8. Onwards through Italy - avoiding the floods!

Although the weather had started to settle a bit now, the aftermath of Storm Boris was still very apparent, with extensive flooding causing significant problems in the Emilia Romagna and Marche regions - both places where we’d hoped to visit. Although not torrential in nature, the rains were now starting to move westwards, so again it was tricky identifying where to head to next. In the end we plumped for a small place in eastern Tuscany, just north of Arrezo - which looked fairly dry 🤞

Agricamping Borgo Agna was our next base. Came across this quite by chance when a different place we’d tried to stay at was full, and the owner Stefano pointed us in this direction. A different Stefano was our new host here 😃 Although the town itself was fairly nondescript, just an agricultural / residential sort of place, the agricamping that Stefano had created was beautiful. Set within a large expanse of olive groves, we were able to park and set up camp where we wanted to. Keeping the numbers low meant lots of space and total tranquility. The facilities were all good (best showers so far!), and a lovely vegetable garden which was freely available for us to take from 😃 Spent a couple of days exploring and relaxing, and Rubes actually joined us for a walk on one occasion 🤣 Dave also managed to find good MTB trails, so he was happy. 

Typical Tuscan landscape 

Picking the prickly pears 😂

Storm clouds were gathering on our walk 😢

Always happy to find a muddy puddle 😂

The ongoing challenge we’d been having with loads of mosquitoes on this trip was still with us - and apparently causing havoc for the farmers - likely due to the climatic conditions, excessive rain together with excessive heat. Chatting with Stefano he showed us how they have destroyed the olive harvest this year by nibbling away at the fruits. So that’s a second year of failed olive harvests for many growers - and even higher olive oil prices to come 😢

Mosquito attacked olives

Couldn’t turn down the offer either of free access to the (organic) vegetable garden, so spent a lovely time picking tomatoes, chilli’s, spinach and aubergines and cooking delicious food. There was very little light pollution, so evening and nighttime felt really special, sitting outside until late, listening to the crickets and looking at the stars.😃

Harvesting tomatoes for our dinner 

Aubergines for dinner 

Tasty homemade curry with our organic harvested vegetables 😊

Very happy 😃 

Beautiful evenings

Vine covered central seating area at the camp

Enjoying the evenings 😊

We’d heard about Fattoria La Vialla, an eco sustainable, biodynamic family run farm, producing wine, olive oil, pasta, sauces, cheese, and lots of other goodies. Our luck was in as it was located about 10km from where we were staying., so couldn’t leave this area without visiting 😂 Booking in at the last minute we were lucky to get a reservation for lunch. Turns out it’s a really popular tourist destination, but somehow it manages to retain its authenticity. The farm is stereotypically Tuscan, and beautiful. It was quite a warm day when we arrived, and the sun was shining. Beautiful individual tables were set up around the grounds for lunch guests, blue and white checked tablecloths, and all strategically placed under vines for shade. It really was the most idyllic setting.

Lunch was considered “light”, and consisted of a platter of meats, aged cheeses, dips, salad and bread, followed by the most delicious bowl of Tuscan bean and pasta soup - more like a stew really, and with a lovely hint of chilli too! All this for €13 each. Of course all washed down with a fantastic bottle of their own produced wine - €7 😃 It really was a lovely experience, absolutely amazing food in the most idyllic setting, and even better they had developed a space where campervans could stay the night, for free. Of course this enables more wine to be drunk 🤣

La Vialla lunch

Waiting for lunch 😊

“Light” lunch at La Vialla

Tasty bean and pasta soup

Enjoying La Vialla

Rounding it all off with coffee and biscotti - perfect 🤩 

We were really fortunate with the weather, and sitting outside for lunch in such an idyllic setting felt really special. Decided to give the farm tour a miss later in the afternoon because the heavens opened 🤣 But later when the sun remerged we went on a lovely walk around the estate. Of course we couldn’t leave without buying some of their amazing wine, pasta, olive oil and sauces 😃 In fact we watched a German couple load up their trailer with loads of produce - think they’d been before 🤣

La Vialla shop

La Vialla wine store

La Vialla pasta sauces for sale

Can’t go home without buying more olive oil and balsamic vinegar 😊

La Vialla wine store

La Vialla - happy with our purchases 😂

Classic old Fiat 

Walking around La Vialla estate 

A Tuscan view

Another Tuscan view 😂

With only a relatively short time left now of our amazing trip, and trying to maximise the good weather options, we needed to decide whether to head north via Turin and home, or west via the south of France. Weather was looking better for the latter, so this gave us the opportunity to visit Finaleborgo in Liguria, on the Italian Riviera - a firm favourite of ours 🤣 From there we’d probably head into France and homeward bound. But getting to Finaleborgo meant passing through Genoa. We remembered the last time we tried to drive that route, following the collapse of the Genoa motorway bridge - an absolute nightmare to navigate- so we’re very pleased to find ourselves sailing smoothly across the newly constructed bridge (Dave wanted a picture) 🤣

