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Ochsenfurt (Lower Franconia), Germany October 2025 (Tour 12)

We first visited Franconia during Tour 8 (in 2023) and a number of visits since has seen the region become a firm favourite of ours. This stay was a short one; just two days in Lower Franconia exploring the small town of Ochsenfurt and it’s tiny neighbour Frickenhausen Am Main. Ochsenfurt (that’s Oxford in English) sits on the left bank of the River Main some 12 miles south east of Wurzburg while Frickenhausen is a village on the right bank of the river, just a mile east of Ochsenfurt.

We had checked into an outstanding camp site (Knaus Campingpark) which is within easy walking distance of both Ochsenfurt and Frickenhausen and over the two days had sufficient time to properly acquaint ourselves with both places.

We started with Ochsenfurt, a small picturesque town with a little over 11,000 inhabitants. In medieval times the town would most likely have been graded as a city as it was completely surrounded by walls. Much of the walls, together with the original town gates and towers, still stand. Ochsenfurt also had a small castle but; there’s little left of that these days and what there is now serves as a tiny history museum. Inside the walls is a compact town centre of narrow streets and several colourful, well preserved, half timbered buildings; the best examples of which are on the Hauptstrasse and date from between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Cross the Main using the Frankischer Marienweg Bridge and you’ll arrive on Bruckenstrasse. The first building to the right of this street is the history museum, known locally as the ‘Schlosschen’ (or ‘Little Castle’) although it’s proper name is the Heimaatmuseum. It is almost all that is left of the old castle and is easily recognised by a stone carving on it’s front inviting you to ‘Visit Beautiful Ochsenfurt’.

Walk the length of Bruckenstrasse and you’ll soon reach the Hauptstrasse which is Ochsenfurt’s high street and very much the centre of the medieval Old Town (die Alte Stadt). Stretching from the Klingentorturm in the west to the Oberes Tor in the east, the Hauptstrasse runs the length of the Alte Stadt. It’s no longer the largest street in Ochsenfurt but it is certainly the prettiest with it’s rows of half timbered buildings, an unusual water feature (not unlike a small “Bachle”), the Roman Catholic Church of St Andreas or St Andrew’s, and no less than two 15th century town halls. Oh…and there’s plenty of interesting boutique shops and cafe bars to be found on either of Bruckenstrasse or the Hauptstrasse.

The large red building near the far end of the Hauptstrasse is the Rathaus (town hall). Built in 1497 it is actually known as the ‘new’ town hall. The older town hall, on the corner of Bruckenstrasse and Hauptstrasse, isn’t much older but it was deemed too small and now houses the town library and a small cafe. The new town hall is easily recognised by it’s colour and it’s intricate clock tower. The tower comes to life every hour on the hour with the skeleton moving, the oxen bumping their heads together and some of the windows opening to reveal the faces of councillors looking out over the town. The show is all too brief but still impressive.

There’s a local market in front of the Rathaus every Saturday

Also on the Hauptstrasse is the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Andreas (Saint Andrew’s in English), parts of which date back to the late 13th century. It’s big and impressive and towers over every other building in the old town. A couple of chaps started practising on the church organ while I was there and, I don’t know what music they were playing but, the rich resonant tones of the organ filled the church with such grandeur and joy. I’d never thought about this before but, all too often, these incredible and often magnificent looking instruments are used to play such sombre or solemn music. What a waste.

I made two trips into Ochsenfurt that first day. One on my own which ended with a couple of cold beers in a small bar on Bruckenstrasse, opposite the Schlossen. The second was with Vanya (and our dogs) and ended with a wine tasting session back at our camp site. Franconia is renowned for both it’s wines and it’s beers. There are many vineyards in the area but the great majority are on the Frickenhausen side of the Main while the breweries are on the Ochsenfurt side. Indeed, despite it’s small size, Ochsenfurt has two private breweries each of which date back to the 19th century. One is the Privatbrauerei Oechsner (which produces a very good Pils) and the other is the Gehring Brauerie, which beer I have yet to taste. Germany is well known for it’s many beers but few know that the Franconia region has the largest concentration of breweries anywhere in the country.

