#Happycampers

We could call this journey a classic family-friendly first-time travel with motorhomes to Tuscany. The recipe was simple:

4 x family with children
2 x large motorhome ADRIA PLUS
1 x small motorhome ADRIA COMPACT SLS
1 x SUNROLER trailer, which was only experiencing tourism in the area of Adriatic

Spices: Firenze, Badia, Grave di Cianti, Valpoa, Siena, Pisa, Nova gorica

Time of preparation: 7 days

A simple recipe for those who travel on their own account. And those who are accustomed to preparing an itinerary, organize and book campsites and motorhome stops, and wisely plan the way to make a successful outcome in a crowded schedule. All this was something new to us. 

We started our journey with full motorhomes. First stop was motorway. Motorhomes slow you down, the traveling speed falls, and you really take you on a real road trip, when you have time to observe the surroundings and not just the roads. At the first stop we noticed motorhome signs, denoting places with tables and benches that we do not pay attention when traveling by car. Navigation led us to Bologna, along the same road, but after Florence, we have travelled along several different roads. We arrived to the motorhome stop in Florence from at least three different directions and, of course, late at night. We immediately discovered that this is a really "luxury" trip, everything is right at hand. We parked, opened the pantry, placed the chairs outside, drinks were cool, table was filled with Dolenjska delicacies, and children were already chasing one another along the parking lot with new friends. 

Life of a new-age nomad has really changed. From my experience in the 1980s, when my family traveled in a giant Adria's folding camping trailer to a camp with no infrastructure. And when I was preparing for this trip, I was already imagining everything ....... untidy stops, and having small children with us. I was a little worried.

Motorhomes nowadays really provide a relaxed holiday. Everything is at hand, kitchen, bathroom, water, ..., so you can really indulge in exploring the incredible landscape and architectural surpluses, or just sitting in the shade and enjoying it if you do not have an adventurous streak. For our children, the cities were really big, the streets were so high, the churches were so amazing and the markets larger than the fields of Dolenjska. Our children will describe Tuscany in three words: "churches, ice cream and an oblique tower". When asked, "What else did you do?" The answer will be "We were just playing, riding with push scooters, running, and playing cards, we were always outside. In the evenings we were all lying down and watching cartoons until parents took us to our ‘campers'.“ But if they were asked whose motorhome is better, they would immediately start a competition on who has something better.

Even before leaving home, we planned to park next to an agritourism and indulge in the pampering of local specialties. We did not succeed at this because there is a motorhome stop in each village, with a top quality restaurant nearby, which invites you to beautiful terraces and incredible kindness and affection. Just imagine, a table for 14, full of children and very loud guests from Dolenjska.

These small, medieval villages with an inn, a shop, a bakery and a butcher shop, the main square and a church are really very charming. I really miss this in our country, there is no more authenticity, no more intimate contact. We do not have a butcher to sell you a porterhouse steak, tell a story, and advise on the preparation. Or an innkeeper who would host us for three hours and watch the children jump around his garden, and invite us to taste the house specialty zucerini digestivi con il fuoco. An unbeatable desire for new and unknown seduced us to taste the burning lumps of sugar, which has led us to new and bold decisions.

Just as in the midst of the snow-capped Jahorina, the decision to urgently experience touring with a motorhome, a decision was made in this inn: "How does a skiing trip with motorhomes look like?" This is our next mission, and we are already looking forward to it.
To finish with, we could say that this was a lot more than a trip to Tuscany, we have experienced the primal experience of families who, traveled to somewhat "dangerous" Italy for the first time with a motor home and young children.

The beauty of one of the most beautiful landscapes reminded us of the Goriška Brda region, as well as our native Dolenjske hills, dotted with vineyards. Of course, with a slight deviation in the number of large cypresses. That is why we decided to spend our last evening on our home soil, at the Saksida family agritourism in Dorenberg, who welcomed us and treated us with top quality cuisine and a beautiful campsite.

May 2018,

Happycampers