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Day 24 May 7th
Sauri, nr Cassino
Yesterday we left Assisi in the pouring rain and headed for Cassino. This followed a longish debate about our plans for the last two weeks or so. Anyway of went and, following a visit to a supermarket in Perugia headed southwards, still raining.
It is quite hard to estimate our height above sea level but I guess that we were somewhere between 2000 and 3000 ft for most of the drive. This meant a lot of up hills and down hills! Given that we are trying to avoid autostrada so we can see Italy the roads are quite narrow and certainly twisty. In addition, they are relatively free from traffic. This meant we could saunter along at a steady pace and look at the towns, scenery, and rain clouds as there were lots of them!
It was all worthwhile. Having been told, or had read about, the hill top villages of Italy, it is quite something when you actually see them. They really are stuck on top of hills and it looks as though getting to them is hard work. They dotted the valley we drove along. Having left Perugia we travelled past Spello to Terni, then Rieti, Avezzano and on to Cassino. With many tunnels to pass through it's hard to imagine the journey's that people in the past had to undertake.
Eventually the rain eased off and we began the long descent into Cassino. Although Cassino is not at sea level, it is only 20 km away so we must have dropped nearly 2000 feet. As you begin this descent, you can see the valley spread out below and it looks enticing. Well, given the rain we had had, and the sun that was shining on it, it looked very pleasant!
Five km from the town, we left the main road and began to see the reality, which is rather less pleasant. It looks run down, untidy, and rather dirty. There are many building projects but many unfinished or abandoned. We have also seen many houses that need more than a lick of paint. The streets seem un tidy with lots of litter and other debris lying about. All in all is was not very attractive, a huge contrast to the places we have already visited . However, our mission was to find a campsite and this took some searching. Eventually we got to it along a very narrow, one way road, but at 1*, and alongside the motorway and railway I decided I did not like to look of it so we turned around and tried to get onto the main road. It was then that we found the 'Polizia Locale'!
They wound down the window and gave that dreaded sign of 'Follow Us' so we did. Initially it looked good as they took us back by a very odd route onto the autostrada, but just as we joined it they began to exit via a slip road and as we intended we keep going. They began to wave wildly so I had to pull off onto the slip road, not entirely properly but they were the police after all! The wound down their window. Can't hear them. More words: 'Rome, Napoli' they said! So they were trying to help not drag us off to prison! We said 'No, no, camping?' and they shrugged their shoulders before waving and smiling drove off!
Eventually we decided to drive to the coast and after several aborted stops at camp sites that were closed we found 'Camping Azzurro'. Its right on the beach and there are two of us on the site! Very quiet, and very relaxing!
Tuesday we go to Cassino and then in the afternoon, Rome!!
But also, as Pete and Dud used to say, this was the end, or bottom of the trip. That is, we were not to go any further south this time. We have driven 1764 miles and it had taken about 60 hours and 49 minutes driving time. Just thought you might like to know!
- comments
ray such adventures Jon,wet, dodgy locations, possible arrest and police food (no wine)so camping azzuro was just what you both needed