A word or two about the Knaus camp site we were staying at. There are currently more than 20 Knaus camp sites across Germany. I don’t know whether they are all owned and operated by the same company or if they are simply part of a collective but; from what I have read about them they are all quite unique. They all appear to be of a high standard in terms of facilities, fixtures and fittings but attractions at each camp vary enormously and are often aligned with local interests and/or amenities. Some will appeal more to young families; others to those whose children have grown and flown. We fit more into the latter category (empty nesters) and this particular site on Frickenhauser Strasse appealed to us not least because the friendly and very welcoming management team has formed an association with a local winegrower who happily visits on a daily basis to conduct wine tastings. We loved it and we also liked the onsite restaurant.

Straubing (Lower Bavaria), Germany September 2025 (Tour 12)

It is said Straubing is a “Beer City” best known for it’s Gäubodenvolksfest; a 10 day beer festival held every August which features specially prepared beers from 7 local breweries. The beers are served across 7 huge festival tents which together can accommodate 27,000 seated guests and so make this beer festival the second largest in Bavaria (after Munich’s Oktoberfest). We missed this year’s Gaubodenvolksfest (not that Vanya would have been particularly interested) but I reproduce below three photos (not mine) which suggest that, going forward, this is a must for me…

Beer City or not, Straubing is one of the more interesting towns in this part of Germany and well worth a visit. Situated on the banks of the Danube in the east of Bavaria between Regensburg and Passau it is a well preserved historical and picturesque little city where we were quite happy to spend two full days.

Immediately after settling in at Campingplatz der Stadt der Straubing I went off to explore the city and find a restaurant for the evening. From the campsite it is an easy 10-15 minute walk along a cycle path to the city centre. The path runs parallel with the river through a small wood at the back of the campsite until it reaches the Schlossbrucke. Cross the Danube over this bridge and you’re in the city. In fact, the first building to be encountered is the Herzogsschloss; a Ducal Palace built by Duke Albrecht I during the 14th century. There’s a small museum inside the palace but the building is not always open to the public (probably because it also houses the city’s tax office) but it is possible to visit the inner courtyard. The city centre is almost immediately behind the palace.

Looking across the Danube to the Herzgsschloss

The beating heart of Straubing is it’s spacious mostly pedestrianised Markplatz which is a little way behind the Herzogsschloss. This market place is a good half a mile long and is actually formed by two squares, Ludwigsplatz to the west and Theresienplatz to the east, which are separated by an imposing watchtower (the 68 metre high Stadtturm). Both squares are lined with brightly painted townhouses with steep gables and opulent Baroque and Rococo facades. The ground floors of most of the townhouses have been converted into shops and cafes and, of course, the ubiquitous ice cream parlours – this is, after all, Germany and the Germans favour ice cream as much as the Italians. Other features on the squares include two impressive fountains (the Tibertiusbrunnen on Theresienplatz and the Jacobs Fountain on Ludwigsplatz); the beautiful marble Trinity Column (the Dreifaltigkeitssaule) with it’s gold top and; the Rathaus (city hall).

During the period April to September there are guided tours to the top of the Stadtturm which until 1930 was still occupied by a watchkeeper. The tours take in his rather spartanly furnished apartment. He couldn’t have been very comfortable living in the tower but the views over the city are second to none.

