Italy in Camping-Car: rentals, tips, areas, routes

How do I visit Italy by camping-car or van?

Berceau de la civilisation européenne, unique historical heritage in the world, inherited notably from the Roman Empire, sublime marine and Mediterranean landscapes as a backdrop and with a world-renowned culinary culture... Yeah, you're good in Italy. Visit Italy to Italy camping-car and in fitted van, if not yet done, is to be done inevitably or to be rebuilt.

Between Piedmont, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Puglia, beautiful alpine lakes in the north , the plain of Po, Sicily and the Sardinia cities ( Venice Padua, Rome Naples, Milan , etc.) and their Roman vestiges, long is the list of things to see in the italic peninsula.

Are you planning to visit Italy on motorhome, van or van? You are right: it is one of the most beautiful countries in Southern Europe to discover. Here's our mini guide to make this road trip!

Ideas of itineraries in Italy

What better than visiting Italy on a campervan or in a fitted van? Just to pay for the luxury of being able to sleep wherever you want – as soon as a single spot comes to our eyes – and to visit a beautiful country such as a snail, without setting a single foot at the hotel! “ Superfluous goods make life superfluous « , had written the famous Italian writer Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975). Sleeping in her vehicle allows you to experience this sober maxim!

From France or from one of the Italian cities (by renting a camper on site), the routes to be established are multiple. In fact, there are as many routes as possible as choices, depending on the intersubjectivity of tastes: nature journey, historical pilgrimage in the ancient footsteps of the Etruscans and Romans, culinary journey, or exploration of Italy by the historical arts and monuments of the Renaissance. Arriving north of the country, Genoa , Milan or Turin are within range of wheels.

Several options are available to you: cross the whole peninsula to the Puglia to go back quietly, to visit northern Italy only, to run only one region – for example the Tuscany or Campania -, visit Rome, Naples and the Vesuvius region (with the archaeological site of Pompeii ) or cross the plain of the Po to visit Venice, along the Adriatic coast and, going up the Mediterranean coast. In any event, you will need to optimise your route depending on the duration of your stay. Here are some ideas of course:

• One week: Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda, Verona, Lake Como, Milan and Turin

• 10 days: the lakes of the north, Venice, Florence, Pisa, the Cinque-Terre

• 15 days: Genoa, the Cinque-Terre, Florence, Rome, Naples and Pompeii

• 30 days and more: South Italy with the Puglia (Bari, Lecce), the Sicily (Taormine, San Vito lo Capo, the Egades Islands, the Greek ruins of Agrigento, the Etna), Naples and Pompeii, Rome, then the northern Italy with Bologna, Parma, the alpine lakes and Milan

If you come to visit Italy on a motorhome for a week, it would be a shame to pass next to Tuscany, its landscapes and its heritage. Florence is only 405 kilometers from Menton (06) by the highway!

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

It is now easy to rent a motorhome in France. How? By passing through interrelationship platforms between tenants ( yourself) and particular camper owners as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• Start by choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).

• Careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if it is possible to travel abroad.

• Perform one online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.

• If your application is accepted, you will have after payment access to the owner's contact information to set up a First meeting.

• On the day of departure, present your driver's license and pour the bail.

• L’status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. On return, after having made an unforgettable road trip, sign the state of the return places and the tour is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Italy?

Before landing to visit Italy on a motorhome, it is recommended to make an online reservation.

To book a camping-car, we recommend you to go through a rental platform for motorhomes and vans arranged online, as Yescapa . These sites are now numerous on the road-trip and wild camping market. The principle is simple: you choose the desired vehicle – depending on the daily price, the type of camper/van/van fitted, the equipment of the vehicle -, you send an inquiry to the owner. You will then exchange with him or her to validate the last details of your stay.

Last step: after payment online, you receive a confirmation email and here you go to visit Italy on a camping-car!

Driving in Italy by motorhome: traffic rules to know

The camper or the fitted van must include a yellow vest , one signage triangle , one first aid kit , one emergency wheel and the safety belt is, of course, mandatory for all passengers. In Italy, highways are signalled by green signs while national roads – superstrade – are materialized by blue panels.

One. rear sign (red and white diagonals) is mandatory in a motorhome in Italy if the vehicle’s template is exceeded (velos, in particular). On the rapid lanes and highways, the ignition of the daytime passing lamps is also mandatory.

Speed limitations have a national scope, but local authorities may restrict them on a temporary or permanent basis:

• 50 km/h in agglomeration,
• 90-110 km/h on roads,
• 130 km/h on the highways.

