Massa Marittima

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05 October 2018

The camperstops we use during our travels are not campsites. They are sites developed by local communities or private organisations for motorhomes or campervans to stay overnight. They are sometimes dedicated areas and on other occasions sections of carparks. Facilities to empty waste water, take on fresh water and dispose of rubbish are usually, but not always, provided. They are often free, but sometimes a charge is made. They are listed in dedicated guide books, an excellent one we use is Camperstop Europe, in English, but published by a Dutch organisation. For us they have one big bonus, they take us to places we might not have visited which turn out to be far more attractive than we had anticipated.

Such was the case today, we chose to stay at the free Massa Marittima camperstop because it was only 50k inland from Piombino on the route eastwards to Umbria where we plan to spend some time on this trip. However, after we had walked 600m and through one of the arches in the perimeter wall into the into the traffic free old town, we found a delightful central square dominated by its cathedral and bustling with locals having their mid-morning coffee. A steep street took us to the Torre del Candeliere, a climb of which gave us the opportunity to admire the views over the town and walk along a section of the wall. A superb and unexpected morning.

In the afternoon we drove a further 125k eastwards to a camperstop next to the bus station at another hill town, Montepulciano.

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