I entered just one church during this visit (the Papal Basilica of Saint James & Saint Tiburtius) and it was getting late in the day when I did that. As a result, many of my photos were rushed and underexposed and I’m therefore relying on just two photos from Straubing’s tourist office website to reflect the building’s grandeur and elegance. The first photograph, of the exterior of the church, appears to have been photographed from the Stadtturm and it depicts a stately and very imposing church which dominates Straubing’s old town. The second photo illustrates how bright and majestic it is inside the church. The Basilica is easily the largest church in the city and while it’s exterior Gothic architectural style can appear dark and somewhat austere, the inside is glorious. In addition to some quite remarkable architecture (highlights of which are the pulpit and some of the many side chapels) and a beautiful 15th century altar taken from a Nuremberg Monastery, there’s a brilliant selection of stained glass windows which includes the “Moses Window” supposedly designed by Albrecht Durer. How I wish I could have made it up into the bell tower.

Papal Basilica of St James & St Tibertius…

Straubing is home to a number of magnificent churches, including the 12th century Church of Saint Peter and the 14th/15th century Catholic Church of Saint Vitus or St Veit. There’s also an old Carmelite Church which was sold to the University of Munich in 2018 and, alongside it, another small but impressive church which was part of an Ursuline Convent. Finally, there’s the former Jesuit Church at the top end of Theresienplatz. Few of these churches were open during my visit but I was advised that some of them are as opulent inside as the Papal Basilica. Next time?

During our two days in Straubing I made no less than four trips into the city and walked many miles (most of them tracking down ‘stolpersteine’) but I also spent a fair time on the Marktplatz; just sitting in the sunshine over a cup of coffee or an ice cream, watching the world go by. People watching is one great pastime although next time I’ll forego the ice cream. How on earth can anyone as small as Vanya eat that much ice cream in one go?

Beanie prefers cabbage patches to city centres

The city entrance known as the Hospital Gate

Another occasional interest of mine, while touring Europe, is research into local history and/or legends. One story I stumbled across in Straubing, and which seems so preposterous one could be forgiven for thinking it a legend, is the tragic but true story of Agnes Bernauer.

It is believed Agnes Bernauer was born the daughter of a bath house attendant or barber in Augsburg around 1410. Being a commoner, little is known about her early life but she grew up to become the beautiful mistress of Albrecht, a son of Duke Ernst I of Bavaria-Munich. The duke grew increasingly unhappy as the couple’s relationship developed and/but was absolutely horrified upon learning they had secretly married each other. Agnes’s social standing was such that no child born of this union could possibly inherit the Dukedom. With the threat to his dynastic succession now very real, the Duke urged his son to put Agnes aside but Albrecht refused. The Duke’s response was to wait until his son was away on a hunting holiday and then have Agnes seized, condemned for witchcraft and executed. She was drowned in the Danube on 12 October 1435 while her husband Albrecht was still away.

Unbelievably the father and son were soon reconciled and, within a year, Albrecht had taken another wife. He married the aristocratic Anna of Brunswick-Grubenhagen and went on to have 10 children and inherit all his father’s titles. It is not known where Agnes’s body is but in 1436 the Duke had a memorial chapel built in the cemetery of the Parish Church of St Peter’s in Straubing (to atone for her murder?) and Albrecht paid for a perpetual mass which continues on an annual basis to this day (and that’s his conscience salved?).

The story would perhaps have died with the drowning of Agnes Bernauer but it somehow survived through the efforts of numerous poets, authors, screenplay writers, musical composers (Carl Orff made it into an opera – Die Bernauerin) and; no less a personage than King Ludwig I of Bavaria (who wrote a poem of his own about the tragedy). It’s future was assured when, in 1935, the city of Straubing decided to hold an Agnes Bernauer Festival every four years. This open air theatre production of the story, staged by 200 amateur actors in front of some 20,000 spectators in the courtyard of the Herzogsschloss, continues to this day.

Oh… and before I finish (I still have quite a few blog entries to catch up on), the Campingplatz de Stadt on Gstutt Island is great for a stopover. We have no hesitation in recommending this campsite. The restrooms are clean and well maintained and the small onsite restaurant-bar, which specialises in home cooked Vietnamese cuisine is excellent.