As for the legal alcohol levels, they are the same as in France: 0.5 g/l, or two glasses maximum. Despite the appetite of Italians for speed, the controls are strict and frequent: it is common to see the sign “ controllo elettronico della velocita » (we let you translate...).

In the historic city centers, pay attention to the panels " zona traffico limitato » . These areas must be avoided because cumulative fines – for each incursion, a fine – can be rained after your return: only city staff, public transport and residents are allowed to circulate and fines can climb up to 100 € each according to the cities! This travel ban is permanent or limited to certain hours (8h-20h for example). But it is recommended to park the camper on a parking lot outside the city centre, because these signs are sometimes difficult to see.

Motorway toll in Italy: what price for your motorhome category?

We are sorry to tell you: just like in Portugal and France, there are toll-free highways in Italy. And these are rather expensive. In 2014, there were 5,906.5 km of tolled highways for only 937.7 km of free motorways in Italy. The payment of the Italian toll is a bit confusing: one must be placed in the line corresponding to the choice of payment that one will make.

First solution: taking a ticket at the entrance of the highway, which is presented on exit to pay the amount corresponding to the distance travelled.

Second payment method: the telepeding system: this system dialogues remotely with antennas during the passage to the toll station's portico. Choose in this case the files " riservata clienti TELEPASS". The transaction is therefore automatically calculated by means of the association of your registration plate with the bank card, which is debited.

Alternative system: pay tolls with a prepaid subscription card, named ViaCard. Three formulas exist: 25 €, 50 € and 75 €. Of course, you can only pay with your bank card or cash, if the toll station serves these means of payment.

To cross the Fréjus tunnel, a motorhome crossing (class 2) costs €61.40 in 2019 and the return trip €77.10. The Mont-Blanc tunnel is also salted: €60.4 per trip and €75.9 per round trip.

In Italy, the tolls are numerous and we spend our time paying... Here is an indicative range of prices:

• Como to Bari : 70 €,
• Como to Firenze : 27,10 €,
• Como to Genova : 15,20 €,
• Como to Roma : 47,40 €,
• Brennero in Bari : 75,70 €,
• Brennero in Rome: 52,90 €.

Crossing the country costs rather expensive!

Camping-car areas in Italy: where to park?

Italy presents itself as an open-air paradise for campers and equipped vans. Why? Mainly because it is easy to find where to park to spend the night in Italy and Sicily. Camping-car areas can be free or paid. We also find campsites, and reception areas. In Italy, wild camping is prohibited as in most European countries.

However, we found without difficulty many free parking spaces around the Sicilian coast, by the sea, where we slept in a van arranged without being caught by the police once.

If you are out of inspiration where you are afraid to receive the police visit by installing you, we have a solution for you: the mobile app Park4night , which is a community of campervans, vans and vans sharing the "spots" where they stayed. Forests, regional natural parks, seafronts, campsites, campgrounds, free and paid parking, areas to be avoided, "spots" ideals to go, roads and desert roads... There’s really everything and you can choose the type of place and the type of bivouac you want with an interactive map: it’s the survival guide of the travelling traveler! Several other websites can also be useful: Campercontact or Caramaps .

Prepare your trip to Italy in Camping-Car

Preparing for a trip to Italy on a motorhome, it is also to think of everything that will have to be carried in the vehicle. It happens in our preparations that we are head in the air and that we forget essential things. Here is a list of things to take and do before leaving:

• Sunglasses, sun cream
• Bathroom bags
• Mobile Application Panel: Waze (GPS), Park4night, tourist maps and guides
• Cables and battery chargers telephone
• Rescue kit (pansements, antiseptic, Betadine, etc.)
• Anti-moustic pulse
• Toilet paper
• Cleaning wipes
• Liquids (dish, soap, shower, shampoo)
• Camping kitchen battery
• Gas refill and refill
• Bonbonnes d’eau
• Small board games, dice and card games (for rainy days)
• Duvets and blankets, etc.

Think about taking clothing adapted to the season, nights can sometimes be fresh even in summer in mountainous areas.

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in Italy?

Although Italy is a Mediterranean country, the country has several climates: mountain and alpine in the north, Mediterranean in the Italian boot. The best time to visit Italy in camping-car is spreading from May to early October throughout the country but it can be very hot depending on the regions in July and August (we were close to 40°C in Sicily in early August!).

Months of April and September are acceptable but it will be cooler at night. Moreover, it can rain much in the spring, especially in the plain of the Po.