays on site to enjoy the view and I descend on one of the six marked walks. Hiking trail 1 is also the most challenging. I descend to the middle part of the waterfall via very steep and now very slippery stairs. It is a beautiful area, deep in the woods. I reach this part 500m lower and can continue climbing to the heart of the waterfall via hiking trail 3. However, I don't like this as I still have to do the climb back.
After resting for a few minutes, I start the climb. It is very difficult, steep with often no handholds. I regularly have to stop to pant and feel my heart beating in my throat. I arrive at the top sweaty and puffing, but still happy to have made the effort. Now 85 stairs back to the exit!
In the evening it starts to rain again, pouring water until midnight.
Day 17
To visit the lower part of the waterfall, with a view of the entire waterfall, we have to drive the motorhome to the Belvedere Inferiore. Then pay €5 for the parking and another €24 for the entrance. We decide not to do this.
You can do everything in 1 day, but not on foot from the campsite. You can drive to the upper or lower part in the morning and then drive to the other part in the afternoon, for example, all with the same ticket (I now know!).
We make it a rest day.
The sun regularly shines through in the morning. At 2 p.m. the rest is already over. A heavy thunderstorm breaks out, with a lot of rain. The surface of the campsite cannot handle the amount of water and soon we are standing at the motorhome with our feet in the water.
We will spend the rest of the day in the camper. Can also be nice with a coffee and a cookie.
At 4pm the sun comes out, so we sit outside with our feet between the puddles.
Day 18
The water has penetrated the hard forest floor of the campsite and we are back on the road for our last days in Ubria.
In the morning we visit the beautiful archaeological site of Carsulae, located on a plateau north of the city of Terni.
In 220 BC, a Roman city arose here after the construction of the “Via Flaminia”, a Roman highway. 500 years later, the city was largely abandoned after several major earthquakes and fell into oblivion. This ensured that archaeologists found the site in exceptionally well-preserved condition.
We walk from the entrance, where a small museum is also located, down a gently sloping slope. We already have a beautiful view of the remains of the monumental buildings that were located along the road.
I think it's impressive to walk on a more than 2000 year old Roman road.
We then walk past what was once a “basilica”, not a church but a large public space where trade was conducted.
We also see the remains of the forum, two identical temples, the amphitheater and the semicircular theater. In the north we leave the city through an imposing arch. Behind it lay the cemetery and even further a few settlements of farmers and traders.
We sat down on a large stone to take a good look at everything and realize that so many centuries ago legionaries marched in and out of the city here and the ox carts of traders bumped over the large stones of the road. The traces of those carts can still be seen in the stones in certain places.
We rijden vervolgens naar de camperplaats in Todi (Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168). Deze is op een goede locatie gelegen om het middeleeuwse stadje te bezoeken. Aan de parking is er een gratis treinlift die je recht naar het centrum brengt.
Zoals in alle andere stadjes is het een wirwar van kleine steil op- of aflopende straatjes. Op het centrale plein bezichtigen we de kathedraal. Rondom bevinden zich ook verschillende imposante palazzos.
The most impressive was the Santa Maria della Consolazione, a Renaissance church hidden in a narrow alley and with an inconspicuous facade. The contrast with the inside is spectacular.
The weather has evolved very favorably today and we finally relax on a terrace, enjoying an ice cream and a drink.
Day 19
We spend our last day in Umbria in Orvieto, a medieval fortified town on top of a rock plateau. We install ourselves at the beautiful camper stopover (Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736). It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper site are the regular railway lines and on the other side a high-speed train line.
It is around 11 am that we head towards the historic centre. We plan to visit several sights, that's why we buy the Carta Unica Orvieto. With this ticket we can visit all the main attractions in Orvieto.
Outside the camper place we go up a few stairs and go through the tunnel under the railway lines. Outside the station we take the 'Funiculare', a cable car that takes us to the edge of the old town.
After a visit to the weekly market, we settle down on the terrace of a nice and cosy restaurant. The beautifully presented dishes were really tasty.
Satisfied, we then walk to the Torre del Moro. I climb the 265 stairs while Monique goes to do some shopping. At the top I have a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding vineyards.
Back downstairs it goes towards the Duomo, a cathedral that brings together different styles. Within this church we also visit the two beautiful chapels.
