INTRODUCTION
Italy has a wide choice of motorcaravan stopovers - there's a
good selection in the French Guide Officiel des Etapes, and I was also given a good
booklet called Portolano '99 while we were parked in Turin (the local club's chairman
knocked the door while we were having lunch and gave us a copy. We thought we were parking
incorrectly!). The booklet is produced by Pleinair, who also have a web site (click here).
Campsites are numerous in Italy, but we didn't find them cheap,
particularly in the Dolomites, and pitch sizes are quite often smaller than the UK.
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INDEX
LOMBARDIA/BERGAMO
LOVERE STEZZANO
LOMBARDIA/BRESCIA
ISEO PISOGNE
LOMBARDIA/MANTOVA
MONZAMBANO 
PIEMONTE/ALESSANDRIA
ACQUI TERME CASALE MONFERRATO
PIEMONTE/CUNEO
BORGO SAN DALMAZZO CHERASCO
LURISIA MONDOVI
PAESANA SAN DAMIANO MACRA
PIEMONTE/TORINO
FENESTRELLE PINEROLO
TRENTINO/BOLZANO
PASSO PORDOI
TRENTINO/TRENTO
CALCERINICA PASSO DI COSTALUNGA ZIANO DI FIEMME
VENETO/BELLUNO
CORTINA
PASSO FALZAREGO
VENETO/VERONA
SOAVE
VENETO/VICENZA
BASSANO DEL GRAPPA MONTEBELLO VICENTINO
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ACQUI TERME (PIEMONTE/ALESSANDRIA) - Free parking
by old Battisti barracks. Free water/Chem disp. Very busy, and noisy in night (A brass
band was rehearsing next door to us! - bad choice for a Friday). Lovely town, but we
obviously only stayed one night. (May 2004). Index
ARONA
- Camp Rose, DORMELETTO (0322 497083). One of several sites situated at south end of Lake
Maggiore. Good access, reasonable value (though cheaper next door!). No English spoken.
Nice situation right on the lake. Modern Toilet block - some English toilets, but several
closed late in the season. 28000L, inc. shaver point, showers 500L (Sept, 1999).
BASSANO DEL GRAPPA
(VENETO/VICENZA) - Free parking in walled carpark with security gates. (No problem with
being locked in!) Very quiet. No facilities. Lovely old town by river, covered wooden
bridge. (June 2004). Index
BAVENO
- Camping Stresa - LAKE MAGGIORE - situated within the town - difficult entrance for
larger vans, enclosed by buildings (reminded me of Steptoes’ yard). Small plots
(usual for Italy). Sanitary facilities old but clean (English toilets). Small
bar/restaurant on site. Lady manager spoke English, but could be temperamental. Well
situated as base for Lake Maggiore. 23000L, Showers 1800L, Hot water 100L (Sept 1999).
BORGO SAN DALMAZZO (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) -
Via Giovanni XXIII - free parking next to sportsfield. local signposting. Free services.
Next to railway line, so we didn't stay overnight, but the town looked quite nice. (May
2004). Index
CALCERINICA (TRENTINO/TRENTO) - Free parking by
church, slight sloping, no facilities. Lovely town by Lake Caldonazzo. Nice lakeside
walks. Very hot. (June 2004). Index
CAMPITELLO - Camp Miravale - TRENTO (0462 62002). Situated
within town, easy access, beautiful view of the Dolomites. Very clean facilities,
reasonable size plots. 39500L inc. showers and electricity (2A only!) (Sept 1999).
CASALE MONFERRATO
(PIEMONTE/ALESSANDRIA) - free parking in square beside castle walls. Water/waste disposal
free. Illuminated. No signposting. Lovely town with historic centre. Avoid on
weekends (boy racers into the early hours, though not threatening), also Tues and Fri
markets. (May 2004). Index
CHERASCO (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) - Free parking at
entrance to the town. Pretty Bastide type town on plateau. Free water and chem. disposal.
Good walk around perimeter walls. Noisy road at night. Local signposting. (May 2004). Index
CORTINA (VENETO/BELLUNO) - Free parking at Fiames, just
outside Cortina. Illuminated, water/waste, hardstandings. Sited on old airfield (still
used by helicopters!). Free now, but looked as though it is charged at some time (possibly
in winter?). (June 2004). Index
FENESTRELLE (PIEMONTE/TORINO) - Aree Sosta - Free
motorcaravan parking above village, next to cemetery. Buses park at bottom end, but not a
problem. Free water, chem disposal. 8 places, illuminated, signposted, good views. Pretty
village, shops, restaurants. (May 2004). Index
ISEO
(LOMBARDIA/BRESCIA) - Free parking in square by the port. No facilities. Lovely views of
Lake Iseo, nice walks. Quiet at night. Good Friday market. (June 2004). Index
LOVERE (LOMBARDIA/BERGAMO) - Free parking by lakeside
(not dedicated). Crowded by day, but OK at night. Free water only. Beautiful town, with
lovely views of Lake Iseo. Very hot and humid in May. (May 2004). Index
LUCCA (TUSCANY) - Viale Luporini Sant'Anna - free motorcaravan park
on the outskirts of Lucca (10 min walk to the walled city) which will accommodate 20 - 30
vehicles. free services. A nice location with some shading. Lucca is a beautiful city with
plenty to see- well worth the visit. The park was quite busy and is very popular with all
nationalities (no British while we were there!). I found this site in the Pleinair
booklet. (May 2001).
