Van Life Italy – A Travellers Guide To Living The Van Life
Ciao Vandwellers, e Benvenuti a Van Clan! In today’s slice of the global vanlife pizza, we’re heading to my favourite place on Earth, Italy. If you’re an especially eagle-eyed member of the Van Clan community then you might know that I’m of Italian descent (either the name or the nose might give it away), and I love everything about this amazing country. From the food to the people, Italy holds a special place in my heart, so it only makes sense for me to find out all there is to know about Van Life Italy!
A Travellers Guide To Van Life Italy
Italy is home to the Colosseum, The Dolomites (that’s the mountains, not the little Dolmio puppets), Pompei and most importantly my Dad’s hometown of Caizzo. The country is steeped in history from the Roman Empire right through to that amazing World Cup final of 2006 (yes, I will never forget that day). But today we’re going to learn about the lives of two native vandwellers. Say hello to Claudio and Egle, @jancloudy!
Hi Claudio. Tell us a little bit about yourself and introduce us to your van.
Hi, I’m Claudio. I’m a graphic designer / social media manager from Pesaro on the Adriatic Coast. Last year, together with my girlfriend Egle, we bought a 1991 Ford Transit Elnagh camper van that we have renovated. That’s when our adventures started!
What drove you to pursue the Vanlife and how are you finding it so far.
What’s Van Life Italy like? Are there a lot of other Vanlifers around and do you manage to find good places to stay?
Van life in Italy is not a very developed concept with young people, but it is a growing phenomenon thanks to social media. On Facebook now there are some groups where you can request information on parking and places to visit. As for parking, you have to be very careful, especially in seaside places because there are absurd prohibitions for campers, vans, caravans etc.
How do you find travelling compared to your previous life?
It is obvious that with the van you can not cross the oceans (V.C – This is deep), so while if before we had no limits for our travels then now we have a few. But the feeling of freedom that every trip gives us is priceless. We can’t be in Brazil with our van or drive to Australia or the Maldives, but we have each other (and our little dog Thiago) and that’s enough.
Are there many places to shower?
Are the basics necessities that you need while living on the road expensive of Italy?
Vanlife in Italy is a bit complicated. The gasoline costs a lot, and the food is quite expensive if you continuously travel to tourist places, plus there is no free water. You have to pay for park up and camping areas…a night in a campsite can cost almost as much as a night at a hotel.
Tell us about a couple of your favourite places that you’ve been to while on your travels and why they are special to you.
Instagram doesn’t always show the tough nature of Vanlife – have you had any troubles or van problems on the road?
Haha! It’s true…once we forgot the key to refuel at home! The spaces are tight, and there are not the same home comforts, but it means that we can get up in the morning and have breakfast outside, drive through unexplored lands and then stop in the evening in front of a sunset and go to sleep under a starry sky. In a few words: less comfort, more life.
What’s your favourite road trip route in Italy?
Italy is a wonderful country, and for to be honest I don’t have a favourite road. You can find dream beaches, mountains, nature, history and art wherever you go, you will find something for which it is worth the drive. The problem is always the little consideration that the vanlife movement has in Italy. There are a lot of prohibitions and absurd laws, and unless you go in a campsite it’s really hard to have a trip that makes you feel 100% free.
Tell us about a top tip that you’ve learnt from living on the road that you would pass on to others.
Finally, sum your Van Life Italy adventures up in three words.
Join the Van Clan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more Van Life stories from around the world. Why not check out our Van Life Croatia article!
Written by Seb @vincentvanlife
All photo’s copyright Claudio Sperindei @jancloudy
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