Having had some time to think through the next leg in more detail (up to now planning had been a rather ‘fly-by-wire’ type affair) we headed into Tuscany. Previous camping experiences had given us a few founding principles on how to find our ideal stopover:

1. Not a main campsite i.e. no flags at reception
2. Farm camping more soulful
3. The more remote and windier the access route the better

With this in mind we headed towards the tiny hilltop village of Grondola.

Remotest and windiest road driven so far – check! No flags – check!! Unable to find a sign (let alone flags) we managed to ground the van (note – first driving incident so far!!) in a driveway. Fortunately the owner turned out to be the camping owners brother and his English wife, and with a quick phone call and the aid of a sturdy wooden plank we were ungrounded and following our host Angela (also English) to their site on the other side of the village.

Getting grounded turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Campeggio Angela Musetti was empty and with glorious views across the valley below we decided to stay put for a few days. Plenty of hiking (one slight misdirection saw us off the trail and clambering across waterfalls – beautiful), reading, fitness and general chilling out followed. It’s said that Tuscany is all about the villages and this one didn’t disappoint. A fruitless search for the Cinque Terra ferry in La Spezia (boats cancelled due to rough seas…in the Med, really?!) we had a slightly underwhelming lunch and stroll before retreating to our campeggio in the hills.

Check out these guys who we found in nearby Pontremoli:

A 4-night layover had us totally recouped and a little sad we headed for the seaside town of Levanto hoping for some beach time and possibly surf. Once again we underestimated the popularity of the Italian Riviera in high season choosing instead to drive through and admire the town from the cliff tops either side. The extremely windy and at times heart-stopping drive west from here treated us to breathtaking views of the Mediterranean coastline

Arriving in Genoa at rush hour, we headed initially for the ‘revamped and buzzy’ (ref. Rough Guides) Porto Antica that was in actually decidedly touristy and quiet. The old town was a unique experience for us both – not somewhere you would want to get lost after dark, but the narrow cobbled streets shaded by tall buildings either side have a medieval/other worldly charm about them.

Varazze, another candidate for med surfing, was seething with Milanese who have their second homes here and we paused only to refuel ourselves.

Pontremoli was the most picturesque of the villages we encountered on this long drive. With superyachts and boats aplenty moored in the bay, this is very much the domain of the super rich but also teeming with tourists puts this on the list to visit off-season.

Bidding farewell to Italy stopped for lunch at Chateau  in Eze with splendid views

Dipping down for a brief driveby into Monaco we bid farewell to the Med and headed inland for our first stopover in France.