Krvavica - Croatia



Stobrec to Krvavica, Biokovo Mountain Range

Our next stop, Krvavica, 44km South of Stobrec. Situated right in the centre of the Croatian coast on the Makerska Riviera. This little gem is a concoction of green pine woods, white pebble beaches and crystal clear seas, with a beautiful backdrop of the Biokovo Mountain range. This family run campsite, Auto Kamp Krvavica is still fairly busy, mainly German, Belgian and Bosnian campers taking advantage of the last few weeks of summer. The facilities here are lovely too and its a fraction of the cost as the Croatian currency is the Kuna not the Euro. The difference in price here is immediately noticeable and a welcome change after the high season prices in Italy and the rest of Western Europe.



Auto Kamp Krvavica



We took a walk along the coastal path from Krvavica to Makerska, which was around 3km. Compared to Krvavica, Makerska is fairly busy. the beach front is lined with restaurants and beach bars and there is every kind of water sport on offer. Walking back to the campsite we stumbled across the Nudist Beach. This came as no surprise as we had read that Croatia is a Naturist Centre and the leader of Naturism in Europe. There were bear bums and boobs everywhere and in true school child form we scurried into the pine forest giggling and unable to catch our breath. Clearly not the responsible mature adults we thought we'd grown in to.



Nudist Beach, Krvavica

Back at the campsite we showered and headed to the bar for dinner. It was a perfect outside area with a few tables lit only by small lanterns hanging in the trees and tea lights on the table. We had burgers, green beans and pickled peppers, not a common mixture but lovely all the same, washed down with some home made cherry schnapps.



Dalmatian Coast

The following day we walked back to Makaraska to buy some flippers and a snorkel and set up camp in one of the quiet coves along the beach. We bought fruit salad for breakfast and sat watching the crystal clear sea lap up against the rocks. It wasn't long before Jac donned his new water wear and was splashing about looking for fish and other sea creatures.



 

We went to the beach to watch the sunset which was beautiful, it is so peaceful here. It kind of makes you feel like a winner because its so undiscovered. Later that evening we headed back to the bar for dinner. I had smoked mackerel and cabbage and Jac went for Grah, an Italian dish with pasta and sausage.  We sat with two other German couples to avoid the rain and spent the evening finding out about each others travels and experiences. The following morning we were up early to head off to Dubrovnik.

  


Krvavica Beach



Krvavica Sunset



 



Ancona to Split - Croatia

After spending two months exploring a pretty big chunk (excluding the North) of Italy its time to bid farewell to the rolling hills packed full of sunflowers, the endless gelaterias and the 50 potholes we hit daily on Italy's infamous horrendous roads.

We excitedly boarded at Ancona Ferry Port on the east coast of Italy, feeling like we were starting an adventure all over again. The Italians are notoriously late for everything so it was no surprise that we boarded an hour late. We left the camper van, Oscar in tow and headed for Deck 6, the 'dog friendly deck'. We were directed to the kennel area and after navigating through a maze of corridors and plush pre-booked cabins we spotted six wooden boxes stacked on top of each other. The 'dog friendly' area. Oscar looked less than impressed and tugged on his lead in the opposite direction.

With ten long and uncomfortable hours of sailing ahead of us we agreed that we wouldn't subject poor Oscar to this doggy hell and found a table to set up camp at, albeit still on the outside deck. We set sail at 9pm, by 9.15pm we had eaten our pre-packed picnic and I was sent off to find Haribo to get us through the night.

By midnight, most people had retired to their cabins and those that hadn't were dancing the night away at the on board 'disco club'. We however were huddled, on the floor, in the corner of Deck 6 with a blanket between us, not ideal.

At 4am I am counting down the minutes until we arrive whilst Jac and Oscar snore away loudly next to me. At 5am I smell breakfast and stand with my nose pressed against the restaurant window until it opens.  At 6am the sun starts to come up and I am no longer tired, grouchy and cold but excited at the prospect of a cup of tea and a shower.

As the morning sun burns away the chill and the water turns turquoise we pass Drvenik Mali, Drvenik Veli and Ciovo, three small islands off the coast of Dalmatia. We dock at Split, the second largest city in Croatia, around 8am and we have no idea what to expect. We pass through border control and head to the nearest campsite. After almost 4 weeks of wild camping we are both longing for hot water, some electricity and unlimited showers. We drive 7km to Stobrec and arrive at our first campsite, we check in for 4 nights. The campsite sits wedged between the Biokovo Mountains and the waters edge.

