Slowing Down the Pace

6fartsinacart
Dec 30, 2016
3 min read

Wednesday, 21 December 2016: We are blessed to wake up with the sun appearing on the horizon over the Mediterranean in the most spectacular colours. We stay on the road along the coast, stop for lunch and carry on through Savona. We hit Genova at the start of rush hour. By divine intervention we make it through the hair-raising traffic of scooters, taxi's and other peak-hour activity that test our patience for 2 and a half hours as we plod on through Genova in search of a suitable sleep-over point. After a long day on the road, many miles and lots of prayer, we spot a camper-stop sign in the dark in the middle of 'no-where' in the vicinity of Ruta near Camogli around 7pm. Another sign of the Lord's provision.

Thursday, 22 December 2016: After yesterday's grueling journey through Genova we decide to have a day of rest, covering about 30km. The past 5 days we have been wanting to refill the gas bottle, but no auto-gas/GPL available or signposted at petrol stations. Dad stops at a small petrol station in Sestri Levante where a very helpful Italian gentleman directs us across town to find this much needed gas refill station. We then return to the main part of town, the promenade bordering the Mediterranean. We stop for photo's and discover much needed WiFi to update the blog. After having lunch we move on. We fill up our drinking water tank with sweet pure mountain water from a natural water point driving across the mountains to La Spezia. We end the day 9km south of La Spezia to sleep over at Portovenere. Chane's famous lasagna is on the menu.

Friday, 23 December 2016: We leave early as our aim is to spend some time walking around in Pisa of which the most famous attraction would be the leaning tower of Pisa. We park Merzy next to the river (Arno) just after midday. Then we take the 15 minute walk to the Piazza dei Miracoli. The Torre Pendente (leaning tower) is really impressive. The Cattedrale di S. Maria and Battistero di S. Giovanni also situated on the Piazza are lovely examples of extraordinary architecture with loads of detail which are very well maintained. After an hour and a half of sight-seeing, we head back to Merzy. An hours drive out of Pisa, we stop at the Parco Preistorico just before Peccioli. We decide to sleep just outside in front of the gate as the park is closed.

Saturday, 24 December 2016: A short journey today from Peccioli to San Quirico d'Orcia. Along the way we stop to stock up on our depleted food supply as the chances of the shops being open for the next 2 days are slim. We are blessed by having a strong WiFi signal in the parking area and we make use of the opportunity to wish granny and grandpa on their golden anniversary. We continue and stop 4km past San Q d'Orcia at the Parco del Mullni. Bagno Vignoni, a 5 minute walk from our stop, contains the origins of the natural hot springs which was transformed into a Roman bath (known as the 'square water' of Bagno Vignoni). A beautiful place.

Sunday, 25 December 2016: We start off the day with a lay-in. We celebrate the Lord's birthday by having communion and reflecting on what He has done for us. We explore the little village of Bagno Vignoni with the Roman bath in the center of it. Lunch is prepared and served. As we're in Italy we have a true Italian pasta dish. Tagliatelle with beef stroganoff in a creamy cheese sauce. Chocolate flan for dessert finishes it off perfectly. Lunch done and dusted, we mosey on to Castel del Piano where we settle for the night.

Monday, 26 December 2016: Our highlight for the day is our lunch-stop at Lago di Bolsena. We are blessed with sun, beautiful scenic views across the lake and tranquility. To be quite honest the beautiful sunshine and short drives of the last few days are starting to grow on us. The road beckons and we are off to our stop for the night at Villa San Giovanni in Tuscia.

Tuesday, 27 December 2016: In anticipation for Rome and all the activity and planning, we decide to have one more peaceful day before we hit Rome. Along the road we find an abandoned camper-stop where we are fortunate enough to fill up, clean ourselves and dump, and even old Merzy has a bit of a wash. Rather than waiting for Merzy to dry, we drive to our next stop at Anguillara Sabazia on the banks of Lago di Bracciano. With Merzy dry and having a rest, we go and explore the town.