Week 13

Ringing in the New Year

and it’s looking bloody beautiful

When

30.12.19 - 6.01.20

where

Volterra, Panzano and Passignano, Tuscany, Italy

Orvieto, Umbria, Italy

Naples, Italy

Ercolano, Italy

Pompeii, Italy

what

Week 12 ended with a calm and much warmer night in Pistoia. We tried in vain to find an open swimming pool before deciding to head further down into Tuscany near to our New Years booking and ended up in Volterra. There is much to be said about doing hours of research and planning and timing and booking when on holidays, but so far on this trip our favourite places have been ones we stumbled upon on the map or chose as it was ‘on the way’ to somewhere else.

Volterra was one of these. A magical hilltop tuscan village bustling with domestic tourists but not a foreigner in sight (aside from us of course). The camp4night was packed with 30-40 Italian motorhomes and we wedged our little van between two apartment sized rigs before headed into town. It was a properly cold day, stunningly blue skies and visibility for miles but overnight temperatures at -6. After a day spent exploring the roman ruins, walking the entire towns perimeter and having a hearty lunch in one of the coolest places we have been for food or drink so far on this trip, La Vena Di Vini, we took ourselves back to the van to brace for the freezing night ahead.

The heater and blanket did their jobs and we woke toasty warm and ready to head to toward San Gimignano for dinner. Just before leaving I double checked our booking (as I do with everything) and couldn’t find it. After a bit of email searching I actually hadn’t booked the restaurant in San Gimignano at all, but instead one back up towards Chianti in Passignano. After all the emails and attempted reservations I had gotten them mixed up so instead of a 20 minute drive it was a slightly longer and more treacherous drive back the way we came to get to the tiny historic village. Pat was unfazed, I was annoyed at my mistake. This quickly dissolved upon arriving In the stunning, warm and quiet village. 2 churches, 3 restaurants and a couple of bed and breakfast hotels was all there was in this 60m stretch of street. Of course the church was a casual 1000 years old and the restaurants Michelin starred but a tiny speck of a village none the less. Endless vineyards surrounded us so we spend the afternoon walking as far as we could in whatever direction to get a feel for the land.

New Years eve was spent at Osteria Di Passignano, the food was spectacular and wine a level above that. Being New Years eve we were treated to so many extra and free food and drinks that we almost couldn’t finish our meals from being so gluttonous.

The first day of 2020 started a little slow but eventually did start. We headed to a slightly larger village 20 minutes away called Panzano and parked on the hillside surrounded by olive tree’s and vineyards with sweeping views of Tuscany in every direction. After having a little rest in the sunshine, we got ourselves up to go for a walk and take photos. We booked dinner at ‘Chef’s Table’ Dario Cecchini’s Officina Della Bistecca on the recommendation of friends back home and it did not disappoint.

By the 2nd, it was time to leave Tuscany (primarily because we had spent way too much money on food) and start heading south. Again we looked at a map and decided on a place based on proximity to the highway and possibly park4night locations. Orvieto came into sight so off went to get our first taste of Umbria. It was so great that Pat wrote about it here and here.

After a day and night well spent, we were feeling motivated and thought we would try and get some afternoon driving under our belts to lessen the drive to Napoli the next day. As it approached 3pm we were only an our from Ercolano (Napoli) where we intended to camp for a couple days so we pushed on hoping that they had space for us. Agricamping Stone Vesuvio is run by perhaps the most hospitable humans on the planet. Th husband wife team go our of their way to help us with anything no matter hot big nor small and if wee return to Napoli we will be staying here just to drink their home made wine and feel at home!

This camp site is walking distance to Herculaneum ruins from the first century Vesuvius volcanic eruption that also took Pompeii. Saturday was spent exploring the ruins before heading into Napoli to have a look around. Napoli or Naples just isn’t for us. I can honestly say that for all of the wonder and strange beauty that is Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, Napoli just wasn’t our cup of tea. Read more about why here.

Sunday was spent at Pompeii with crystal clear blue skies accompanied by a cold gusty wind. Pat studied it at school and was beside himself on our arrival to find that the first Sunday of the month it’s free to enter. So in we went, no lines, no charge, barely any people, exploring a 2000 yr old city frozen in time. I wasn’t sure what to expect when coming to Pompeii but I don’t think anything can really prepare you for how extensive and in tact the city it. From the amphitheatre to the heart wrenching casts of the residents bodies as they died, the whole site was captivating. After a casual 10 km of walking around, we returned to Ercolano to walk down to the sea for a beautiful view of Napoli and Capri before headed back up to camp exhausted but totally content.

Note: After a very disappointing day in Napoli, we started looking at our Sicily options and where to stop whilst heading south. We discovered that it is actually cheaper to take the overnight ferry to Sicily from Naples and so booked for Monday night! More on that adventure in week 14!