Marbach an der Donau (Lower Austria), Austria September 2025 (Tour 12)

We were on our way back to the UK, albeit slowly, and decided to overnight somewhere on the Danube before crossing into Germany. The tiny market town of Marbach an der Donau on the left bank of the Danube less than 10 miles east of Ybbs suited us perfectly not least because it has a very tidy little campsite directly on the banks of the river (Camping Marbacher).

There’s not a great deal to Marbach but much of what there is (the town hall, a church, a few shops and restaurant-bars) is on Marktstrasse which runs parallel with the B3 (the main road through the town). One exception to this is the ‘Zur Alte Fahre’, a local bar-restaurant which sits on a large barge in the town’s small harbour close to the camp site. The bar looks a bit tatty (it’s old) but don’t let that put you off. The welcome was warm and friendly; the tiny indoor restaurant area was clean and cosy and; the food was great.

We only stayed the one night but I’d visit again. This is a very pretty part of Austria with plenty to see.

Carnuntum (Burgenland), Austria September 2025 (Tour 12)

Friends in Loretto suggested a day trip to the old Roman city of Carnuntum. What remains of this city is to be found next to the modern day village of Petronell-Carnuntum, 30 miles east of Vienna and not far from Austria’s border with Slovakia. It is an extraorinary archaeological site (without any doubt, the most impressive I have seen) and well worth a visit.

Carnuntum started life in the time of Caesar Augustus as a winter garrison for one of Rome’s Legions but flourished to become a huge military base and the capital city of the Roman Province of Upper Pannanonia. During it’s time Carnuntum was home to 4 different Legions with the famous XIV Legion (XIIII Legion Gemina to use it’s correct name) being permanently based there for 300+ years and; at it’s peak the city numbered more than 50,000 inhabitants. In the 4th century the city declined following both a devastating earthquake and increasing barbarian invasion (particularly at the hands of the Huns) and; was finally abandoned early in the 5th century except that the city’s walls and buildings continued to be plundered for the construction of new buildings until well into the 19th century. Indeed, this destruction continued until at least 1884 when the Carnuntum Association (now the Society of Friends of Carnuntum) started archaeological research on the site.

The site covers 1,600 acres (exactly 2.5 square miles) and it therefore came as no surprise to learn that archaeological research continues to this day. As recently as 2011 a large gladitorial school was unearthed just outside the old city walls. It was discovered next to a 2nd century amphitheatre which could hold 13,000 spectators and was itself excavated less than 100 years ago. We wandered the area of the amphitheatre and the gladiatorial school; also taking in the nearby triumphal arch known as the Heidentor or Heathen’s Gate but; it is the ‘City Quarter’ which is the most interesting part of this incredible archaeological site.

The City Quarter is a mix of original ruins and reconstructed premises put together using authentic materials and building methods and finished to an incredibly accurate standard. These restored buildings are furnished with copies of the original fittings (some of which are displayed in a museum in the neighbouring village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg) and they provide a vivid understanding and appreciation of how the city’s occupants once lived. This area is located where the civilian city once stood and is accessed through a Visitors Centre containing various introductory exhibits and explanatory videos and then; outside, on past a large scale model of what the entire Roman settlement and military base may have looked like at it’s peak. The model sets the scene perfectly and provides a real feel as to the size of the old city.

Several different properties in the ‘City Quarter’ have already been either entirely or partially restored. These include an Oil Merchant’s house and his adjoining business premises; the city palace or stately home of an upper class citizen (Villa Urbana); a middle class citizen’s house (the House of Lucius) and; most impressive of all, a Roman Public Baths complex which is fully functional. Anyone interested in Roman history will find the ‘City Quarter’ wholly captivating. It blew Vanya and I away. The site is good value too. I think we paid about 15 Euros a head entrance fee.

