Italy 46 - Chioggia a noisy Italian weekend

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What a night - Suzy rocked about as if she were a boat on the ocean in a storm. Overnight the clouds came in, the rain came back with a vengeance and the wind picked up. To say it picked up is an understatement Suzy was buffeted about, the wind roared under her wheels lifting her off the ground. We spent most of the night under the bedclothes listening to the sound of the rain beating like a drum on the roof and the wind howling a gale. We ate breakfast with little view of the sea. That mist had come in again. It was time to move on to somewhere a little less windy. Waving goodbye to our neighbours we left the campsite and gingerly picked our way past the only other camper van on the site apart from us and Peter and Linda.

The journey back to the motorway was interesting as usual, roads that looked more like rivers, roadworks and traffic lights. We came eventually to the road in the sky as I like to call it - above Rijeka. This was a road we travelled last year and it felt like travelling along an old friend. The wind was still howling a gale but the journey wasn’t as bad as we expected.

We said our goodbyes before long to Croatia and came to the border crossing. Again we had no problems - our passports received a cursory glance as we were ushered to that bit of No Mans Land between Croatia and Slovenia. The Slovenian guard ignored us when we proffered our British passports. I want a stamp in it I thought and felt like demanding one. The Swiss in front got one. Waved on we headed through Slovenia. Green and vibrant after the rain it was a pretty drive. Pigs were being roasted in the open air spits in readiness for Sunday lunch. We were passing through the wrong time so had no chance to stop and try some. Everytime I see one cooking I want a sandwich filled with the lovely pork.

Lunch was eaten on a motorway service area once we arrived in Italy. The service areas in Italy are not the best by any stretch of the imagination and before long we were on our way again. Suzy was eating up the miles and taking us closer to our destination for the night the seaside resort of Chioggia. Our toll box was fitted to Suzy and she passed through the tolls with ease. We passed Trieste, the war memorial at Redipuglia, the campsite at Sistiana where we stayed last year. It all brought back lovely memories of our first adventure in Suzy. Venice came and went and we drove along the Brenta Canal and the Po delta to our nightstop Camping Adriatica in Chioggia. Chioggia is an island on the lagoon and has a big shipbuilding heritage and a seaside beach. Apart from that there is not much there.

Today being Sunday meant all of Italy was out enjoying the sunshine. The campsite an ACSI one was heaving with a mixture of tourers like us and static vans. The reception was helpful, she took us to our plot which was covered with netting to keep the sun off. The snag with this though was that Kathrein was too large and we didnt dare risk getting her tangled in the green netting. Water and electricity was available to each plot.

We walked into town along the front dodging the families out walking . Mothers, fathers, grandparents and all their children. On bicycles, scooters and motorbikes. The place was heaving and bedlam . Music thumped out of beach bars. Young boys played beach volleyball and football in the sand. Rows of regimented deckchairs and recliners lined the private beach. You could tell you were in Italy on a hot summers day. NO chance of getting on the beach without paying for the priviledge. It was rather hot too. .

The town itself was a 25 minute walk from the campsite. In the heat of the day it felt longer. We crossed the canals and found ourselves in the main street. Shops lined the sides of the streets many were closed this being Sunday. A tat market was in full flow. Objects from Africa were on sale as were local products. We sat a while eating pistachio and nut gelatos. And afterwards sat at the harbour watching the boats coming in and out. One thing missing was the beggars. We hadnt seen any at all since we left home. Its not a bad place to stop off but very much off the tourist trail.

hen we came back we decided to try out the restaurant on site as it looked fairly interesting. It opened at 7 and we were the only ones in which never augers well. We waited and waited for the waitress to turn up which she did eventually and ordered a starter of Parma Ham and Melon . Simple we thought - no melon . So it was that we didn’t get the starter. We chose then Veal Milanese which turned out to be Breaded Veal. Boring to say the least but it did fill us and we finished off with Tiramisu. Not the most entertaining of meals and certainly not haute cuisine.

The postives about the site were free WFI and fairly decent sized plots for an Italian campsite. Sleep came easy mainly due to the fact that by 10 all the daytrippers had gone home and left us with peace and quiet in the campsite.

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