Saturday June 22, Tarquinia

View of town from our campsite tonight.

Plans for yesterday were put on hold while I suffered with a tummy bug, spent most of the day on the bed, but kicked it into touch and back on the road today. It couldn’t have been a better place to lie low for a day, such a great camp and it wasn’t too hot. Roberto even picked us up a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery in town…and probably one of the best we have had in Italy.

Have heard from many people about the heat wave that is due to hit Europe next week, including Maria from the camp. Spoke with Conny and Hitten in Dusseldorf and it is getting close to 40 degrees for them next week. So decision made to head straight for the French Alps and hopefully some cooler weather. There are so many places in Northern Italy that we haven’t seen and would like to, but in this heat, it really is not that enjoyable. We have had a good look around Southern Italy and Sicily and it wouldn’t be far to return to Northern Italy on another trip.

We had a great drive this morning continuing on the road through the Abruzzo region, climbing high up into the hills with very cloudy conditions and even some rain. The roads were great and there was very little traffic. Lots of signs about driving slowly so as not to hit the bears, although we didn’t see any!!! After about an hour we descended into a big valley before joining the toll road North.  Noticed a large number of huge satellite dishes grouped together as we descended and on googling, found out that it was the Fucino Space Centre, the largest civil space centre in the world. Amazing to see something like this in the middle of nowhere.

Our first destination today was the campground we stayed at when we were in Rome, to collect a parcel, the switch for Ian’s drivers window that took four weeks to arrive! Eventually got there but not before the navigator made a few blues on the rather complicated Rome motorway system! The driver behaved and never said a word, just continued on as we dealt with Jilly’s recalculations.  With parcel collected we were off again onto the Rome Ring Road…and another wee hiccup, but finally we were able to stop for a rather late lunch at a motorway rest area.

Continued on up the coast to a camping area we had found on Park4Night in amongst olive trees in an Agritourism location. We got a very warm welcome from the owners and are the only ones here tonight. There has been a really good breeze that made the temperatures quite comfortable. Ian fitted the new switch onto his window and it works, so finally after two years he is able to put his drivers window up and down, a real bonus especially when having to pay at the toll booths on the motorways…he has had to be opening his door, making it all very awkward.

Village in the mountains.

Always love seeing these hilltop villages.

Strung the clothes line between the olive trees
and the washing was dry in no time.

Birds eye view!

Wondering what all these little
shells are from, on a post in the camp.
Anyway know?

Someone's keeping an eye on us!

 

I have a little vase in the van for wildflowers I find,
which at the moment contains statice I found growing
wild on a beach.