LURISIA (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) - Free reserved
motorcaravan park with space for 10 vans. Free water/waste disposal. A bit overgrown when
we arrived, but three workmen came and proceeded to cut the grass (perhaps we were the
first of the season!). A lovely spa town, where I believe Madame Curie originated. Nice
walks, very quiet, and well signposted. (May 2004) Index
MENAGGIO - Camping Europa - LAKE COMO (0344 31187).
Small shady site on the edge of town, not very clean, awkward access. Small plots, old,
dark shower block. 25000L inc. showers (Sept 1999).
MOLVENO - Camping Spiaggia - TRENTO (0461 586978) - signposted
from SS421. Beautiful setting on the edge of the Lake Molveno. Well run, clean modern
sanitary facilities, reasonable size plots and easy access. Water outlets spaced out
regularly. English spoken. Lovely town, good walks, worth staying several days. 35000L
inc. showers and electricity. (Sept 1999).
MONDOVI (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) - Piazza Repubblica,
near old railway station. Free motorcaravan parking, with free water, waste disposal,
quiet at night. Good stopover, very popular. Beautiful town by river, in two parts -
Piazza (old), on the hill, and Breo (new), below. Good shops, cafes etc. Very well
signposted. (May 2004). Index
MONTEBELLO
VICENTINO (VENETO/VICENZA) - Piazza del Redentore, at start of town near sports field.
Free parking and water/chem disposal. We were there on a Saturday, and it looked as though
it may be noisy, so we parked in the adjoining cemetery carpark for the night - probably
OK on weekdays. (June 2004) Index
MONZAMBANO (LOMBARDIA/MANTOVA) - Via Degli Alpini -
Dedicated Motorcaravan site, run by local M/van club. Well signposted, gravel, level,
services, quiet (even on Friday!). Illuminated. Electricity (although ours went off at
midnight). 5E weekdays, 10E/day weekends - well worth it. (June 2004). Index
PAESANA (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) - Free parking by river
Po. No services, but pretty location. Quiet, but the river seemed quite loud during the
night, when everything else was silent. Nice town with facilities. (May 2004). Index
PASSO di COSTALUNGA (TRENTINO/TRENTO) - Free
parking at pass. Beautiful scenery and walks. No facilities, but drinking water
fountain nearby. Illuminated. Lots of traffic in day (motorbikes!), but very quiet at
night. (June 2004). Index
PASSO FALZAREGO (VENETO/BELLUNO) - free parking
by cable car. No facilities. Great walks, good base for climbing. Beautiful views. (June
2004). Index
PASSO PORDOI (TRENTINO/BOLZANO) - Free parking at
cablecar carpark. No facilities. Beautiful surroundings, walks. (Good walk to German war
cemetery). No illumination. Very quiet. (June 2004). Index
PAVULLO NEL FRIGNANO (EMILIA ROMAGNA) - small free
motorcaravan park in wooded picnic area on outskirts of town. Fresh water and waste
disposal facilities. Pleinair booklet (May 2001).
PESCANTINA (VENETO) - Public car park on main road through Pescantina.
Fresh water only. OK for overnight stop. (May 2001).
PINEROLO (PIEMONTE/TORINO) - Via Vecchia di
Buriasco - free chem. disposal, but only one water tap, so drinking water doubtful. Well
signposted. Parking possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. (May 2004). Index
PISOGNE (LOMBARDIA/BRESCIA) - Free parking outside
Camping Eden, on edge of town. No facilities, but water available in supermarket carpark
nearby. Hardstanding, no signposting. Lovely town with lakeside setting on north end of
Lake Iseo. Railway line opposite, but not a problem (no expresses, no running at night).
Nice walks by lake and behind town. (June 2004). Index
SAN DAMIANO MACRA (PIEMONTE/CUNEO) - Free
parking in the police piazza. Drinking water by the side of the church. Lovely location in
the Maira valley, up from Dronero, where there are motorcaravan facilities, though not
quiet enough for overnight parking. (May 2004). Index
S.MICHELE D’ADIGE - Hotel Moser Carmela - small campsite
at rear of hotel on main Trento road (noise from road and adjacent railway). Meals
available at hotel. Clean toilet block , but showers cold!). Overnight stop only. 25000L
inc. showers and electricity. (Sept 1999).
SELVA di VAL GARDENA - (TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE) - Designated
motorcaravan free parking above Selva next to ski lifts (no facilities, overnight only).
Pleinair booklet. (Sept 1999).
SOAVE (VENETO/VERONA) - Porto Bassano. Free
parking by castle wall, with free water/chem disp. Shaded, local signposting. Nice town
overlooked by castle, but road was noisy, so we didn't stay overnight. (June 2004). Index
STEZZANO (LOMBARDIA/BERGAMO) - Free
motorcaravan parking in Via Mascagni. Easy to miss signpost for street, only local
signpost for parking. Free water/chem disposal. Quiet, apart from being under Bergamo
airport flight path! Pretty sanctuary just outside town. (May 2004). Index
VIPITENO - (TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE) - "Autocamp Sidobre" (0472
721791). Overnight park for both motorcaravans and caravans. Adjacent to "Top
Stop" restaurant which has showers, laundry etc. Fresh water, waste facilities and
electricity included in price. Ideal stopover before entering Austria. ET/Pleinair.
20000L/night. (May 2001).
ZIANO DI FIEMME (TRENTINO/TRENTO)
- Free parking behind church, next to supermarket. No facilities, but village fountain
just around corner. Very quiet, illuminated. Small town by the river Avisio. (June 2004). Index
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