As the sun is beating down and the beach is rather narrow with only soft sand to walk on, I opted for us to walk the couple of miles into Castiglione della Pescaia along the cycle / footpath. Not the most pleasant walk as the path is next to a fairly busy road but it was relatively shaded and cool. Once arriving in the town we took the first opportunity to join the wide promenade and walk the rest of the way to the old town along the seafront – a mix of private (paid) and open beach (Spiaggia di Sud Punta Capezzollo)….
As we approached the old town the overlooking Castello Araganse was dominating the skyline….
The promenade ended at the main Spiaggia Castiglione della Pescaia and from there we followed the river with its marina into the old town….
A pleasant town of old shabby chic buildings both residential and a mix of shops, bars and restaurants….
Unfortunately by this point the heat was beating us so we didn’t wander up to the castle, instead we found somewhere to sit in the shade and catch our breath before walking back to site the way we came, with the promise of a dip in the sea and an afternoon in the shade….
Time to move a little further south, as there is not a lot here to keep us amused – apart from the sun, sand and sea! Fortunately my kindly German neighbours were around to help me manoeuvre out of my pitch without any further mishap and we were soon on our way.
We stopped briefly for a quick food shop and then meandered our way up to the hilltop village of Castagneto di Carducci for a walk around the old town, stopping to admire the lush Tuscan countryside on our way up….
We passed the old church perched on the side of the hilltop….
And meandered our way around the narrow cobbled streets adorned with potted plants and laundry drying from upper floors with teasing glimpses down to the lush greenery below…
The main street home to a few bars and restaurants bedecked with outside tables and umbrellas or far reaching views towards the distant sea (from whence we came)….
Even the rooftops have a certain shambolic charm….
After cooling down for a while in the shade of the van, with all the doors open to ventilate the van we left the hilltop village behind and headed back down to the coast joining the main SS1 coastal road south. This section of the coastal road is in fact mostly inland a bit and not that scenic, however within a couple of hours we arrived at Camping Maremma sans Souci, on the outskirts of Castiglione della Pescaia.
No guided tour by golf cart here, we were just handed a map and told to park up in the car park, wander around and choose a pitch (or indeed several as there were quite a few others wandering around with a map) and then report back once done – straight forward – not!
With it being a pine forest with a similar twisty turny layout as the previous site, many of the pitches appeared just too tricky to access (though to be fair some very capable manoeuvering had been deployed as the site was pretty chocca) or were very awkwardly sloped, this was no mean feat. I did however find a few that looked ok and reported back to reception only to be told that my first 2 choices had already gone and my 3rd & 4th were larger pitches for bigger vans, so number 5 it was! It then took over half an hour to get back out of the car park as there were vans abandoned all over the place and when I got to choice number 5 someone had parked in the opposite pitch making it impossible to get sufficient angle to reverse into the pitch!! Suffice to say we did get settled onto a pitch eventually but that is 2 hours of my life I’ll never see again….
Still on a positive note the pitch was right next to a lovely pine forest walk to the much quieter dog friendly bit of the beach – Spiaggia del Camping Maremma….
The weather continues to influence this journey, or should I say, lack of. It is just too hot (being in the upper 20’s) and full sunshine for us to do much. Fortunately the almost total shade of the site is keeping the van and surrounding area nice and cool. During the night the temperatures are still kind and ideal until about 4 in the morning when suddenly I feel a chill and have to reach for a blanket to supplement the sheet I am sleeping with. The sunrise brings almost instant warmth.
We happily settle into a new routine of walking for an hour or so around 8am and then again around 6pm, usually along the beach in one direction or the other. We fill our days with further trips down to the beach for me to swim in the lovely refreshing sea, Tilly alternately chasing driftwood or pinecones and sitting in my shade and reading – well we are on holiday after all!!
Heading down to the beach a little later to catch the beautiful sunsets….
Tilly occasionally making a sit down protest in the distance if the waves are a little noisy….
Another hot day arrived, but oh the relief of being parked almost completely in the shade of the tall Pine trees makes such a massive difference and life is bearable again!….
We can forgive the site the difficulty of accessing the pitches (and resultant casualty) and as the forecast is for more of the same for the rest of the week, we decide to stay put and put sightseeing on hold for a little while…
In the morning we take a lovely walk along the campsite beach (Spiaggia Campeggi di Castagneto)….
To the small resort village of Marina di Castagneto with it’s dominating but somewhat dilapidated Fort and lovely sandy beach….
Onto the the pretty main street with a small collection of well maintained bars restaurants and a few shops. Passing a bakery is too much to ask, so we purchase a pastry to have with a cup of tea on our return to site….
There is not much else to see and that sun is getting hot, so we make our way back along the beach for a nice relaxing day in the shade by the van.
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!!)
