A lot of people from Deutschland are here in the Italian lakes. In fact there’s a lot in Austria too. It’s clearly their sun-belt and not far to come really, unless they live in the far north.
At camping Riva San Pietro we were very fortunate to be moved to a semi-detached spot, eventually next to the huge motorhome.
Although it’s a small site and nicely thought out, for the most part the pitches form rows of terraces with a nice wide grassy road in between. The result is that the vehicles are tightly packed nose to tail. Obviously that’s the way that Carlos wants it to be.
This is the best way as everyone is ensured of a wide view down their ‘road’ to the lake. It’s a very nice view whichever way you look.
The trailers house motorbikes or scooters. Everyone has an alternative wheeled transport for when they arrive. Almost every bike is electric; an indication I suppose of the age of the riders.
A lot of German is spoken with very few Brits, one or two CH, A, N and PL plates. For the most part the Germans seem a little shy of us but mostly respond well to a cheery greeting. Once the ice is broken, progress can be made. Talk is often about Land Rovers. Sometimes about Opel Kadetts, although my specialist Vauxhall-Opel subject is the Astra but I’ve never been tested.
We made a mistake leaving this site too soon but our pitch was taken from Sunday night and we thought a move a short way south along to Iseo town would be a good thing.
It helped that there was a Lidl, open on Sunday and we did a big shop and then went to the new site. As usual with most sites, a pitch was given and we were encouraged to check it out.
As a non-ACSI site the cost was out of proportion to the pitch quality and position and the site seemed too big too. So it was rejected and we moved on.
At the next lakeside site we were quickly informed that it was full but another was suggested and we tried there.
With only two spaces and one very small even for us, we plumped for one of four at the front opposite the little site shop and office which also had a small sitting area under a gala tent type of oblong ‘marquee’.
Not ACSI but ok-ish on price. Mr Site Owner was acting a bit odd and I asked if his day was going Ok. Dawn translated this as “what the matter and why are you so miserable” but I think my approach was more diplomatic.
He said he’s tired but I usefully pointed out that the season is ending and he’ll soon be closing and “it will be time for your holiday”.
“I’ve got the olives to harvest then”.
“Oh dear, it never ends does it”, I cheerfully replied and he sniffed a bit and asked for our passports, as they do, so that we could both be checked-in.
We had a swim and a wander but this isn’t a patch on where we’ve just come from. Never mind, he said it’s “family run and very quiet”.
So cook rustles-up a meal and we go to bed in the car park really, just as Mr Happy retires himself but leaving a big TV on in the open sided Gala tent and the Italian national anthem can be heard and an international game of volleyball begins, watched by a couple of old guys, family maybe.
Sometime later I wake up and now it’s a game show or it sounds like a trivial sort of show anyway. Our two old geezers are struggling to stay awake, in spite of the volume and one yawns so loudly and frequently that it became annoying.
Eventually these night watchmen closed the gate and the tv was switched off and it was quiet.
Until 04:50 when there was a clang and it turns out that the cleaner starts at 5am. ‘To be fair’ she wasn’t noisy but it’s really hard not to hear stuff in what’s effectively a tent on top of the Landy.
When the bin men came at about 6am I gave up. 😊
Yes a mistake was made but in our experience of these road trips, if you don’t keep moving you miss out on lots of experiences. Marion from Burnley stayed on the Riva San Pietro site for all of her three week holiday (that she’d booked In January). She really enjoyed it, as she told us twice.
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