We spent 4 days relaxing, walking Oscar, visiting the beach (and the bar) and chatting and swapping stories with some friends we made at the campsite, Christine and Jngeborg and their dog Mairam from Regensburg in Bavaria. We celebrated our last night (and belated anniversary) with a meal at the Horus restaurant. We shared a Cold Dalmatian Platter to start, this included prosciutto, smoked tuna, anchovies, olives and capers. Next we had Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Sauce and vegetables and a Summer Fruits Cheesecake for afters, all washed down with a litre of red wine. We left the restaurant and headed to the bar where there was a band called Acoustica playing. The perfect end to our time here. Next stop, Krvavica.

The longest ten hours EVER.

Croatia

Two very sleepy campers arriving in Croatia

Is it a bird, is it a plane 

Out for a celebratory meal

Stobrec

The worlds nicest cheesecake

Abruzzo & Marche

Abruzzo is a region full of hilltop villages and medieval towns overlooked by mountain ranges whilst Marche, lying between the Apennines and the Adriatic, is a much more varied region. It's coastline is studded with tourist filled resorts and it's beaches a sea of umbrellas. Behind this, sit miles and miles of unspoilt countryside, a patchwork quilt of farmland and mountain regions. After booking a ferry to Croatia in 4 weeks we have had plenty of time to explore these last couple of regions of Italy before we leave. We have spent around 2 months in Italy now and are still yet to venture to the northern tip of Italy. There's so much to see and do and we've learnt such a lot since we arrived. 

Camper Parking: Casabordinio (5€)
We arrived at this coastal town 67km north of our last stop. We went to the local shop to buy a 24 hour camping ticket for 5€. Hoping to save money before heading to Croatia at the end of the month we decided not to lead ourselves into temptation and opted for a quite walk along the pebbled beach with Oscar. There were camper vans lining the waters edge and the atmosphere was relaxed and slow paced. We moseyed along the beach for a good couple of hours before heading back to the camper just in time. The weather changed and it felt just like being back home, the van was thrown all over the place by the fierce winds and the huge raindrops sounded like golf balls hitting the roof. At one point We thought our bikes might disappear off the back of the van. Oscar buried himself under a blanket whilst we sat looking out to sea watching the storm.

Cassabordinio

Oscar playing on the beach at Cassabordinio

 

The wild camp at Cassabordinio

 Wild Camp 34: Lanciano 

37km north we reached our next stop. A spot in a relatively quiet car park outside a church. There were three other campers parked here and a few people coming and going visiting the church. We walked through a quiet square into a busy town centre with four wide boulevards of shops. We pootled about looking at clothes and jewellery and once again managed to resist stopping for a few beers and something to eat. We headed back to the camper for dinner, played a few games of cards and went to bed. The following morning we headed back into the town and sat in the square using the free wifi. We bought some watermelon from a fruit stall along the road and enjoyed it for lunch before leaving for our next stop. 

Lanciano Town Centre

Lanciano Town Hall

Wild Camp 35: Notaresco

90km north of Lanciano, this wild camp was at a tennis club with free electricity, fresh water and washing facilities. The wild camp was so quiet and had lovely views out across the region. As we arrived late in the evening we decided not to venture out and instead had dinner and watched a film before going to bed. The following morning we did all of our washing, washed the camper and lazed about in the sun until we left for our next stop, Recanati. 

Tennis Courts at the wild camp

 

Laundry Day

Wild Camp 36: Recanati

121 north we reached Recanati. A small town famous for being the birthplace of the opera singer Beniamino Gigli and 19th century poet Giacomo Leopardi. We stopped at the camper parking area with free electricity and water on the outskirts of the walled village with views of the sea, hills and mountains. It was fairly late when we arrived and the parking area was almost full. It's almost the end of high season so hopefully things should start to quieten down soon and it won't be a race against time to get a parking space at every spot. We were greeted by a very large Italian family who thought we were Dutch. We chatted with the family in broken English for a while before heading inside for dinner. The following morning we walked into the town to find the tourist information office. Neither of us were overly enthusiastic about visiting the civic art gallery or places that feature in Leopardi's poetry so we picked up some information on the surrounding area and headed off. 

