We have now found a pitch in Pozzallo, Sicily. High season and 35 degree heat is stressful when travelling, and Sicily is probably better at another time of the year. Campsites are of course also significantly more expensive during the high season and we would like to find affordable pitches, but asphalt parking without shade is tough in the heat ... One positive thing is that despite the high season, it has not been full anywhere.
Nice pitch in Pozzallo
Several of the sites have not been more than half full, so it is no problem to find places. We have now continued east along the south coast of Sicily and arrived at Pozzallo, where we found a nice campsite. Here we stand on what feels like a green and nice garden, next to a large residential building, at Salvamar Camper Sosta.
Good service, good location, good price
We are at Salvamar Camper Sosta just outside Pozzallo. This site has all the services you need, including electricity (nice - we can turn on the fan!) and WiFi. The price is 20 euros/day including everything, and if you stay for several days it gets cheaper.
The site is on a large green lawn (the sprinklers are going full blast) in what feels like a large private garden with a residential building in the centre, and we can walk from here straight onto the beach. On "our" end of the beach, there are not so many people either. This feels like a place where we can try and survive the heat for a few days!
Unexpected events at the car park
Both yesterday and today we have been hanging out here at the caravan park in Pozzallo, Sicily. We have not even gone down to the beach, but just washed some clothes, cleaned the car and hung out at our computers. Soooo nice! So how much can happen? Well, a lot!
Unexpected event 1
We got a tip on Facebook that you can fill your LPG tanks near Pozzallo (Thanks a lot Christina!). If you have followed our journey from the beginning, you may remember that we do not have a permanent LPG installation. We have recently been driving around with two empty Swedish tubes and a half-full French tube, always knowing that we are facing a problem when the French tube runs out. Each country has its own tubes, its own couplings and its own LPG system, just to make life complicated....
After we got the tip, we took the opportunity to ask the campsite owner and yes, he could probably fix it!!!! He brought both our Swedish tubes without us having to take a step outside the site. Later it turned out to be more complicated than expected, but the helpful Sicilians did not give up so easily!
The site owner unscrewed our LPG hose and they would try again the next day. We lost the opportunity to cook that night, but then the owner kindly lent us a hotplate. And today he came with two filled Swedish LPG tubes. Absolutely fantastic!
Unexpected event 2
One day we found good figs in a supermarket and since then we have been looking for figs everywhere, without finding them. Yesterday we took a closer look at the bush we parked next to. But wow, it was a fig tree! The owner of the car park also came walking with a big pile of figs that he thought we should have and showed the tree which ones are about to ripen. It's just to take!
Unexpected event 3
Strolling around this caravan park in Pozzallo, you don't know what to expect. First there were three begging cats that joined us. Then Mr Dog came by. When we walked around a little later, we discovered that there are plenty of fish ponds. The campsite owner brought us bread and fed the fish so we could see them - thousands of aquarium fish in different colours and sizes!
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Matts Torebring says:
Thanks for the map, I am so happy when I see your journey and how far you have come. Now you seem to have got it really cosy, both on the plot and on the beach.
Someone told me that all of Italy's slaughterhouses are in Sicily, do you see any of that? (if so, I don't want to go there).
02 August 2015 - 19:41
Maggan and Ingemar says:
Glad you found a grass area 🙂 If you then continue out on the cape, you will come to the village of Marzamemi an old village with the production of tuna, now closed factories but cosy village. We stood in a car park right at the entrance to the village.
http://www.lillviks.blogspot.se/2015/02/marzamemi-en-mysig-liten-by.html
Another nice town not far away is Noto with its beautiful buildings.
http://www.lillviks.blogspot.se/2015/02/noto-en-barockstad.html
Getting a bit jealous of your warm and beautiful weather....... but ..... well a bit too hot for our part 🙂 ).
It should be warm enough on Tuesday.....Have a good time!!!
02 August 2015 - 19:47
snort says:
So nice to have the beach so close!
02 August 2015 - 19:50
admin says:
Matts, I will try to add maps more often! Slaughterhouses? No idea actually, we haven't seen any, but maybe it's not something you see? Anyway, if you're going to try Italy again, we recommend Sardinia, not Sicily.
Maggan and Ingemar, thanks for the links - I'll check them out! I can understand that people in Sweden are a bit jealous of our heat. But it is actually TOO hot. We have no AC and there's not much shade so it actually gets a bit stressful with the heat 😉.
02 August 2015 - 19:51
BP says:
Well, the whole Mediterranean area is "boiling" right now, so just remember all the icy Swedish winters, snow and ice. Then maybe it will be easier to harden out. On the other hand, you can go north and visit other countries.
But fun that you have now found a campsite where you actually get a lot for your money. Incredibly cheap, I think, considering what a hotel / apartment would cost.
02 August 2015 - 20:16
admin says:
BP, we probably won't go far north, but might move away a little earlier than we thought. We also think it's a good price, especially as free (good) WiFi is included!
