Like a couple of twins on birthday eve, we are constantly in a state of high expectation. Italy and its people, a land full of surprises around every hairpin bend. On a rare day, however, we just want it to end. Or even end it all.
A tiring eight and a half hours on the road ends at Camping Village Baia Domizia. The most expensive site we’ve ever encountered. We hand over a surprised €51 for the night. A little more than the €22 we’re used to. No other option. 50K further south we’d booked in, then booked out, of today’s first choice – Pineta Varco d’Oro. The so called on-pitch private washroom stank and was dirty. A delaminated plywood portacabin that needed burning. A quick Google reveals a couple more sites are less than a 20K drive. On arrival one is shut up. Looks as if it’s been closed for years. Despite its website showing it as being open. A no phone reply from the next, left us with Baia Domizia. Despite its private golden beach. Its wonderfully kept grounds. Our massive secluded pitch. We cut in half our two-nighter. No hot water. Showers, Basins. Wash-up. Block B, straight out of Colditz, not deserving of its inflated price.
Friday. An early start. We move onwards and upwards. Like a couple of itsy-bitsy spiders. Spinning our silky web ahead of us. Hoping to capture another juicy tit-bit. Sometimes though, we feel as if it’s us being ensnared.
Caserta, with its Royal Palace, entices. Draws us in unwittingly into its sticky labyrinth of ancient streets. All constructed when MOHOs were still being pulled along by a couple of mules. The ridiculous notion of using MAPS to get us close backfires. It’s not often I don’t power up the onboard camera to ‘catch the moment’, but with just millimetres to spare either side, Beastie’s resilience is being tested to the limit. Along with my nerves. Plus, I consider that this is not the right moment to be making a blue movie! We think we’re passed the worse, when a couple of oncoming drivers start wagging fingers and shaking heads. Seems we’re pointing the wrong way on a one-way street! Oops Apocalypse!!
Our long day ends not quite lakeside, back in the Abruzzo National Park at Castel San Vincenzo. They’ve had a downpour. We are pushed onto our muddy pitch.