 

The entrance to the town

 

Recanati

 

Recanati

Wild Camp 37: 

Abbadi di Fiastra National Park, is in a separate blog post.

 

Wild Camp 38: Cingoli
Better know as the Balcony Of The Marche. Cingoli boasts an amazing panoramic position, 631m above sea level in the Eastern part of the Adriatic. We travelled 41km north west to a camper parking facility right in the town. When we arrived at the wild camp we found a note on a barrier blocking the parking to say we must collect a key fob from the tourist information. We also gathered some maps and information about the local area before settling down for dinner. the following morning we walked into the centre of the town to do some sightseeing. We entered through Porta Piana, the main way of access to the town, built in 1835. Next we headed to Balcone Delle Marche, built in 1931 providing the best viewpoint in the town. Next we went to Castaglioni Palace, the birthplace of Francessco Saverio who became Pope in 1829. We also visited San Francessco Church, the oldest Franciscan church in Cingoli, the Maltempo (Bad Weather) Fountain and the Town Hall. After a jam packed morning of sightseeing and browsing around the shops we set off for our next stop Macerata.

The Balcony of The Marche

 

Cingoli Park

 

We did a spot of shopping in the town

Oscar grabbing a quick drink

 

Wild Camp 39: Macerata 
This destination was not along our original route however we decided to double back on ourselves and head here on the promise of a fantastic market. 35km south east we reached our wild camp outside a football ground.

The wild camp at Macerata

 

 

The ticket office

We've been told the market is from 7-1 so we get an early night in preparation. Naturally, I'm up before the alarm, mainly out of excitement because I absolutely love a market, even more so a European market. We throw on whatever clothes are clean, slacking on the washing front lately, and walk towards the centre hoping that we'll stumble across the market. En route a jolly afro American guy stopped Jac to tell him in a strong Texas accent "dem some sweet tats my man, y'nah whadam sayinn". Jac smiled nervously and politely thanked the man before walking away. From the bottom of the hill we could see the market stalls spilling out of every road and alley way into the centre, the sight of this almost caused me to pass out with excitement. The market was busy but slow paced, people weren't in a rush which was a good job as we were barely awake yet and neither was Oscar. We studied each stall for ages, looking at everything they had to offer. Four hours later and laden with shopping bags we stopped for some lunch before walking back to the camper to examine our haul. We managed to cram our purchases into every last crack and crevice of spare space in the camper before heading off for our next stop.

Some graffiti at Macerata

Wild Camp 40: Montecosaro
30km north of Macerata and back on track with out original route we arrive at our next wild camp. A car park on the edge of the town surrounded by trees (and mosquitos). We had dinner and watched a film before bed. Just as we were dozing off to sleep a loud bang on the top of the van jolted me wide awake. It sounded like a golf ball had landed right above our heads. Jac climbed up to look out of the skylight to see if there was any damage. He slowly raised his head out to look at the roof and was greeted square in the face by a Praying Mantis. The first one either of us have ever seen, Jac was fascinated and spent a good half an hour recording the insect dancing about on the roof. The following day was Oscars 2nd Birthday. We had scrambled egg on toast and took him back to the Nature Reserve for a long birthday walk. we spent the majority of the day there before heading back to Recanati for the night.

A praying mantis dancing on our aerial

 

Wild Camp 41: Recanati/Ancona
We came back to Recanati for one night before driving to Ancona for our ferry to Croatia. Jac made a vegetable curry for dinner and we spent the evening planning our route through Croatia. The following day we sunbathed before showering and heading to the ferry port.

Abbadia Di Fiastra National Park - Marche

46km west and inland we headed to Abbadia Di Fistra, this was in fact Wild Camp 37, however after intending to stay here for one night when we arrived on 21 August, we ended up staying until a week later. Centred around the Abbey of Chiaravalle of Fiastra. The Abbey was built in 1142 and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, there is also a monastery built by monks of the same period. The reserve was founded in 1984 and covers 1801 hectares, approximately 4.5 thousand acres. The reserve is divided into three sections, the oriented nature reserve, the anthropological reserve and the zone of protection. Also within the reserve there is a tourist office, a visitors centre, an agriculture museum, local produce shops, bars, restaurants, pizzerias and picnic areas. The camper parking area was basic with no electricity but we ran the fridge and appliances on gas and looked forward to the few days ahead.

