Campervan in Italy: 7 itineraries for an outdoor adventure

Visiting a large exhibition like the one that Parma dedicates to camper owners means having the opportunity to discover new things. Certainly new products ‒ campervan and motorhomes, but also the more classic caravans ‒ but also discovering new places and itineraries that we often don't take into consideration as they deserve, because they are far from a logistical point of view. And this is where the camper comes into play and the advantages that a camper holiday in Italy offers, because with the wheels under your feet you can go anywhere without limits (except those of diesel…).

So here is a list of possible "right" itineraries for a holiday in a camper along the peninsula, starting right from Parma and according to the suggestions of the organizers of the 14th edition of the review at the Parma Fair. First a detour to the north, to discover Friuli Venezia Giulia, and then down along the Adriatic coast to the Gargano and then to Sicily, along the "via dei Fenici" and to discover ancient Mozia.

Let's start right from Parma, where the exhibition dedicated to campers, caravans and motorhomes takes place, now in its 14th edition. An itinerary in the region is also a journey through the flavors and excellence of Italian taste, just think of the ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano, up to the recognition of Fico in Bologna as the first theme park of Italian food. In the area you can discover the goodness of felino, the typical salami of the city of Felino, mentioned since the times of Seneca and depicted in a medieval fresco in the Baptistery of Parma, as well as the raw ham of Langhirano, which you will find in the many pasta fillings of the Emilian tradition.

The good wine don't miss to accompany cold cuts and sausages of the area, such as the lively Lambrusco or the more rested Malvasia dei Colli Piacentini. There are many camper areas in the city of Parma, from the equipped one at Largo 24 Agosto 1942 at the Palasport car park in via Silvio Pellico, passing through the equipped Camper Service area on the A1 (direction Milan) and on viale delle Esposizioni in the exhibition centre. In Reggio Emilia the camper area stands out in the parking lot of the former Foro Boario and at the Agriturismo La Razza, while in Langhirano there is the La Fazenda di Giovanni area and the parking lot in via Roma where the Ham Festival takes place every year.

From one ham to another, we go northwards from Emilia, because Friuli Venezia Giulia is proud of its San Daniele ham and because the camper itineraries in the region are particularly attractive. More devoted to sport and therefore to the true spirit of outdoor holidays, so much so that the organizers of the Parma Show wanted to name the itinerary in the region Sportland. The route from north to south ‒ between cliffs, lakes, woods, naturalistic oases and historic vineyards ‒ could start from Ampezzo, above Udine, and crossing 15 municipalities that line the Tagliamento river we reach Nimis.

Peaceful places such as Villa Santina, Arta Terme, Tolmezzo, Verzegnis, Venzone, Bordano, Trasaghis, Gemona, Osoppo, Montenars, Forgaria nel Friuli, Artegna, Tarcento, Buja. In each of these countries you can have your sessions of trekking, mountain biking, yoga, by removing the key from the camper for a few days and enjoying the fresh mountain air and the ozone-rich waterfalls. There are many camper areas, let's mention just a few: Sosta Camper Ampezzo in via Laucjit 6; Arta Terme in via Nazionale 1; two areas in Venzone; Camping Lago dei tre comune in Trasaghis in via Tolmezzo 52; the Willy hotel area in Gemona.

We descend along the Adriatic to make a stop in the Marche. Here you are spoiled for choice, with 140 kilometers of beaches from Fano to San Benedetto del Tronto it is possible to discover a new one every day, from the classic sandy ones of the Upper Adriatic to those of stones and rocks of the Conero, to return to the long sandy beaches of Porto SantʼElpidio, Grottammare and San Benedetto. But the itinerary also turns inland, the Marches offer a bouquet of unmissable medieval villages and fortresses, from Urbino to Recanati to Castelfidardo.

The Marches also stimulate motorhome owners due to the surprising nature of the interior, suffice it to mention the Frasassi Caves and the fiery gullies of the Lame Rosse, near Lake Fiastra (we are in the province of Macerata). Equipped camper areas are everywhere, in Pesaro by the sea as in Urbino and the Barco area in Urbania is recommended, in the center of the region there are some in Camerino and at Lake Fiastra and in the south, the Offida and Centobuchi rest area in San Benedetto del Tronto.