The cathedral was built with stones cut from the underlying rock plateau.
This also makes it possible to take a walk through the underground tunnel system under the city.
Of course we also visit Orvieto Underground. There are only guided walks and we were the only visitors for the English-language tour. So we had a private guide! Everywhere under the city there are such caves and corridors, almost all of which are still used as storage cellars for homes and workshops. However, they never functioned as a home.
The corridors we visit were used as a workshop where olive oil was pressed and processed. Other corridors have numerous holes in the walls: these were used to breed pigeons, not for pigeon racing but for eating! This was a special walk.
The last attraction I visit is a 16th century well of 62 meters deep and a diameter of 6 meters, the Pozzo of San Patrizio. The special feature of the well are the two independently built spiral staircases that run one above the other and are illuminated by 72 windows. You descend via one staircase and go back up via the other. Periodically, as I descended the 250 stairs, I would poke my head through a window to look up and down. I was really impressed. I looked around with my mouth open and imagined myself inside some kind of metric figure ... strange feeling.
We rest for a while and sit on a terrace to reflect and reflect on our fantastic journey.
Tomorrow we start the way back to Belgium.
Day 20
We left Umbria with some reluctance. After several traffic jams on the A1, we arrived at our first stop. We are in Fontanellato in the province of Parma (Via XXIV Maggio,  Fontanellato  GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987). We store the motorhome in an unusual location. We have a special roof over our heads: a battery of solar panels! The shade of the panels is welcome, because in the meantime the temperature has risen to above 30°C.
There is little wind, and suddenly we are attacked en masse by what we first thought were small mosquitoes. But they turn out to be "knijten", small gadflies that suck blood just like mosquitoes. We both get stung about 20 times. Their bite causes even more itching than mosquitoes and we soon scratched open a number of bumps.

Day 21
Again we have rain when we leave in the morning. After an hour's drive we have left the rain behind us and the sun comes through the cloud cover. We will soon reach 25° and the temperature will continue to rise. We are very lucky because there is almost no traffic on the highways. Only a bit around Milan and Turin (the fact that it is Saturday today may also play a role). We do not leave Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel but via the Fréjus tunnel (T4) because we are driving towards Lyon. On our outward journey we paid €68.10 for the Mont Blanc tunnel in France, from Italy to France the journey costs €69.30. Why it is more expensive to drive through the tunnel from Italy is a mystery to me. We also paid €69.30 for the Fréjus tunnel. The advantage of this tunnel is that you almost never have traffic jams or waiting times. Not again, we were able to immediately enter the tunnel upon arrival.
Before Lyon we take the highway towards Paris to leave it for our second stop, Villefranche-sur-Saône (Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 ). The camper place, which has 128 places, was more than half full and at the back we settled in a spot with a view of the Saône river. It was lovely sitting outside in a bit of shade, especially after we had been on the road all day to cover 564 km.

Day 22
Still on the way home we stop at a quiet camper stopover in Connantre, located in the south of the Champagne region (Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre - GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957).
It is another warm day and during the afternoon we relax under the awning.

But, to conclude our trip, we experience another heavy thunderstorm at 5:30 PM. The rain is pouring down from the sky and is accompanied by hail, countless lightning bolts and thunder. At 8 p.m. the worst is over, but it continues to rain.
Yet, despite the changeable weather, we enjoyed our stay in Umbria, in a country (Italy) that was unknown territory for us until now.

Tomorrow we plan to come home!
Summary overnight stays
Camping-car Park - area of La Halte Saint-Balsème, Le Chêne - Rue de Châlons – Halte Sainte Balzème, 10700 Le Chêne - GPS: N 48.547928 O 4.144442 – 10€/21pl – all amenities
Camping-car Park - Camping de mon Village of Bonneville - Rue des Bairiers 312, 74130 Bonneville - GPS: N 46.082184 O 6.412573 – 12€/68pl – all amenities.
About 10 paved pitches. The other pitches are all located on the grass. Less well maintained. The grass was half a meter high and the sanitary building is old (only open in July and August). I thought it was OK for one night.