02 August 2015 - 20:22
Ninny says:
Here in freezing cold Sweden (yes, it has actually been the coldest summer in a long time - I'm glad we were away for two weeks on holiday and got some heat!) it seems a bit unfair that all the heat seems to have stayed down there by the Mediterranean. We can happily receive some of it here! Me and my sister usually make an autumn trip, this year we had thought of the Alps in Austria, but have changed our minds and aimed at southern Spain instead - we need some heat...! Maybe you have some good tips? We had planned to fly to Malaga, and rent a car at the airport. Ideally, we want to stay in a cosy place, not too "touristy".
Nice to read about Sicily. We were there a few years ago, and really liked the places we visited. We stayed in Giardini Naxos, just south of Taormina. Among the things that made the most impression was to go up on Etna, fantastic! We also liked the food, we like to eat fish and pasta (not pizza). Especially remember a small restaurant in a small village in the countryside. We needed lunch and stopped outside a seemingly closed restaurant. Cautiously peeked in and wondered if they were open? Well, they were. White tablecloths on the plastic tables outside the restaurant, and we were served the most amazing three-course lunch, freshly prepared. How good it was!
Have a good stay in Sicily, hope it gets a bit cooler for you soon!
02 August 2015 - 21:02
Christina says:
guess you are driving around Sicily. A tip! In Giardini Nacos there is a large good parking space called europarking, close to shops and walking distance down to the city and the bus to Taormina. Also close to the big market.
02 August 2015 - 21:04
admin says:
Christina, many thanks for the great tips!!!
Ninnie, thank you for your long comment! It is a bit ironic that we are so hot when it has been so cold in Sweden. I understand that we should appreciate the heat but it is really TOO hot. There are many nice places in Sicily, but I almost think the island is better suited for air travel/charter than motorhome travellers. The nice places feel limited in area, and then there are miles and miles of rubbish :(. I know what you mean about the food! We had such a dinner at a farm in Italy once, very good! But in the regular restaurants we get tired. Pasta can be good sometimes, but fish and meat served a bit boring and expensive. Nice with an autumn trip! Malaga, hmm ... We were for a while in Torre del Mar - clean, neat and nice with a long promenade, but perhaps not super charming and yes, a lot of tourists. Nerja is perhaps nicer! There are probably some tourists there, but in the autumn there are probably not so many people. If you want to visit Granada, it is also interesting (if you are going to go around, not to stay in perhaps). On the way to Granada there is also a village with a very special history (most people were killed) but we never got there ourselves....
02 August 2015 - 21:56
Ditte says:
How nice to have a nice pitch and with grass instead of hot tarmac and close to the sea as well. Sounds good. Fun with the map that makes it easy to see your journey. But you can also pull out the old school atlas as well...
Wishing you great days here.
I don't miss the heat at all, I'm fully satisfied with the Swedish summer, even if it rains from time to time.
(I know that I can take advantage of the sun and heat when I want to, a clear advantage of being retired... There are many advantages to it....)
02 August 2015 - 23:11
Mr Steve says:
I see on the map that you are well on your way to framing Sicily.
The heat, yes, but at least you're close to the nearest swimming pool.
03 August 2015 - 7:25
Mr Steve says:
I see on the map that you are well on your way to framing Sicily.
The heat, yes, but at least you're close to the nearest swimming pool.
I apologise for the occasional anonymous comment. I blame it on not getting along with the mouse pad on laptops.
03 August 2015 - 7:35
admin says:
Ditte, I understand that you are happy to be in Sweden. But just as you say, you have the opportunity to go to the heat from time to time! I feel a bit sorry for all Swedes who have had such a bad summer. Hope August will be nicer!
Steve, no worries, I realised (afterwards) that the last anonymous comment was you. Yes, it is nice that we have the sea. But, haha, it's like taking a hot bathtub bath, haha 😉.
03 August 2015 - 8:37
Ama de casa says:
What a great pitch! Beats many of the campsites I have stayed at 🙂 .
Decent price also considering that it is high season and that everything is included. I think I would dance around in the water sprinklers 🙂.
03 August 2015 - 11:51
stripped says:
It looks really nice. We were in Sicily some years ago and fell in love with this island. There are so many beautiful things to discover so you have plenty of opportunities for great experiences. Driving around this way must be the ultimate feeling of freedom. Strange how different Sicily is from the rest of Italy in a good way 🙂.
03 August 2015 - 13:46
JoY says:
What bad luck you seem to have with Italian food! We have always eaten so well and long for Italy, for the sake of the food. But of course we haven't been to Sicily yet. Hope you end up in good places in the future.
The rubbish is terrible, we saw a lot of it on the eastern side of Italy, around Podeltat.
We are not completely discouraged from going to Sicily, but I'm still thinking about a few things!
Hugs
03 August 2015 - 14:54
admin says:
Ama de casa, dancing around in the sprinklers sounds like a great idea! 🙂
Ontripdk, great to hear that you were so fond of Sicily! Where were you? Right now it's a bit too hot, I think Sicily is better in maybe June or September.
JoY, we certainly won't discourage you! There are nice places here and the treatment has been good in several places. Then we come from Sardinia, and Sardinia was much more beautiful... Yes, we've had bad luck with the food, don't know if we're ordering the wrong thing? What do you like about Italian food? Tips on what to order are gratefully received 🙂
03 August 2015 - 15:58