The first of the restored buildings to be encountered in the City Quarter (and the most recent to have been completed) are the oil merchant’s premises which comprise a showroom, sales office, storage facilities and his living quarters. He dealt in olive oil which was used not only as a staple in cooking but; as a balm in medicine (for muscles, joints and even eczma); personal hygiene (olive oil was used to help cleanse and moisturise skin and it served to soften and protect hair) and; of course, it was used as fuel in lamps. Pliny the Elder perhaps best described the importance of olive oil to Rome when he wrote “There are two liquids that are especially agreeable to the human body; wine inside and oil outside, both of them the most excellent of all the products of the tree class, but oil an absolute necessity”.

Across the street from the oil merchant are a couple of villas belonging to the gentry. These properties are currently work in progress but both are sufficiently developed to reveal something of the lifestyle of Carnuntum’s patrician class. I think the most impressive of the two, on account of it’s splendid public rooms, is the stately town house known as ‘Villa Urbana’.

One of the patrician houses… can you see the WiP?

Without any doubt, the building complex which most impresses is the meticulously restored Public Baths. It is truly spectacular comprising three different baths (fridarium, tepidarium and caldarium) and all appropriate ante-rooms but; and this is the most amazing point, they are all fully functionel with the water supply and underfloor heating functions having been restored as per the original Roman technology of 2,000 years ago.

Entry to the Public Baths is at the other end of this street

A great part of the Carnuntum Archaeological Park remains unexcavated; especially in those areas where the military camp, the city’s temples and the governor’s residence are located. Further excavations are planned and more buildings will be restored but, as has already been mentioned, this is work in progress and slow progress at that. Meanwhile, there’s enough left to see to warrant another visit. It’s a place I cannot recommend highly enough… and it makes such a pleasant change from the usual castles, churches and vineyards.

Leithaprodersdorf (Burgenland), Austria September 2025 (Tour 12)

We passed the 2,000 mile mark of this tour while travelling from Carinthia to Burgenland to see friends in Loretto.

We visited Loretto earlier in the year (Tour 11) and those interested in the village can read read about it in the blog from that visit. This more recent visit was a short one. We were there primarily to see our friends although, at their suggestion, we would also visit the old Roman city of Carnuntum. However, our friends introduced us, too, to the neighbouring village of Leithaprodersdorf when we went for dinner at the heurige ‘Eder Am Spitz’.

At first glance, Leithaprodersdorf appeared a mostly unimpressive village of just under 1,200 people and a short visit of less than three hours wouldn’t ordinarily warrant a blog of it’s own (not least because we saw so little of the place during our visit) but; we were treated so well by the management and guests of the Eder Am Spitz that it deserves some special recognition.

Arriving late in the evening and not having made a reservation, we weren’t confident about getting a table but; the manager seemed more sympathetic to our request after seeing Nala in her wheels and he found us a table (the last one) in the party tent adjoining the heurige bar.

The Eder Am Spitz specialises in game served cold. Indeed, none of their dishes are even warmed let alone served hot. That may not sound very tempting but, there is plenty of choice and the chefs endeavour to ensure each dish is as visually appealing as it is delicious. I chose one of the many venison dishes and it was first class.

I mentioned earlier that the guests at the heurige were as welcoming as the management and staff. I should perhaps explain that many of the diners in the party tent were part of a choir and during the course of the evening they put on an impromptu singing performance. They were really very good and great fun. We had a great time there. Thank you to the heurige Eder Am Spitz and thank you to Leithaprodersorf.

I feel certain we will return to the heurige and when we do we’ll make a point of having a proper look around the village.

Steindorf am Ossiacher See (Carinthia), Austria September 2025 (Tour 12)

Today saw us drive deeper into the Dolomites and on through the Prosecco Hills (Vanya wanted to buy some of the local wine) before crossing the border into Austria. Rain was forecast for the next two or three days across much of northern Italy and it had rained a little during the previous night but, the weather forecast for the east of Austria was more positive. The Dolomites were almost completely covered in cloud as we left our campsite near Arsie but it improved greatly throughout the day and by the time we arrived in Steindorf, complete with a couple of cases of DOCG Prosecco, all chance of rain had receded (at least for the day).

