By camper, autumn style

By camper, autumn style
Toscana
Magazine: November 2007

November is an excellent time to travel for many of those who don’t want to give in to the end of vacation time.

Better yet, take your house with you over the weekend and enjoy a relaxing side trip in the comfort of a cosy camper. A quick look at the map and your off with no hotels, trains or planes to book. Why pass up on gastronomic pleasures and the vast array of products to be tasted in Italian villages all month long? And after having stocked up on provisions necessary to make the inviting, regional dishes of the area you’re visiting, there’s no need to go to the restaurant! Lots of ideas can be found for choosing the right vehicle, along with suggestions for trips with freedom in mind, at the Associazione Produttori Camper (APC) - ANFIA website (www.sceglicamper.it).

Itinerary in Tuscany “Vie del Gusto” proposes an itinerary in Tuscany this month where camper facilities are widespread and top notch. Food and wine routes to follow, medieval fortresses and unspoiled landscapes, all viewed from a camper. Radicofani is a gracious, medieval hamlet dominated by an historical fortress along the ancient Via Francigena. We’re in the heart of Val d’Orcia, with the enchanting Tuscan landscape as a backdrop. Beyond the beauty of the scenery, you can take advantage of the bountiful, simple and pure, genuine flavours that the land has to offer, along with country life traditions. If autumn is wine season, then the province of Siena produces the highest quality wines: Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino and Sangiovese to accompany traditional country dishes while tucked in a cosy nook by the fire that they’re so famous for…Tuscany offers plenty of roads perfect for travelling by camper, amongst vast stretches of untouched countryside. Leaving Siena behind, you can reach the Pistoia province in less than 234 kilometres and stop over in the typically medieval small town of Cutigliano. Italian Touring Club approved orange flag for its perfectly preserved historical centre, registered with the International Good Living City Network. The town offers typically fall, local products: famous for their chestnut flour along with an abundance of other food and wine specialties of Tuscan culture.