Coronavirus has overwritten our travelling habits, tourism is transforming and these changes may be here to stay since on the one hand the world still can’t relieve from the pressure of the virus and on the other hand if the moment comes when vaccines are at our disposal and everything slowly returns as it was and this all seems like a distant nightmare then there still will be a chance that “social distancing” ingrains into our habits. A group of people may be emerging who prioritise less stuffed places and to whom posing in front of a famous monument to make them happy isn’t the primary point.
There is a travelling method catching on, which was only utilized by a specific set of people, but the courageous and adventurous ones start to pick up a type of globe-trotting, which can’t be defined by the word “holiday”. There are many, for who this isn’t just a travelling method, which lasts for a couple of weeks or months but a lifestyle, to which they organize their lives.
This is the caravan travelling.
There are multiple forms of caravans. For laity a caravan is the same as a motorhome, although the two are completely different, while the caravan is unable to move by itself since another car drags it with a towbar, the motorhome is a two in one. Of course, there are also several forms of caravans, the already designed caravan, which usually comes with an alcove (a superstructure designed for beds on top of the caravan) and the handymen, -who feel the power and creativity in themselves and have some basic technical knowledge- can transform the traditional caravans to their taste, sometimes conjuring a mini “wonder home” from the old caravan, for example as in the picture:
Below, I put together an Italian tour trip for caravan travelling, with such destinations which take the adventurous to less visited places.
From north to south:
Livigno
A Mecca for the skiers but if we go there outside of the winter season the other name it got due to the similar vibe describe it more accurately: Little Tibet and indeed this is a grimmer more isolated side of Italy, nonetheless we can get to know a majestic region during the travel.
The tough weather valley comes with more massive, carbohydrate-rich food, like the typical local food: the pizzocheri, which in fact a pasta with cabbage, parmesan and potato.
Courmayeur
Courmayer with its French-sounding name is on the border of Italy and France, we can have our morning coffee, adoring the amazing mountain-panorama of the Mont-Blanc from our caravan.
During the visit of the region the local Fontina cheese, the country’s wines and the Carbonada, which is a special way of making beef, steamed with wine, with a lot of onion and condolences are a must to taste.
Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a real treat for those longing for interesting things. Partly because the episode New Moon from Twighlight was shot there. For those who have seen the movie, the city’s main square can be familiar, which played a key role in the film. Apart from this, Montepulciano a delightfully charming small Italian town with cosy squares, renaissance buildings and winding little streets lined with stone.
But many come there for the well-known Montepulciano red wine. Enthusiastic fans of the Italian gastronomy should try out the pasta with a funny name for Hungarians “pici” (pici means teeny in Hungarian) (a thicker pasta than spaghetti), which can be prepared in several ways, one of them is the pici alla cinghiale.
As in many other Italian cities, parking can cause a lot of problem, at the top of the city, which is also the centrum you won’t find a parking spot so don’t even try getting there with a car, rather park in the city’s outer, lower regions.
Castelluccio
The Castellucio valley is known for its dazzling eye-catching flower fields, which can be seen from May to June in its best. The well-known Castellucio lentil, which grows 1300 meters high on the fields neighbouring the city. It’s worth a visit for those who are fond of the old isolated, crumbling places not visited by tourists, where only the elderly live and every detail tells of the old times.
Ponza
This beautiful island is, fortunately, less well known among foreigners and is only visited by domestic tourists. Beautiful beaches, a varied cavalcade of seafood, charming colourful cottages, and coastal areas bordered by huge rock ridges on the other side of the island provide visual and gastronomic experiences.
Matera
Matera is in the region of Puglia, its main aspect is the overview of houses built on the hill-side, cave houses and steep streets. The city takes us back in time, the streets of Christ’s days, and the times, when people lived with their animals in caves. For a long time, the city preserved not only its characteristics but also the operation of the past historical times, so it was only in the 1980s that they started to supply water and electricity to the flats.
It’s worth noting that during our visit park the caravan in the outer regions as well, since it would be quite challenging to manoeuvre with a larger car on the narrow streets of the historic city.
If you taste the dried roasted pepper snack the “peperoni crushi” there is a serious risk of getting addicted to it.
Alborebello
The small town is known for its specially shaped, stone-roofed houses made of stone, without any binders or supporting structures, which are called Trulli. The town can’t be compared to any other Italian city, it presents completely unique architectural solutions.
In terms of gastronomy the local Burrata is unmissable, which looks like a simple mozzarella but in the inside comes the surprise an incredibly soft and creamy inside.
It’s like the inside of the cocoa roll (a Hungarian pastry), where we also eat the outer part but the true goal is the inner creamy-cocoa apex, with the Burata the whole cheese is like the inside of the cocoa rolls a heavenly soft, creamy filling.
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