Catch up on the previous episodes here:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Early on the morning of our departure from Naples, Rachel took a taxi to the airport and flew to Sicily to continue her adventures there. We started a long drive back from Naples to Regensburg, stopping overnight twice along the way.
Borgo Giusto
It was about a six-hour drive (including stops for gas and lunch) from Naples to Borgo Giusto in Borgo a Mozzano. The last leg of it was the most stressful, as we were headed up into the hills outside of Lucca on very small roads. Our GPS kept us on the right path the whole time, so that was good, but were a little skeptical nonetheless after just having survived Naples in a car. Borgo Giusto is a beautiful little complex of bungalows perched up in the mountains overlooking a valley. There were hiking suggestions posted in the parking lot. I took a stroll to the nearest town about 15 minutes away up another hill just to see what there was not to see (hint: not much, but it was beautiful nonetheless). We opted for dinner on-site and found it to be very good, which was convenient, because neither of us felt up to a drive back down into a larger town to seek out a meal after that long drive. Apart from a British wedding party, we were the only guests that evening.
La Revena
Our last night in Italy on this trip was in a tiny town called Brentino Belluno outside Verona. After reading reviews on outdoorempire.com about hotels with the best view in Italy, we decided to stay at La Revena, an Agriturismo set in a vineyard along the Etsch river. We arrived in the afternoon and found most of the guests to be Germans also heading back after the Pentecost and Corpus Christi holidays. The room was very affordable and the breakfast was generous in its selection. My only complaint: the wifi didn’t quite reach all the way into our room.
Our hostess was helpful recommending a place for dinner nearby and also some big supermarket opportunities. We got to try a new (to us) chain, which did not disappoint.
Grocery Store Finds
You’ll need some Brawny™ paper towels if you buy these potato chips:
Crossing the Alps
The final leg back into Regensburg was uneventful, apart from the traffic conditions. Luckily we had unsually pleasant weather for the drive. Much of our Italy road trip experience so far has been in the autumn or winter, when the skies are usually cloudy. This time it was glorious — almost too good, considering how much time we spent sweating while sitting in traffic approaching the toll plazas.
Arrivederci, Italia!
That wraps up our trip to Italy in May 2016. We’ll be back soon.
I’ve been following your trip. It looks like a really enjoyable one. Glad you were able to experience it.