2023 Italy Part 1

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• Thu 28th and 29th Dec
  A late start on Thursday to a pub car park just outside Folkstone, and a few minutes drive to Eurotunnel. Turned out to be a strange place, probably 50s or 60s, in a secluded housing estate, and most un pub like inside. However, they were happy for us to park, so we celebrated with a cup of mulled wine each.
  Friday, straightforward Eurotunnel crossing, no covid problems, no strikes, paperwork all OK, and drove to Chartres.
• Fri 30th Dec
  Another grey drizzley day, and lots of driving. France really is in the way of the rest of Europe. Miles and miles of flat muddy fields disappearing off into the distance to meet the grey gloomy sky. Actually the fields were green, but looked like they were muddy underneath.
  Eventually, some rolling hills, nothing spectacular, just not flat. And late afternoon, reached our destination, Bourg-en-Bresse, and an Aire de Campingcar, free, with water, which often comes in useful. About eight other motorhomes here, including, unfortunately, a converted lorry with a generator, so a constant low intensely irritating hum. Hope it runs out of petrol. Or a public spirited person smashes it.
  Beckie eating very little, we keep trying to entice her with goodies, alternative food, and tid bits. She, nonetheless seems happy, when not sleeping, which she does a lot, and always happy to go for a walk, seemingly enjoying new smells.
• New Years Eve
  A bad morning. Been getting increasingly strident vibes from Sue about the amount of time driving, and had planned a better morning. Started by going to Intermarche, where they have coin operated washers and driers – we have a lot of washing, and Italy does not have launderettes. Loaded the machine, but couldn’t get it to work. Sue went into the shop – machine out of order. I presume the powers that be in Intermarche thought it entertaining watching customers carry their washing to the machine, loading it, finding out it doesn’t work, unloading it and carrying everything back. Or else they would have put an “out of order” sign on the machine.
  Meanwhile, Sue went into the shop for a couple of things, but came out empty handed, persued by a security guard who insisted on inspecting her (empty) backpack. We think he was then telling her she shouldn’t take a backpack into the shop.
  Google search found another two launderettes in Bourg-en-Bresse, both in the town centre, no problem getting to them, no chance of parking within a reasonable walking distance.
  Instead of watching our washing going round and round I had found an interesting looking monastery a short distance away. All the above meant we were much later than planned getting to the monastery, and it closed for two hours at 12.00, so could only manage a whistle stop tour.

  

  The main entrance.
  

  Lofty interior.
  

  Architectural style described as “Flamboyant Gothic”. Fitting description.
  

  External side view, attractive roof, hazy photos. Not sure why. The haziness that is.

  So, set off for pre selected campsite at Chamonix, at the foot of Mount Blanc. As Sue was very insistent we should arrive before dark, drove via motorway, through three toll booths. Expensive. More bad vibes. Arrived in Chamonix – a big mistake I made. We have never been to a holiday resort in season, but this is an Alpine resort, this is in season, the place was heaving. No chance stopping for the night anywhere here.
  Found another site a vertigous 15 kilometre drive at Passy. Parked up in the area behind the Campingcar sign, a few yards from a launderette!
  Things are getting better, I remarked to Sue. When I asked her to repeat her mumble, “couldn’t get any worse”. Oh dear!
  We were then asked to move, some tripe about security, into the back of a supermarket car park. OK, if that’s what you want….that’s where we are for the night.

• Sun & Mon
  Woke to clear skies, and surprisingly mild. A latish start, full of high hopes crossing into Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel, and then down the Aosta Valley. Set the SatNav, allowed tolls (the tunnel), disallowed motorways (the route down the valley), and set off. Surprisingly, it took us through Chamonix , and up a fairly narrow, very twisty and very steep road. Was certainly very interesting. Sue suddenly became alarmed that we might be about to enter Switzerland, and we didn’t have a vignette. After a while, found a place where we could pull over and consult the map. Seems we had missed the tunnel, and were approaching a place marked on the map with a no entry restriction at certain times – we didn’t really understand, but looked exciting. Decided that in a Motorhome on a high Alpine road in winter, maybe a little too exciting, so turned back, switched SatNav off, and followed the signs to Mont Blanc tunnel. Will forever wonder about that road!
  The queue for the tunnel was about an hour. Bah! Not sure why, probably because the toll payment system appeared to be pretty chronic.
  A long long drive through the tunnel – it really is very long (7.2 miles), and emerged into Italy to low cloud, and decidedly colder. Snow clad mountains disappearing into the clouds. We came this way in 2011, and made the mistake of driving down the motorway, which went through tunnels and avalanche protection shelters, seeing very little, and hurtling down the valley in about 10 nanoseconds.
  So, avoiding the nanosecond road (despite all the signs trying to direct us onto it, and trying to get used to the fact that colour coding of roads in Italy is reversed, blue for main roads, green for motorways), but was disappointed that all the way down to Aosta was built up, any rugged spectacular scenery well tamed.
  Easily found a place to stay in Aosta, arriving late afternoon. Quite a short journey, despite our deviation in France.
  Monday morning did very little (that’s unfair on Sue, she baked a totally delicious loaf of bread), a set off in the afternoon to explore Aosta.
  There are extensive Roman remains, a good deal of wall, an arch (of course), a theatre, and a very intact bridge. The river has gone, but the bridge remains.
  

