Exploring Northern Italy by Camper - Part I

If you search the internet for ´Rentals VW Bus`, 2,650,000 results appear within 0.45 seconds and where should you look first? The CamperBoys page appears pretty high up and we like that name.

We, that's Sonja and Hubertus. This is the first and only page we look at. We book and decide on a route through northern Italy by camper. From Munich to Milan and back. That's perfect, because on 8th September is the last concert of the European tour by Duff McKagan and Shooter Jennings in Milan. We definitely want to go there.

Everything goes smoothly and Paul from the CamperBoys answers every question we have in a super-friendly way.

We pack our stuff and with every piece we pick up the anticipation increases. Hubertus picks up the camper at Munich airport and off we go.

Our first destination on the way to Italy - Locarno. We start the CamperBoys route suggestion at its last stop so we turned it around to get the timing right. We don't let the bad weather spoil our mood because we have a bus - what more do we want!

The route to northern Italy takes us through 5 countries. We briefly touch Austria and drive to Liechtenstein because we've never actually been there. Maybe we drove through once but did we stop? No, and so we spontaneously decide to look for a nice spot for the van. The weather is really lousy but even that has its good sides. The castle in Vaduz looks like the home of Count Dracula himself in the low clouds. A creepy atmosphere outside but all the more cosy inside the bus.

We find ´Camping Mittagsspitze` and a sign: ´We've already left. Find a place and get in touch tomorrow.` That's easy-going for a change and just the way we like it.

The site is pretty empty and we park on a sport from which we have a sensational view of the Alps.

Now it's time for a beer. The CamperBoys have made sure there are four in the fridge waiting to be drunk. Thank you!

The first night in the bus on our journey to northern Italy. The rain pelts on the roof and all is well.

The first CamperBoys app tip on the way to northern Italy is reached quite quickly. The San Bernadino Pass. There's nothing left of the green meadows we've just been driving past. Snow!! We can hardly believe it because there are still a few cows standing in the snow on top of the mountain. The Ristorante ´Ozpizio Passo` at 2067 metres has closed and the outdoor seating is snowed in. Time for the first snowball fight of the season. It was a good idea of the CamperBoys to take the route over the pass and not rush through the tunnel. The landscape up here is crazy! The San Bernadino Pass is an experience.

Palm trees, oleander and lemon trees. Lake Maggiore in all its beauty. You notice right away that wer're still in Switzerland: looking at the prices. We find a café with the beautiful name ´Bartolomeo`. It's good and expensive. For two toasted sandwiches with tomato-mozzarella and two Cokes we put 30 Swiss francs on the table. Thank God our fridge in the camper is full. Driving through the mountain villages in the van is great fun and I'm falling more in love with our white ´California` by the minute.

Would you like to go on a road trip through Italy as well? 

Long waterfront promenades and nice cafés everywhere. We get an espresso at ´Patrick's Café` on our first stop on our journey through northern Italy and it tastes simply terrific.

The weather gets better and better and we're looking forward to the next stop up in the mountains.

A really brilliant tip from the CamperBoys when travelling through northern Italy by camper is the painted village of ´Arcumeggia`. The narrow roads lead us up to an altitude of about 600 metres and after sheer endless bends that make us sweat, there it is. The most famous painted village in the province of Varese in northern Italy.

Artists have been coming here since 1957 to work on murals and frescoes. The little art walk is worthwhile. We explore the alleyways of the village and you almost feel transported back to the Middle Ages for time seems to have stood still. Except for the artworks on the walls because some are also modern. There are pictures on the theme of emigration, depictions of a symbolic allegorical character, portraits of the villagers but also religious scenes, nature and landscape. The fact that the ravages of time are gnawing away at the works of art, the first of which date back to the 1950s, does not matter at all. On the contrary, it only makes the art more exciting.

The small church in the village is also worth a visit. You should also look down at the beautiful floor.

The route takes us to another highlight of northern Italy. The Villa Bozzolo in Casalzuigno. If you like castles you'll love this former country estate. It was built in the 16th century but the most important renovation took place at the beginning of the 18th century when the Della Porta family embellished the main house and the garden in the Rococo style. On the outside, the property impresses with its simple elegance and muted colours while the interior is an absolute rococo dream. But the best thing is: there are no guided tours. You can visit everything on your own and take all the time you need. You should take just as much time for the garden as for the palace.

The road to the Cittiglio waterfalls is even narrower than the one up to Arcumeggia.

We prefer to park the van in a nice wide car park in the middle of the village.

The idyllic hiking trail winds along a torrent. The first waterfall is easy to master but the rest of the way should only be walked with sturdy shoes. There's no real path to the third waterfall. Or did we simply not find it? We turn back because it was a nice little hike even without seeing all the waterfalls.

You don't find a fantastic pitch like this every day because it's right on the lake with a view of the other side of the shore. Heavenly! Now it's time for some spaghetti, a good Italian red wine and some music.

Now I understand all the people who have been living and working in a van for years. I want that too!!