I cannot recall the name of the campsite Vanya had selected (I’m still playing catch up with this blog) but it was in the small village of Steindorf on the north east edge of Lake Ossiach. The village sits below the Gerlitzen Alps and is almost completely surrounded by the lake and a wetland nature reserve for birds. We arrived late in the day but there was ample light for us to enjoy a short wander around the nature reserve before dinner and bed. Morning would see us continue deeper into Austria to Loretto where we would visit friends.

Arsie (Veneto), Italy September 2025 (Tour 12)

We were heading across the north of Italy on our way to Austria when two friends, currently walking the Francigena through Italy, reminded me that no trip to this part of the world is truly complete without one having first walked some hills. At the time, we were driving through Belluno Province in the heart of the Venetian Dolomites and, therefore, we decided to take a day out near the small town called Arsie. Vanya found us a campsite (Camping Gajole) on the banks of Lake Corlo and, after a little ‘googling’, I discovered what appeared to be a good little walk around the lake. It was some photos (well, one photo actually) and an enthralling article on the raccontaviagi.it website that whet my appetite for this particular hike. I’m much obliged raccontaviagi!

Another, even bigger, thank you has to go to yet another site I stumbled upon while googling the Lago di Corlo – this is the magicoveneto.it website. Anything you want to know about hiking in the Veneto Region (and a great deal more) is there. I’ll use that site whenever we return to Veneto.

The raccontaviagi photo which set me off

Lake Corlo is an artificial lake in that it was caused by the damming of the Cismon River in 1954. The resulting reservoir filled the Ligont Plain where corn and tobacco was once cultivated and 2,500 of the 3,000 population were forced to leave their homes with numerous villages disappearing for ever. Shades of Riano in the the north of Spain (Tour 4) but one hopes the Italian authorities handled the matter with more compassion than Franco.

The trail around the lake is well marked albeit narrow in parts; which lends credence to the stories that, in days of yore, parts of the trail on the north side of the lake were used by tobacco smugglers. I wore hiking boots but, they weren’t really necessary; it was dry underfoot and easy walking. The weather was mostly kind but it was very unsettled with occasional claps of thunder and lightning which, while never close enough to cause concern, made for a very ‘atmospheric’ walk. This was especially true on the long abandoned north side of the lake where just a handful of dilapidated houses remain. When the stags ceased their interminable bellowing (it’s rutting season), everything became so very quiet and still. It was almost unnerving.

The scenery during the walk is beyond my powers of description. It is simply wonderful. The lake’s water levels were somewhat low for truly great photos (steep muddy banks simply don’t help) but that is to be expected of a reservoir towards the end of summer. The forests on the north side of the lake were too thick for me too see much in the way of wildlife; just hundreds of dragonflies and a couple of snakes but; the aforementioned stags rendered anything else unnecessary.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole walk but it was a really great moment when I finally reached the pedestrian bridge, the Ponte Polo, which would enable me to cross back over the lake to the tiny village of Rocca. The Bar da Anna was open and I was ready for a beer or two.

From the Bar da Anna it was yet a short walk back to our campsite and on the way I would pass another watering hole, the Ristorante dell’ Albergo Parigi, which sits next to all that remains of Rocca’s old church – it’s tower. The rest of the church is at the bottom of the lake.

The Albergo Parigi is to the right of the tower

The bell tower from a nearby viewing point.

And Arsie? Roadworks diverted us through Arsie or we wouldn’t have bothered with the place. There didn’t appear to be a lot to it and the little research I was able to conduct via Google made more of the nearby ghost town of Fumegai (which was abandoned in the early 1900’s) than it did of Arsie. Next time perhaps?

