Motorhoming in northern Italy
10 essentials when motorhoming and campervanning in Northern Italy
Drive like an Italian
Despite the title we can't recommend driving like an Italian. Fiamma MD, Charles Pozzi said, 'Italians are so polite and mild until they drive their cars!'
Italians are not horny Beeping has virtually ceased in northern Italy and everyone has calmed down significantly.
Egg shaped roundabouts would be appropriate because Italians have no concept of lane discipline or know the locations of their indicators. Take care!
Italian road conditions are in similar state to the UK; good, reasonable, and very pot holed. We used Michelin Italy road atlas to navigate.
Italian speed limits vary greatly, often significantly slower than the rest of Europe. Country roads in France are 80 or 90kmh but 50 to 70kmh in northern Italy. Italians choose their own speed!
Motorbikes and bicycles are popular especially at weekends. Expect inappropriate overtaking. Thankfully; noisy scooters are uncommon.
Weekends and holidays Personally we would plan our driving for working week days, and defiantly avoid driving to the beach or lakes on a sunny Sunday.
Motorways are indicated with green signs, and domestic roads are indicated with blue signs. The north of Italy is densely populated and roads are busy.
Motorhome parking in Italy
Off-site parking with motorhomes and campervans is allowed across Italy. Finding somewhere to park overnight at tourist areas will be challenging because most parking is private, identified as such, and municipal car parks tend to be pay. Free car parks often have time limits and you need to indicate arrival time using a parking disk. Market day exclusions are common. Overnight parking is easy to find off the beaten trail.
How to find Italian Aires
The modest network of Italian Aires are known as Area di Sosta Camper. There is a mix of free and pay Aires which tend to be at the tourist spots or in towns. Most official sostas have service points. There is no definitive Italian Aires guide but Camperstop Europe & Bord Atlas list some. There are some online apps including Camper-online, www.camperonline.it and Camper-life, camperlife.it
Where are the best places in northern Italy to go with a camper van?
Northern Italy is very busy due to industry and tourists. Driving your camper to Venice, Milan, or The lakes, may not be the best way to explore. We strongly recommend staying at ACSI campsites and using public transport. Tuscany will also be busy with Italians and tourists at weekends especially during good weather.
See our blog Five Motorhome Aires Di Sosta Near The Italian Lakes.
We recommend visiting the smaller borghi villages for a more intimate experience. The Most Beautiful Borghi (villages) of Italy, details 334 small and charming villages, pointing out what to see. We visited some on our trip to Italy.
Shopping
Many European supermarket brands are present in northern Italy. Most towns have a full range of shops and there are still large weekly markets.