Taking advantage of the slightly cooler and cloudy start to the day, we head off promptly and follow the coast road south.

The coastal resorts certainly appear more up market as we head just a mile or so south from the campsite but the public beaches are few and far between. Soon the road climbs along the cliff with a similar vibe to that of the Ligurian coast, however the few times we do manage to find a safe pull in the vista is masked by trees and we are unable to see the small coves that we imagine are nestled beneath….

Soon we arrive in Pisa, which is not as large as I imagined and we pull off the road and take advantage of free parking at a Lidl supermarket and take a walk into the centre to see what all the fuss is about….

It is very hot though we try our best to walk in the shade as much as possible. The centre is very very busy with hundreds, correction, thousands of beings all trying to take a unique money shot of the leaning tower. We don’t join in but do take some photos….

Duty done we beat a hasty retreat from the crowds and hurry our way back to the van and after a nice cooling drink, we press on.

Arriving in the small resort of Donoratico, further south along the Tuscan coastline, I top up our groceries before driving to the campsite. The site is huge, a mix of rental caravan/chalets, permanent holiday homes and tourers as seems to be the norm and am shocked to find they have only one pitch available and that is only for one night. The receptionist sends me off with a map to check the pitches suitability but to be honest the map is useless and after 10 minutes or so searching, I am worried about having left Tilly in the van and so I give up. From the shady parking lot, I contact a nearby site and they have plenty of space (may be because they don’t have a pool?).

We head there immediately to check in for a few days and are taken in a golf cart (Tilly too) to check out available pitches and find one in the shady pine forest right next to the entrance to the beach – that will do nicely…..

We followed the golf cart back to our pitch and annoyingly as I was manoeuvring in I just caught a branch against the top edge of the van – our first war wound – only a small dint but even so!

The pine forest is beautifully cool and once settled we briefly visit the beach which is a lovely wide soft sandy one, not too busy, dog friendly and one we shall be happy to call home for a few days.

We then spend a quiet evening in the shade of the trees, luxuriating in the perfect temperatures. I enjoy a cheeky cold Aperol Spritz and Tilly amuses herself playing with a huge pine cone….

Today’s stats:

• Miles driven – 79
• Miles walked – 7
• Beaches – 1
• Fuel – £114.46 (ouch! Note in Italy they charge extra for filling up for you and this chap was particularly quick off the mark and filling up before I had a chance to do it myself!!)
• Groceries – £8.56
• O/N – £18.90