From the best pizza in the world to the most beautiful island in Europe

Traveling by van, near.so.far make their way from Greece to to the most dangerous country of their journey so far: Italy. Emily and Dennis have already been warned in advance about break-ins and thefts in campervans. Even though the two fortunately don't have any bad experiences themselves, a feeling of insecurity accompanies them. Nevertheless, near.so.far can enjoy their stay to the fullest, especially in Sardinia. 

"From the best pizza in the world to the most beautiful island in Europe".

At least that's how our further journey was advertised to us. Starting in Naples. The city where the traditional pizza was invented in 1889. We did it like in all big cities and looked for a guarded parking lot outside the center on which we could stand guarded and safe for a small fee. We took public transportation to get into the city. If you expect a nice relaxed city with cute cafes like we did, you will be disappointed here though. Naples is a very noisy, crowded, hugely large and highly built-up city that was very well visited by tourists.

Nevertheless, the city has impressed us and was definitely worth an experience. Of course, we could only get a small impression in the day. Who only makes a day trip there should definitely visit the old town and the famous alleys, watch the hustle and bustle on the streets with an espresso and definitely eat a traditional pizza. Here we can recommend the famous Pizzeria
Da Michele from the year 1870, where we stood in a big queue. in a big queue.

Coordinates of the pitch in Naples: 40.8272272, 14.3511754
Cost 25 euros per night

The most dangerous country so far

Yes, you heard us right. Italy is the most dangerous country on our trip so far. It's crazy because Italy is so close and familiar to us. We had expected in advance that we will have this feeling rather in the Balkans. But that's how you are wrong. In the countries in the Balkans, Greece and Turkey, we have always felt very safe and only sporadically from robbery and theft mitbekommen. When we then drove from Greece to Italy we were already forewarned and heard unfortunately very much of burglaries and theft in campers. It must be said that we have not had any bad experiences in Italy and this slight feeling of insecurity comes from the reports and stories. Since for us our van "Kosmo" is not only a motorhome but currently a home, it is often difficult to park Kosmo somewhere and to leave the car for a longer time. This has the consequence that you feel restricted from time to time. At the same time we have the flexibility of a mobile home, of course, the possibility to stand with our camper directly in the most beautiful places in the world. On the subject of safety, we can recommend to deal with it realistically in advance and to take precautions. make.

Our tips for more safety in the camper:

• go to guarded parking lots in cities
• steering wheel claw
• acoustic motion detector
• motion detector lights outside
• listen to your gut feeling
• secure locks

It goes to an island - Sardinia 

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily.

We took the ferry from Civitavecchia (Italy west coast) to Olbia (Sardinia east coast). The ferry takes about 8 hours. Arrived in Olbia, we were allowed to marvel at the beauty of this island directly during the drive to the campsite in the sunrise. Our first stop was a pitch on a windsport beach where dogs were also welcome. The site is about 20 minutes by car from the ferry port in Olbia.

Coordinates of the campsite: 40.9084103, 9.5698210

For us it went after Olbia further along the coast south to the so-called Turtle Beach. No here there are no turtles or no more as elsewhere in Sardinia. The name has the area by the rock formation reminiscent of turtles. But even apart from that, this part of the coast is definitely worth a visit. Small bays, gorgeous turquoise water and the very special shaped rocks make this place so special. To get to Turtle Beach it is a short hike of about 30 min from a pay parking lot. (we recommend sturdy shoes)

Coordinates of the parking lot: 40.8501443, 9.6683194

For the night we went on to Budoni to a campsite under pine trees far away from the hustle and bustle in the middle of nature. The site is directly on the sea and offers much shade under the pines. For our power reserves almost too much shade, which is why we moved on after 3 nights there (our power supply is completely self-sufficient via a solar system on the roof).

Coordinates of the campground: 40.6956183, 9.7299509

The next stop was a tip from our community on Instagram. The Neulé Eco campsite near Cala Gonone inland which captivates with a unique view. Pictures say more than a thousand words. With the view of the gorge, the reservoir and the green mountains green mountains you wake up in the morning and go to sleep in the evening.

Coordinates of the campsite: 40.3222945, 9.5546360

Sometimes things turn out differently than planned: Our plan was actually to cross the island in a southwesterly direction with several stops in between. Unfortunately, we had to realize that standing in the wild was not as easy as we thought. When we then the 2nd parking lot plus an already closed campground headed we decided to the west coast to Mari Ermi in a Slide to drive through.

 Mari Ermi is a beautiful white pebble beach that offers several possibilities to camp there. There are 2 campsites with camper infrastructure and also the possibility further back to stand game to stand.

Coordinates of the pitch further back: 40.3222945,
9.5546360

After a short check of the weather and wind reports we decided to go to go to a windsport spot further south. Meant is Porto Botte. At the place one stands on a supervised parking lot for a fee of a fee of 10 Euro per night with camper infrastructure. Porta Botte is ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing, especially for beginners. the shallow water. Purely for swimming there are in our opinion there are more beautiful places on Sardinia.

Coordinates of the paid pitch: 39.0248024, 8.5785222

Our destination in the south was Chia. We arrived there without expectations and were absolutely speechless. For our taste, the most beautiful beach on Sardinia we have seen. Finest sand extends over a determined 1km long bay. In the water are two small rock islands that make the whole picture perfect. Chia is known among surfers for the possibility to find good surfing conditions. In front of the beach are several parking lots, pitches without infrastructure and a campsite. We spent three nights on the pitch for 10 euros a night.

Coordinates of the paid pitch: 39.0248024, 8.5785222

On the way to the north, the plan was to visit the towns of Bosa and Alghero. In Bosa we can recommend to stroll through the sweet old town. In Alghero we also recommend the old town and its history. The city was once occupied by Spaniards whose influence is still clearly visible. In Alghero we spent the night in the campsite 25 minutes walk from the city center. campsite.

Coordinates of the campsite: 40.5792025, 8.3120145

One of the last stops we made was Valledoria on the north coast. This is also a well-known wind and water sports spot. Whether kiting, windsurfing or surfing here you get your money's worth. The spot is characterized by a freshwater lake that is separated from the sea only by a narrow strip of beach. There are several campsites in and around Valledoria as well as the possibility to stay in a parking lot with a view of the sea and the lake. on a parking lot.

Coordinates of the parking lot: 40.9298029, 8.8044262

To be continued...
It goes with the ferry to a new country.