We
leave Greve after a quick internet session in the local café. Some random
Italian lady wishes us bon voyage. As nice as this is it rings alarm bells in
case we had seen her during last night’s visit to the Bar. Neither of us can
remember. Case unsolved.
We
are heading for Pianella, a small town some 9km’s outside Siena which we hope
will provide us with a safe place to park up for the night. The camping car
book leads us to believe one actually exists there – we shall see. On the way
we decide to stop off at Radda in Chianti. This is one of the final towns on
the Chianti trail and allegedly beautiful.
On
arrival Radda is everything we expected. Imagine the villages you see in the
glossies and TV programmes about Tuscany and you have Radda. Parking, again,
presents the main issue, as appears to be the theme with Italy but takes on an
added twist when we experience Italian road rage. Quite what the chap was
trying to achieve we don’t know, but he was definitely experiencing a monumental
sense of humour failure. The peculiar thing was that he was driving (and badly)
a car about the size of a matchbox, I mean would you really take on Onzo and
expect to win? What on earth was he thinking? Wife-y got involved too, which
was quite amusing: two extremely posh Italians in a teeny tiny posh car that
they couldn’t drive, turning the air blue (the lip reading was quite
entertaining) and failing totally at getting anywhere. He definitely needs to
hand in his man card.
Radda
should have been charming. It was market day, the views of Tuscany go on
forever, spread at your feet, pretty winding streets and the like. Somehow it
seemed to miss the mark though. Much like the scenery here, while very
beautiful it doesn’t seem to have a heart or a personality. It’s all just a bit
too manicured and, dare I say, soulless? Snooty types with their ‘I am
considerably richer than yaow’ attitude, a Knight Frank office seals the deal
and we bail. It seems that as the landscape changes and becomes more tame and
organised so the people become more closed off, it’s all a bit Stepford Wives.
Where has all the personality gone? We do find a bit of local colour in the
form of maniac market day driver who, although Italian, is sticking very firmly
to the wrong side of the road, clocking up a zoomy 15mph. Another café corretto
anyone? After a hair raising near collision he seems to pull himself together
and pegs it for home; a bollocking from the wife clearly worth the relief of
getting out of the car. Italian drivers are all officially mad.
Pianella
is a funny old town. It’s only 8km outside Siena, but it’s a nothing of a
place. A few very un-Tuscan apartment blocks, a couple of shops on either side
of the main road, a sort of shop/bar and that’s pretty much it. We had expected
a pretty little place, commuter village style, teeming with FCVTs all parked up
for free and zooming to Siena on the bus. There’s not one. There’s an Aire with
water and emptying capabilities, but it’s empty and looks like it has rarely
been used. This is mystifying. We decide to attempt parking in Siena and use
Pianella as back up plan. This proves to be a good decision in light of the
events that unfold this evening, but more of that later.
We
spot a camping sign as we enter Siena and go and investigate. Camping
Collaverde, sounds nice. We arrive and park up to enquire about price, the site
has tons of available pitches, the sign says that we are now officially in low
season, we are hopeful of getting a bit of a bargain. Oh how wrong can you be?!
Some jumped up twerp with an over inflated sense of self importance (you’re a
receptionist at a campsite, get a grip) gives us the once over with a slow,
disdainful ‘head to bare feet’ look and informs us that we are expected to pay
€35 per night. We laugh in his face and exit sharpish. Do these people have no
sense? The site was mostly empty,
pricing themselves out of the game and employing total idiots. Lessons in how
not to make money. Anyway, we end up in the Aire near the train station, €20
for 24 hours, free water, free emptying, lovely Aire reception man (who barely
flinches when I pay him with piles of shrapnel and who is drinking a beer!)) happily
gives us a map for free and directions to Siena centre (10 minutes walk thank
you very much). One is not surprised that Collaverde is largely empty, they can
stick it up their poo pipe frankly.