There is no region in Italy where the contrast between mountain and sea is felt so strongly. The camper is the perfect means to visit the region, to face the excursion ‒ altimetric and climatic ‒ between the Gran Sasso d'Italia (and the freezing Campo Imperatore) and the sea of Silvi Marina and Montesilvano, up to Vasto. It is the "Costa dei Trabocchi", the old fishing structures that go down to Molise and the Gargano. But what are “trabocchi”? It seems to have come down to us from the Phoenicians, these are light wooden structures that serve as a shack and warehouse for tools, with poles well driven into the sandy bottom and which allow you to fish further out.

Inward Abruzzo is a wonder of unspoiled landscapes and nature, protected by many national and regional parks and offering an incredible variety of fauna for such a small region. Here are 25 of the 325 most beautiful historical villages in Italy, visiting them all is a difficult undertaking but with a camper it is however feasible and so we mention them all: Anversa degli Abruzzi, Bugnara, Castel del Monte, Navelli, Opi, Pacentro, Pescocostanzo, Pettorano sul Gizio, S. Stefano di Sessanio, Scanno, Tagliacozzo, Villalago, Casoli, Crecchio, Guardiagrele, Rocca S. Giovanni, Pretoro, Abbateggio, Caramanico Terme, Città S. Angelo, Penne, Campli, Castelli, Civitella del Tronto, Pietracamela.

Here such areas for your camper, in L'Aquila there are those in via Spinella, via 24 Maggio, via Cencioni and via dei Medici; in Pescara the Station Parking and in Chieti the Piano Vincolato area, while in Teramo the parking areas in the Villa Mosca area and in via Ambrosi.

We find a similar scenario going further south, in Molise. Here, splendid natural scenarios intertwine with the sources of the Volturno and the Matese massif, and villages rich in history and culture, crossed by those "sheep tracks" (tratturi) which for centuries have dictated the mobility of the region and which can now be found on molise.beniculturali.it. There are places like Castelpetroso, where the majestic sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows stands out, one of the largest in Italy, and Sepino with its elegant Roman theatre.

Among the equipped camper areas in Molise, we point out the Agriturismo Tenuta Due A in Castelpetroso and the parking lot in via Santuario; in Rocchetta a Volturno the Agritourism Taverna Verdicchio on via Nazionale 17; in Sepino the two car parks of the archaeological area of Saepinum (Altilia).

With its 400 kilometers in length from north to south, and many more considering the two seas that surround it, Puglia undoubtedly deserves many separate holidays. But from Molise, coming down by camper, you cannot miss the sunset over the largest salt pans in Europe: those of Margherita di Savoia. Here you can see the pink flamingos in the background and the play of light that the reflections of the sunset give to the white mountains of salt. Dating back to the 4th century BC, the Saline still produce fine salt today, extend for 20 kilometers and have been a nature reserve since 1977.
 
In Margherita di Savoia the camper can park in the Ola Kala area in Trinitapoli. The Laguna del Re Oasis is also of great charm, another natural area that lends itself to nature photography enthusiasts. Sea lovers, on the other hand, have the splendid Baia delle Zagare and the exclusive marine enclave of Pugnochiuso nearby. The camper can be conveniently parked at the Mattinata Camping in Funni, in Mattinata.

If Friuli Venezia Giulia is "Sportland" for the organizers of the Camper Fair in Parma, Sicily to tour by camper is the "Phoenician Road". Soon said, the tour starts from Marsala and the island of San Pantaleo, which is then the ancient Mozia, that is to say the first Phoenician colony in Sicily. The journey along the Via dei Fenici then continues towards Palermo and Solunto on Mount Catalfano, along a route where there will be no shortage of gastronomic distractions.

The camper areas in Marsala city are: Villa Genna on the Lungomare Contrada Spagnola, Park Camper Stagnone in Stagnone, where there is also Mammacolette Park Camper, and still the Camping Lilybeo Village in Contrada Bambina and the Beach Sibiliana in Contrada Fossarunza, and many others equipped such as throughout the region up to the Sicilian capital.