Benvenuti in Italia

Benvenuti in Italia

Ten days to discover Italy. In winter. Where to go? What to do? What to leave out? That’s what we asked ourselves. But as usual, time just flew and in the end the days were over quicker than expected.

Felix and Tim came to pick me up at my parent’s place. On 29th of December we made our way further South. We crossed the Alps…

… and visited Federico and his family. Federico is friends with Felix’ dad and welcomed us at his place. That was perfect since it was pretty cold outside, and we just started to get used to the cold in the van again. We arrived late in the evening and had a delicious pizza-dinner altogether. So, we started our time in Italy in a stereotypical Italian way – and we have to admit, we like that way!

The next day started as well as the day before ended. With a great breakfast. And, even more important than food, a super interesting interview with Federico about his views on the European Union. It is always interesting to get some insights in someone’s opinion, especially from someone who lives in another country. Looking into other countries politics always makes one feel smart but getting to know feelings and thoughts from people who live with those politics day-in and day-out enrichens even more.

Our next stop was Tuscany:

Decent night spot.
Marble mining.
Oswald during sunset.

Here, we had the first camping night since a while. And it felt good, to really be on the road again.

About how we spent our New Year’s Eve, you can read more here. Happy New Year!

All the sudden, we had only one short week left in Italy. Our ferry from Brindisi to Greece was already booked for the 8th of January. And the way from Rome to the very South-Est of Italy is long – even longer, when you avoid paid streets! Well, we know that now. Still, it was exciting days where we saw and experienced a lot and took some time to talk about and work on our documentary project.

We went for an evening walk on the beach:

Beach by Sperlonga.
Drinking tea out of our Driving-Europe-mugs.
View over Sperlonga.

We planned our further trip (February to May), we got more into detail about how we want to continue working on the documentary (and made big progress there) and we already invented an exact plan for a first trailer version (stay tuned!) Besides all the planning, there was a lot of other kind of fun as well: We played soccer, went for jogs, took a swim in the Mediterranean Sea (yes, it was very cold!), drove through Pompeii (traffic in Italian cities is horrible – even worse with a huge car like Oswald), took drone shots, pictures and enjoyed awesome views here and there:

What we learned for ourselves about (or in) Italy:

  • It can get pretty cold here in winter, too. Even in the very south. We got surprised by snow one night, at Amalfi coast (which was stunning, by the way).
  • The middle of Italy definitely seems worth another trip – when it’s warmer! The nature with all its mountains looks beautiful. And there are many national parks which are probably great to see and experience.
  • There’s also a lot of plastic trash in the Mediterranean Sea which is a shame. That has a big impact on the wildlife and the nature’s beauty, we experienced. That’s to all of us: Let’s try to use less plastic in your everyday life. Let’s help the nature to recover.
  • Italy definitely is a long country – it takes a long time to travel all the way through.
  • The streets, at least the ones you don’t have to pay for, are really bad. And it is a great adventure to travel in Italy by car. At least with a big van like ours.

That is the long way, we drove in our days in Italy:

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3 Responses

  1. Rebecca says:

    Ich bin wirklich gespannt, wohin ihr in Griechenland reist. Ich fahre dort im August mit der Uni hin und freue mich auf eine kleine Vorschau 🙂

    • drivingeurope says:

      Hallo Rebecca,
      besser spät als nie – der Griechenlandartikel ist jetzt da, vielleicht gibt er dir ja schonmal einen kleinen Vorgeschmack auf das Land. Kannst dich auf jeden Fall auf die Zeit dort freuen!
      Viel Spaß dir

  2. […] about the arrival. As I mentioned here, we took a ferry from Italy to Igoumenitsa in Greece. The ferry ride was already an adventure […]

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