  View towards the remains of the theatre. Didn’t take many photos, it is rumoured there are more Roman remains in Italy.
  We also went to Chiesa Paleocristiana di San Lorenzo, subterranean remains of a 5th century church.

  

  Next place we tried to visit closed an hour before everywhere else, so missed it. Another subterranean structure, the Criptoportico Forense, part of the Roman forum dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. Pity!

• Tue 3rd Jan
  Set off from Aosta to Fenis, further down the valley, and the Chateau de Fenis, a very picturesque castle.
  I took several photos of the outside. So I thought. Seems they were duds. Not there.
  Sue then went round the castle, on a tour in Italian (no other options). When I came to book, all tours were full until 3.00 pm. We didn’t wait, so unfortunately only have Sue’s photos.
  

  

  

  

• Thence to Montestrutto
  A very small village on a narrow road off the main road, doesn’t go anywhere else, Mr Google shows the population is 283 people, but does have a Sosta Campingcar. And we were astonished, the village has displays, mostly nativity scenes, but not all. Hundreds of them. Really, hundreds.
  Big ones.

  

  

  

• Little ones
  

  

  Odd ones

  

  Very odd ones

  

  

  Drinking trough ones

  

  

• And so many more
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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  Available until 2 Feb 2023

• Wed 4th Jan
  Sue woke up not feeling very well.
  We drove to Norara, but parking was difficult, so gave up on that.
  We have now left the Aosta valley, and the scenery is now flat and uninteresting. We are west of Milan, in an area where most of Europe’s risotto rice is grown. Very soggy fields!
  En route, we decided to top up autogas, although we still had over 50%, as we know Italy is peculiar about filling autogas into bottles. I’m not sure what cars have, tanks I suppose. Not sure what the difference is, to allow one and not the other. Also, it is illegal to “self serve”, has to be done by an attendant.
  First garage “It is not possible in Italy”. Second garage “No motorhomes”. Third garage (almost opposite the second), “Full?”. So, yes please! Don’t ask me, crazy.
  I think visiting autogas garages will, unfortunately, be a feature of this trip.
  Having given up on Norara, we found an Aire, and Sue (mostly) slept off her stomach upset. Hopefully will be fully cleared up tomorrow. I know she is not completely better, she turned down wine with her evening meal…..
• Thu 5th Jan

  Shortish drive to Pavia through patchy fog, and a Sosta Camper a nice walk from the Certosa di Pavia, a monastery, building started in 1396, and continued for the next 200 years. And it was a Wow!

  The facade-

  

  Detail from the left hand corner.

  

  And from the doorway.

  

  Just mind blowing how this can be conceived and executed.

  

  The interior of the church. Beyond the church was by tour only. Tours start when there are enough people, they are free (donations at the end), and are in Italian. But, a must join, only way to see the rest of the monastery. The monks here apparently have all taken a vow of silence, but the monk guide has been given dispensation to speak whilst guiding all us heathens, and goodness didn’t he take advantage. Still, gave us a good opportunity to look round – every surface carved or painted, all with exquisite skill.

  There are two cloisters (Our silent monk may have explained why, but if he did, the explanation was lost in transit).

  The “small” cloister.

  

  View from the small cloister over the church.

  

  The large cloister.

  

  The houses are the monks quarters, each one solitary as befits a silent order. Idiotic of course, but really glad they created this wonderful building.

  

  This is the detailing on the cloister, repeated a thousand times, impeccably, around this enormous area. The masons must have had so much patience endlessly repeating.

  I suppose the size of the cloister reduces the likelihood of bumping into a brother, and inadvertently saying whoops, strictly forbidden.
• Fri 6th Jan
  Brescia rotunda of new cathedral Santa Maria AssuntaManaged to park close to Brescia town centre. Tomorrow is Epiphany, and a public holiday in Italy, so today is Epiphany in lieu. As it were. And everywhere very quiet.
  Went for a walk around the centre, and visited the Duomo (there is a new one and an old one, we visited the new one, couldn’t find the old one). Next to it was a rotunda, dating back to Roman times, much changed over the centuries, but still with the original plan. Inside there were loads of nativity model scenes. Really, lots and lots. What I find really astonishing is the number of people queuing up to see them, and the discussions about them.
  I took some pictures, and will try and post them. For some reason the normal way I access them isn’t working.

  

  There! That was pure luck!

 
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