First Time South of Rome

Just returned from our first trip south of Rome and on to Sicily, the following may have some interest in anyone thinking about their own trip that way. 

Friends who we were with fell prey to the gangs of pickpockets working the crowded buses. The queue at the Police Station to report similar crimes showed just how prevalent this was, particularly the buses from the Vatican back to the bus station. Little sympathy from the police who are obviously immune to the distress it causes and says that they are powerless to stop it blaming tourists for being easy targets!!

We were being crushed at the other door to the bus and I did feel a push against my pocket, but my wallet and phone were in the fiddly zip pockets behind the outer ones, a last minute change of attire that morning may well have saved us a similar fate.

The lesson we learnt was, never carry all your cards out with you while away and have copies of driving licences etc back in the van. Luckily we were able to lend them money until back up came from their family at home.

Italian driving gets progressively worse like the roads the further south you go. Red lights mean proceed with some caution or not if there is a gap, bends and double or solid white lines mean at least put the mobile down while you overtake. Still, apart from a few sharp intakes of breath from the passenger seat we survived intact, the passenger mirror was taken right forward at one point by a motorbike who went straight passed at a red light where we stopped. No damage just no rear vision on that side until I could find somewhere to stop and push it back. 

The biggest shock was the rubbish, at times miles of it even the motorways if they had a place to pull over. Spain and Portugal are immaculate compared to this, such a change to the North of Italy. The one thing in their favour is that they do seem to pick up after their dogs. 

The historic sites are exceptional and worth seeing, even with the crowds and the pickpocket gangs in Rome who apparently also operate in Naples. Having travelled through most of Europe we were aware it goes on everywhere including our high streets at home but other than St Petersburg it had never been brought as close to us as it was on this trip. 

The ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina on Sicily is a roll on roll off running continuously, we had to wait about twenty minutes to board. The internet companies are offering tickets at around 60 plus Euro and asking lengths etc. We bought the ticket on arrival for a camper 46 euro no interest in length and with the bike rack we are pushing 8.5m. 

The guidebooks suggest the coast road to Taormina is good, it is for a car. The near continuous strip of villages are very narrow and although not impassable the disturbance two 8m motorhomes caused to the impatient locals was again not conducive to keeping the co-pilot happy. 

The following day we left the campsite and continued via the motorway. My favourite piece of Italian driving occurred at the toll booth at Catania, where there are about a dozen lanes. It was busy and we were about tenth in the queue, the car at the front was obviously having an issue with the card machine. An Italian six cars in front decides to execute a U-turn and drives against the flow of traffic going through the tellepass channels. This is not slow traffic as it appears to be national sport to see how many cars you can get through in one go once the barrier goes up. Much hooting, fist waving and tyre squealing later he makes it back around to another queue, just in time for ours to start moving. 

After all our excitement we headed for sanctuary, Camping Luminoso at Punta Braccetto on the southwestern tip, where Stanley looked after us for a week. Lovely sandy beach your own toilet and wash-room and reasonable cycling along the coast either way. 

Then Camping Lilybeo Village at Marsala which not only had a nice little pool that was open all day but the most glorious perfume of evening primrose and we cycled into the town. 

Interestingly although there is little consideration to motor vehicles drivers are generally courteous to cyclists and most of the time pass well clear, even if it is at high speed and the bow wave sends you into a wobble. 

The gem of Sicily for us came at the end, The Zingaro National Park, a managed area that costs 5 euro a day each to enter but very worthwhile. The sea is crystal clear, everywhere is clean and I have not spent so long in the sea for years swimming amongst the fish. 

We spent a week at Camping La Pineta at San Vito Lo Capo which also had a lovely swimming pool and sun terrace, this is now at the back end of October, it may well be different in busier times. 

Our passage back had been booked earlier in the year from Palermo to Genoa at 235 euro including a double bedded suite. The cabin was huge, kingsize bed, two double wardrobes, window looking out over the bow and a bathroom, yes including bath and bidet. 

When booking ensure you get to the GNV website and not one of the prolific agents who want an additional 40 euro for the same ticket. 

Arrival at Palermo was interesting, not quite like a Brittany ferry port, the GNV ticket office is on a street that runs parallel to the entrances to the individual quays. It only opens at specific times there is little if any official parking and once checked in there is no direction as to where you go, it requires a little detective work. 

We had a text to say the sailing had been brought forward two hours, the check-in closes two hours before sailing, our friends never did get the text! 

Having discovered which Quay we were supposed to be waiting on, we proceeded to drive through an opening, much to the annoyance of this little man with his scooter. He was apparently the ticket and passport checker. Having overcome this hurdle we joined those already waiting just as the ferry arrived. Now there are people wandering everywhere, a stray dog, coaches dropping off and picking up, with lorries and the loading tractor units whipping between them. 

Once on board, we disappeared down this trap door in the lorry deck with trepidation, ground clearance isn’t our strongest point even with jockey wheels under the back end. It was fine but the extra wheels did come into play, we also quickly realise the only way out of this hole is back out the same way. The clue was the bulkhead we were now facing. 

The cabin as said was great the food in the self-service restaurant wasn’t, cold and of poor quality. The next day we discovered the sit-down a-la-carte that did exceptional pizza served at the table with beer or wine for the same price as the previous evening's swill. The clue I suppose was that the large self-service restaurant was just about empty, we now know why. 

On arrival at Genoa, it was mid-evening and dark, we were now heading home and had a few days to the ferry at Ouistreham, we had earmarked an aire just south of Milan and in a village just off the motorway. It as just outside a school in a residential area, not really an aire in French terms but a safe place to park for the night, we moved off at daybreak rather than risk getting tied up in the school traffic. 

As we are over 3500kg the route through Switzerland is quite cost-effective. Como to Basel including the St Gotthard Tunnel is only £27 on a self-certified hgv ticket that can be used for up to ten individual days in a 12 month period from the date of purchase. Compare this to the cost of Austria’s Go-Box or the tunnels into France. 

The route touching Germany (nice camping platz) and then across to Reims via the Maurice Tunnel and arching north of Paris to Rouen is near toll-free but mostly still good N roads much of which is dual carriageway, Basel to Ouistreham about 14 euro including 9.40 for the Maurice Tunnel. 

Glad we made the effort to visit Sicily, the weather was great, probably if we were to go again I would try the East coast of Italy on our way down or take the cheap option, the ferry both ways. 

The biggest shock was the rubbish so unlike Italy north of Rome and according to Stanley, there are rubbish collections (we did see the carts at work) and free municipal tips, so no excuse. It’s just easier to drive around the corner and throw it out, or walk off the beach and leave it behind!!