New Genoa bridge 

Main gate entrance into Finaleborgo

Finaleborgo is an absolutely stunning place - an small ancient borgo, with intact city walls and gates, fabulous restaurants, shops and bars, and perhaps the main draw, fantastic mountain biking 🚵 It’s a real Mecca for MTB, with trails all over the hills behind - it’s a stunningly beautiful place. It’s a few years since we’ve been - had hoped to visit last year but sadly too much rain. Our luck was in now though, and they managed to squeeze us in at the Freerider campsite for a couple of nights. Dave booked onto a day MTB tour with Freerider, and had a fabulous day out - was knackered when he got back 😃 Apparently he was an inspiration to the 30 year old Belgian guys in his group - they hoping they’re still riding their bikes at Dave’s age 🤣

Dave’s thirty something biking chums 😊

A great way to store the bikes 🤣

I took myself off on  a walk along the hillside, passing beautiful villas, churches, and the castle, arriving in the Borgo for a delicious lunch 🤣 A creature of habit, I ended up at the same restaurant I’ve been to before, and eating the same delicious meal I’ve eaten before there 🤣 Funny thing is, I could imagine me doing the exact same thing the next time we visit there too! 🤣

View from the castle 

Minor gate entrance into the Borgo from the castle 

Beautiful narrow streets with views of the hills behind 

My lunch spot 

Delicious Ligurian pesto lasagna 

Heading back into the Borgo at night was fun. We’d learned our lesson from previous trips and this time made a reservation at a lovely restaurant - the good ones get really booked up quickly 😃 So after pre dinner drinks at a lovely bustling bar, we had dinner sitting  outside in a beautiful quiet square, as the light faded and all the lights started to come on - it felt really special,  and the food was absolutely delicious too 😃 Fabulous Ligurian food ❤️

My one and only negroni this trip!

Nibbles to accompany drinks 😃

A favourite bar in Finaleborgo 

Square in the Borgo where everyone gathers for gelato in the evening 

Early evening drinks in the Borgo

Our restaurant for the evening 

Delicious Parmesan soufflé 

Scallops

A perfect evening 

Our dinner spot

Atmospheric streets

Leaving the Borgo and heading home 

Sadly, with it being peak season (particularly for Swiss and German), the campsite couldn’t squeeze us in for any longer, so wanting to stay in the area for a bit longer, enjoying the lovely weather, we booked into a small agricamping @10km further inland - Agriturismo La Ca’ dell’Alpe. Our trips are never complete without some hair raising drive through steep, narrow, twisty turny mountain roads, and our short journey to the agriturismo was probably up there in terms of one of the most challenging drives ever!  Knowing that probably only 6m vans could navigate the roads (we are 6m, but the bikes on the back add on almost another metre), we stopped on route to take the bikes off and bring them into the van - Ruby was not impressed 🤣 As usual, Dave’s amazing skills (and confidence) got us all to the agricamping without any major disasters - we were all very relieved 😃

View from the agriturismo

Suddenly it’s too hot - agin!

The agriturismo was run by a really friendly and welcoming young couple, and the views out over the coast below were beautiful. Generally had a relaxing time for a couple of days - a bit of walking, biking for Dave, reading etc, and looking forward to our lovely home cooked dinner each evening in the restaurant. The food was delicious, rustic and organic, and typically Ligurian - and amazingly cheap! Wine too was lovely, and local. Also stocked up on cold pressed olive oil to bring home, given the shortage that lies ahead 🤣

Delicious antipasti 

Ligurian trofie pesto pasta

A perfect evening 

End to a lovely evening 

Walking in the woods felt quite autumnal. Although still very hot during the day, a seasonal change was definitely felt - autumn was arriving. The trees were starting to change colours, and walking through the woods there were huge mushrooms everywhere - probably due to the combination of hot days but and torrential rain 🤣 Foraging mushrooms in autumn always seems so quintessentially (northern) Italian 😃

Walking in the hills

Beautiful Rialto woods

Fungi everywhere in the woods

We had a wonderful couple of weeks in Italy - totally love the country 😃 Although we didn’t manage to get to the places we’d hoped to due to the weather, it was fabulous finding and exploring new places, and also returning to old familiar favourites, which always feels very comfortable and nourishing (literally) ❤️

Onwards now into France and the long (slow) journey home 😃