Paradise - at last?

Marilena's idea of paradise is a campsite that is clean, has excellent toilet facilities and a friendly staff; moreover, it should be adjacent to a splendid beach (or have a top class swimming pool) and within easy reach there must to be an interesting village (or town) where one can stroll in the evening and have an ice-cream to help the digestion before taking to bed. A bonus is if there is a nearby railway staion for easy access to other destinations. Well I'm happy to report that we may have just (finally) landed on our feet with our most recent stop; but it only came about by accident.

On leaving Corigliano (by the Ionian Sea) we crossed Calabria to the western coast. I had identified a likely-looking site from our campsite guide and half a day later we rolled up to this very pretty place with lovely palm trees and flowers fringing the walkways of the campground; 'We're in clover,' I thought. We completed the admin and then drove to our pitch; it looked great and Marilena was excited to spot the swimming pool just 20 yards away over the hedge. Cool.

We stepped out of the camper ready to set up the awning and settle into our new residence for the next few days. And that's when the demons struck! Mosquitoes - and by the dozen. They attached themselves to us and within five minutes we had to run back into the camper for safety. Unfortunately Marilena was very badly bitten indeed and required insect bite cream to ease the discomfort (subsequently she had to take a painkiller and retire to bed early). So we turned around and left. I checked the camping guide we had (again), located another campsite and we drove over the local mountain road to a popular tourist town called Tropea.

Tropea - a beautiful little town on the Calabrian coast.

Turning into the Tropea seafront we were presented with signs to several campsites all adjacent to each other and before we knew what was happening we found ourselves being ushered into a lovely little family site by a smiling staff. Ahh! at last a site that Marilena could really relax in and enjoy. And so far it has met all our expectations. This morning at 8 am the panificio van (baker) pulled in and we bought freshly made bread rolls and apricot croissants. Then an hour later the fresh fish man arrived with his little three-wheeled moto-carozella and we had some fresh fish from him. Great!

We bought a little electric (indoor( grill last year and it's proving to be a very useful addition to the camper's tiny kitchen.

Opposite the campground are steps that take one up the cliff to the central piazza in town (how convenient is that?) We climbed them and spent an hour exploring and doing a little shopping this morning and then it was off to the beach (100 yards away) and a splash in the most beautiful blue sea imaginable! Lunch - prepared by the two of us - was fresh grilled fish, braised local Tropea red onions, ratatouille and potatoes, accompanied by local white wine. Desert was Italian coffee and another round of (morning) croissants. Lovely.