Rivergaro (Emilio-Romagnia), Italy September 2025 (Tour 12)

Having made the decision to stay ahead of the rain by driving further east, we arrived next at Rivergaro in the Emilio-Romagnia Region. Those words almost make it seem as if we stumbled on Rivergaro by chance but, that was certainly not the case. Vanya puts consierable effort into finding unusual and interesting campsites and she did it once again with the Agriturismo L’Urteia in Rivergaro.

The Agriturismo L’Urteia is a model farm at the northern edge of Rivergaro which, over a period of time, has been developed further to include holiday lets, a small shop and a restaurant and, most recently, a small campsite which can currently accommodate 8 or 9 motorhomes (no caravans) and a few tents. It is well set out, spotlessly clean and has all the facilities that campers might need. The farm also brews their own range of craft beers. It’s a great little place within easy walking distance of the town too.

Rivergaro is a small town of some 7,000 inhabitants on the River Trebbia. It is considered to be the gateway to the Piacenza Hills and by extension to Emilio-Romagnia’s best Piacenza Wines. Vanya and I were pleasantly surprised by the local wines. I particularly liked the Gutturnio which is a soft red wine made from a blend of the locally grown Barbera and Bonarda (sometimes called Croatina) grapes while; Vanya was impressed by a fizzy white wine made entirely from the local Ortrugo grape known as Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini. Both of the wines we tried are produced by a local family business ‘Podere Le Lame’ and came recommended by Marco, the owner of the Caffe Italia in Rivergaro.

The town has a few interesting features being, the 19th century Parochial Church of Santa Agata on Via San Rocco; the 17th century Oratario San Rocco Pellegrino also on Via San Rocco and; the Santuario della Beata Vergine della Grazie (sometimes referred to as simply the Madonna della Grazie) which is up above the Piazza Paolo on Via Castello. The most pleasant part of the town for me however is the main square through which the Via Roma passes. This is where many of the locals socialise around noon and/or during the evening. I was delighted to be able to sit on the square early in the afternoon drinking coffee and again in the evening when Vanya and I had something to eat at the Caffe Italia. Lively town squares such as this are what make Italy.

Rivergaro’s principal square. I can tell you nothing about the statue

Throughout our short stay in Rivergaro, the weather was changeable (that’s a euphemism for “often wet”) but, it certainly didn’t deter the locals from getting out and about and the welcome we received from Marco in the Caffe Italia that evening was great. He simply couldn’t do enough for us and, after hearing that we didn’t have time to visit the Podero Le Lame winery to buy a bottle or two of the white wine which Vanya was enjoying so much, he gave us some at cost price. This is a place we will return to and we’re agreed that the ‘Urteia’ be classified as an Excellent Campsite. (https://www.urteia.it/en/camping)

Ceriale (Liguria), Italy September 2025 (Tour 12)

And into Italy and more particularly the province of Savona in Liguria. We were headed east to avoid the impending rain and stopped at the small town of Ceriale (a little over 5,500 inhabitants) on the Riviera i Ponente.

My first thoughts as I set off to explore Ceriale was one of disappointment but, my fault, I had chosen to walk into the town via the sea front and I’ve rarely been impressed by Italian beaches. Don’t misunderstand me, it isn’t that Italy doesn’t have attractive beaches. They have some quite spectacular beaches but; most of the Italian coastline has been sold off and is privately owned. The result is that public beaches are few and far between and rarely well cared for. Those I saw in Ceriale are truly awful. The same can be said of many of the private beaches out of season. The walk to the town centre took me past the worst of Ceriale’s beaches and past countless half built blocks of flats; some of which don’t appear to have been touched in ages, so covered are they in graffiti. This was in total contrast to the tourist blurb I had read prior to starting my walk. I quote:- “The town is famous for its beautiful sandy beach… etc”. I’ll let you know.

Now, to keep things in perspective because there are usually two sides to every story, Ceriale was awarded a blue flag last year (and not for the first time); which suggests the water is clean and; that some of the beaches, at least during the high season, are well tended. Certainly, the beach near the historic town centre and those further on towards neighbouring Loano do look altogether nicer.

