Lake Como and Beyond

Following an early breakfast, we hit the road for the journey to our site on Lake Como. Joining the A35 near Mulhouse, we travelled south to turn onto the A2 at Basel. Though we had bought the Swiss vignette prior to leaving UK, it is worth mentioning that we have avoided toll roads all the way to Italy. The A2 proved a most attractive route as it bypassed Luzern and headed up the side of the lake. We had been looking forward to travelling through the St Gotthard tunnel, again free, and we were not disappointed. Seventeen km long, it seemed endless - certainly putting the Dartford tunnel to shame! From Lugano, we headed cross country to the D340 which hugs the Lake Como coastline. All the literature had suggested we avoid this route and travel the long way round to travel up the east coast of the lake. Once we joined the road, we could understand why and it would certainly not be recommended for caravans. The road twists and turns with some extremely narrow sections but scenically it was an absolute delight. Finally, we drove through Dongo to reach our site in Sorico. "La Riva" is set on the side of the lake overlooking snow clad mountains beyond.

Magnificent View

The site was quiet out of season, and the owners provided a warm welcome. There was the bonus of a lakeside pitch and a cycle track adjacent which  led to the village. It provided the first opportunity to off load the bicycles and for a couple of days gently relax.

Pathway in Front of the Site

In many ways reluctant to move on, we nevertheless had a lot of touring in front of us and Verona beckoned. This time we travelled down the east side of the lake. Not the most attractive of routes since much was in tunnels, it was, nevertheless, far quicker and easier driving. We soon found ourselves south of Bergamo on the A4 heading past Brescia to Verona.

Travelling through the centre of Verona was challenging but our site proved worth the effort.Camping Castel San Pietro is a superb site encircled by ancient city walls positioned high above the city. Essentially a camp site, there are spaces for five or so motorhomes and though it is tight the views across the city from a large patio area are quite spectacular.

Looking Across Verona from the Terrace

After a steep walk down the hill you arrive at the river and walk  across the bridge into the city

Having not visited Verona before, it certainly lived up to the glowing descriptions in the guide books. Again we had allowed a few days to see the sights and we thoroughly enjoyed strolling around the city and soaking up the atmosphere under clear blue skys. 

With time passing too swiftly, we soon found ourselves back on the road to Venice. This is a city we have visited several times. It has an ambience all of its own and we never tire of returning.
Camping Miramare is at Punta Sabioni from where you can catch the ferry across to Venice and to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello within a five minute walk from the site. For the first time since entering Italy we were able to take advantage of a wireless connection at the site and catch up on the emails.

We had allowed five nights here and knew that this would not prove long enough. The day after arrival we soon we found ouselves approaching St Mark's Square and anjoying the view down The Grand canal

No matter how many times you visit, there always seems to be new areas to explore. For the first time we found the Ghetto area of the city providing a very different experience to the crowded atmosphere of St Mark's.  Travelling back up the canal in one of the ubiquitous vaporetto, we once more enjoyed the view of The Rialto Bridge

The following day we travelled out to the islands of Murano and Burano. Both favourites of ours, we love the brightness of the colours and the slightly less frenetic atmosphere.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria and San Donato in Murano is a must for any visitor. Dating back to the 7th Century, inside of the church, the most important church on the island, is a beautiful
floor made by mosaics (1140) and some splendid paintings.

It has an atmosphere all of its own and is always worth a few quiet moments. In the square is a small cafe where we delight in some local cuisine.

The days at Camping Miramare sped by and, with a promise to return in the not too distant future, we hit the road again towards Bologna and Tuscany.