On The Road Again.

Woke to torrential rain yet again this morning.The RAC had arranged a car for us and we organised the taxi for 9.00.  We were driven north out of Lugarno and at one time thought we were headed back through the Gotthard tunnel, but eventually arrived at a small village with the most basic Europcar depot ever.  We were shown a Skoda Fabia, far too small to accommodate all of our camping gear.  After a stressful three way telephone conversation including the car hire man who spoke no English and, us shamefully very little Italian, suddenly a Touran appeared.  Familiar, the same make as our previous car, but automatic.  My first problem was to make it go!! Once moving though Sally Satnav led us unerringly to the landrover dealer where a very friendly and helpful workshop manager explained poor old Landy's problems to us; not the propshaft as we suspected but (and I only mention this for all you mechanically minded types out there) the constant velocity joint on the offside front axle.  Once that had been clearly explained we transferred all of the camping gear into the Touran and launched off to Italy.  We soon left the mountains, and rain, behind us and travelled miles along the Po valley, flat as a pancake and reminiscent of the Lincolnshire Fens.  The journey went quickly, however, and we sped past Parma of the ham fame and Modena, home of basamic vinegar.  Bologna came and went and we began to climb into hills again.  As we approached Florence it was time to leave the motorway and wind through beautiful north Tuscan hills with increasing temperatures and clearing skies.  Approaching our selected campsite the verges, banks and fields were covered in mouthwatering orchids.  I can't wait to get out to them tomorrow.  Once found the campsite was a small, friendly, family site and at 16 Euros a night , much cheaper that our £100/night hotel.  Once the tent was up the first priority was a beer sitting in the sun outside the campsite bar followed by a simple pasta meal at the tent.  Now I write this blog sitting outside the tent on a pleasant balmy evening; so much different to wet Switzerland.  The bank outside the tent is thick with violets, bugle and primroses and blackbirds sing from the trees.  Now an early night and a chilled out day tomorrow.

The campsite reception with the wooded Tuscan Hills behind.