Just to the north of the pier on the sea front (Il Pontile) is the Piazza della Vittoria. It holds a few cafe-bars; a small fortress which once formed part of the town’s coastal defences (the Bastione i Ceriale) and; a Memorial to the town’s men who fell during World War I and; it is one of the prettier parts of the town. It’s the perfect place to sit with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and watch the world go by. A little way behind the Piazza della Vittoria is the Parish Church of the Saints John the Baptist and Eugene (Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Eugenio) with it’s adjoining 16th century Civic Tower. This is the historic town centre of Ceriale.

The tower served as a lookout post for fear of pirates but it appears to have failed in this regard in 1637 when the town was sacked by Barbary Pirates led by an Algerian, Ciribi. Much of the town was destroyed. The church was plundered and badly damaged; many of the town’s citizens were killed and; 337 men, women and children were abducted and sold into slavery in what is now Algeria and Tunisia (most of them, never to be seen again). The town and the church were restored but a large wooden crucifix inside the church still has a hole in it from a shot fire by a pirate’s gun.

Having sat people-watching on the Piazza della Vittoria for a while I walked most of the old town with it’s charming narrow cobbled streets and pastel coloured buildings with terracotta roofs (rooves?).

I continued along the coast, past Castello Borelli, to the neighbouring town of Loano. Loano appeared to have better beaches than Ceriale but I wasn’t inclined to tarry there. Instead, I wandered up into the hills behind the town and made my way back into Ceriale using an excellent walker’s trail along the side of Monte Piccaro which afforded some fine views over Ceriale and along the coast.

A few words about Castello Borelli. It’s not a castle in the old fashioned sense although it may have started life that way. It was built in the late 19th century by an engineer, Borelli. To what end, I don’t know but it has since become something of a luxury resort. It comprises a hotel, restaurant, wellness centre and, within the castle walls, some 47 sea view residences. I’d have loved to seen inside.

At the beginning of this entry in my blog, I went in quite hard about Ceriale’s beaches (this can be explained in that privately owned beaches have long been a bete noire of mine) but; when all is said and done, this is an interesting little town and worth visiting. It is delightfully Italian (very Ligurian) and a fine place to chill with some interesting perspectives and not a little history. It is good to be back in Italy and thank you Ceriale

Saint Raphael (Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur), France September 2025 (Tour 12)

The weekend over, we continued south down the A7 and then east along the A8 to Saint-Raphael on the Cote d’Azur; passing the first 1,000 mile mark of this tour on the way. According to the weather forecasts we had at least one more day of fine weather in France before wet weather arrived and Vanya wanted to revisit Esterel Caravaning where we stayed earlier this year when visiting Saint Raphael. She was being troubled by her arthritis and desired a lazy day in the sun at what turned out to be her favourite campsite of Tour 11 (so much so we stayed seven days instead of the one we originally booked).

I’ll not risk repeating myself here regarding Esterel Caravaning or Saint Raphael. If you want to know more about what attracts us to this place, you need only use the website search engine and enter ‘Saint Raphael’ (to find out about the town of Saint Raphael) or ‘Esterel Massif’ (to learn about the Esterel campsite, the surrounding area and the other places in the area that we visited during Tour 11). During this visit we weren’t blessed with the same wonderful weather as earlier in the year (The bad weather arrived a day earlier than was forecast and, because of the particularly heavy rain, the drive down took over an hour longer than anticipated) but, no matter, the weather improved sufficiently after our arrival and our second stay at the campsite went well although we did little more than chill for 24 hours.

A few photos, some of them from our last tour. That’s how lazy this visit was. I couldn’t even be bothered to leave the campsite.

However, the wet weather wasn’t finished with us. More was forecast and it would be the south of France and the north of Spain which would bear the brunt of it. It was time to head east into Italy…