Parcheggio camper Scambiatore - Official camper place - Via de Pratale 78, Pisa - 12€/100pl - all amenities - center 2 km - guarded parking - at parking bus Navetta E every 15 minutes. From final stop 400m to Pisa tower
Camping Listro - Via Lungolago, Castiglione del Lago – €21/night (acsi) – all amenities – bar and shop – private beach on the lake – historic centre 800m
Camper Club Gubbio - Official camper place - Via del Bottagnone 06024 Gubbio - GPS: n43.35000 o12.56389 – 10€/56pl – narrow pitches - max. 8m - all facilities, electricity is expensive (0.5€/hour) with a maximum power of 400W! Which is too little to use even a light coffee maker - video surveillance - teatro romano 500m, historic centre 850m via 2 escalators - there would be a shuttle bus to the centre at 50m
Il Bove - Area Comunale Piazzale del Bove - Via Giovanni Ruggia, 06124 Perugia - GPS: n43.09810 o12.38386 - 20€/50pl - mixed parking on a very busy road near the police station, video surveillance - all amenities - centre 1.5 km - bus line G at 200m - supermarket 100m
Camping Green Village Assisi - Via S.G. in Campiglione 110, Assisi – 23€/night (acsi from 29/5) – all amenities – small shop, pizzeria – 4x daily shuttle bus to Assisi
Area Comunale - Official camper place - Via Centrale Umbra, Spello - GPS: n42.99371 o12.66730 - 8€/70pl - facilities without electricity - village 500m - Definitely not recommended. Very noisy from the sports complex next door. The parking lot, although designated only for campers, is full of cars belonging to visitors to the complex. We still have a place in a corner. In the afternoon a group of young gypsy families also arrives, with campers and caravans. The discharge point is being transformed into a washing area for clothes and cars. Toilet cassette could not be emptied, it was completely clogged, probably by pampers.
Official camper stopover - Via G. Pascoli, 6036 Montefalco - GPS: n42.89230 o12.64791 – 5€/25pl – all amenities included – mixed parking 100m from the village center. Please note, when you use the coordinates you will arrive at a large public parking lot for buses and passenger cars. The camper place is located below the large parking lot!
Area communal - Official camper place - Via Costa San Paolo, Trevi GPS: n42.87829 o12.75221 - free/20pl (up to 50pl) - facilities without electricity - village 500m
Parcheggio Ponciano - Official camper place - Via del Tiro a Segno Spoleto GPS: n42.73687 o12.74212 - 8€/20pl - fairly large pitches - service column, no electricity - old town 500m accessible by escalators
camping Le Marmore - Via Cascata 34, Località Campacci, Terni – €32/night! Far too expensive for what is offered. The campsite is very outdated and not well maintained. The pitches are criss-cross between the trees and are not demarcated. How they can place sixty motorhomes and caravans here (according to the website) is a mystery to me. All outdoor facilities (washbasins, dishwashing bins) are full of leaves and branches, as if they have not been used or maintained in months. Everything inside the building is also very old, but toilets and showers are cleaned.
A price that is apparently only determined by the proximity of the waterfall. – shop – 50m from the viewpoint of the waterfall (above) – discount on ticket for access to the waterfall
Area Porta Orvietana - Official camper place - Viale di Montesanto, Todi - GPS: n42.78120 o12.40168 – 16€/16pl – facilities without electricity – old town 550m – at the parking there is a train lift (free) to the centre
Area Sosta Camper Battistelli Renzo - Official camper place - Strada della Direttissima, Piazza delle Pace, Orvieto - GPS: n42.72562 o12.12736 – 18€/40pl – all amenities included – guarded parking – It is a complete overnight stay: spacious, beautifully defined pitches, all camper facilities, toilets, showers. However, there is one big downside. On one side of the camper place are the regular railway lines and on the other side a line for a high-speed train - 400m to the cable car for the centre (€2 return)
Fontanellato - Official camper stopover - Via XXIV Maggio, Fontanellato GPS: n44.87797 o10.16987 – 10€/20pl – all amenities included – places under solar panels!
Camping-Car Park Beaujolais - Route de Riottier 2788, 69400 Villefranche-sur-Saône - GPS: n45.97278 o4.75135 – 13.86€/128pl – all amenities
Camping-Car Park – Connantre - Allée du plan d'eau, 51230 Connantre – GPS: n48.73204 o3.92957 – 13.30€/23pl - all amenities
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