Abbadia di Fiastra Nature Reserve

We walked with Oscar around the nature reserve through farmland and past an Agriturismo which took about 2.5 hours. We saw chickens, ducks, a pig, horses and some deer in the zone of protection. By the time we got back to the camper van it was boiling and we were shattered, Jac replenished his energy levels with a two person serving of Carbonara.  We had a siesta before heading out for another walk later that afternoon, this time we walked up towards the Agriturismo and across a road to a huge area of woodland. When we returned to the camper we had pasta and tinned tomatoes for dinner and played Benny which I won. Obviously upset that I was on a winning streak he accused me of cheating and made me 'admit' it before he would play again, we'll probably stop playing card games for while.

Jac & Oscar consulting the map

A chick at the reserve

The following day we went for another long walk. We found a river where Jac and Oscar went for a paddle and I rustled around in the undergrowth looking for frogs and toads. We walked along the olive groves to get back to the camper and shared watermelon for lunch. Later that day we went food shopping and stocked up on some essentials to take back to the reserve with us. We marinated prawns (again) when we got back before going for yet another walk, it was much harder this time round and I moaned most of the way. We got back to the camper and had a prawn salad and potato wedges for dinner.
 

Watermelons are sold on the side of every road in Italy

 

 





Prawn Salad with Wedges



Making Garlic & Honey Marinade







The next day we were up bright and early, we took our bikes and followed a trail around the reserve. Our beach cruisers were not very well suited to the terrain which made steep hills a bit tricky. Lots of people had electric bikes making it a little easier to get around and also making us look incredibly unfit, puffing and panting whilst most others sailed around barely breaking a sweat. It began to rain so we headed back to catch up on some blogging. We watched a thunderstorm from inside the van, although Jac was desperate to get out in the rain and go for another walk. Eventually he persuaded me and we set of through the woods in the rain. On our way back we passed the zone of protection, we didn't see any deer although we did bump into two volunteers who said we could come back the following day to see them.

Not quite the mountain bikes we needed

Excited at the opportunity to see the deer we set our alarm for 5.45am. We were sat ready and waiting at the zone of protection by 6.30 after deciding to leave Oscar alone in the van for half an hour. However our excitement was short lived when I had to head back to the van after we heard Oscar howling from the other side of the horse fields. He had managed to flick the radio on and was howling along very loudly to Italian opera music. Needless to say we were unpopular with people sleeping in the surrounding campers. After his performance we decided not to risk it happening again and took him along to the deer enclosure with us. The volunteers, Milko and Suzanna were waiting for us, we tied Oscar to the gate and headed inside the enclosure.

 

The deer in the Zone of Protection

Milko with two of the deer and his dog Otto

There were 13 deer in total including 3 young. Three of them, Sibilla, Antonio and Ceasar were domestic as they had been hand reared by Milko and Susanna for 1 month following their rescue and the rest had been brought to the foundation by other organisations and the police. Milko's dog Otto, a white and brindle Whippet was also in the enclosure and got on really well with the deer, playing with them and even trying to share some medicine given to the youngest deer Ceasar.

Ceasar

Milko and Susanna told us they were heading to the mountains for a dog walk and kindly invited us to walk with them. Our old camper would never make it up all those steep hills so they offered to drive us and said they would be back in 45 minutes to collect us. We rushed around like lunatics tidying up the devastation from our early start, packing a rucksack of mountain essentials and donning our grown up walking boots before they came back to collect us. When they arrived an hour later we were sat waiting on the step like excited little children. We piled into the car and set off for our walk.  We drove for 45 minutes to the Sanctuary of Macareto in the National Park of the Sibillini Mountains where we stopped to let the dogs have a run around. The sanctuary was built in the 16th century around the original smaller 14th century chapel. It houses as statue of the Madonna. In august 1359 the mules carrying the statue stopped and refused to go any further which is how the Madonna came to rest here. We continued our journey further south towards Casteluccio where we walked 5.7km through the mountain range. When we reached the vantage point near the top the air was crisp and freezing when you took a deep breath.

Sanctuary of Macareto

 

A view of the Sibillini Mountain Range

From here we could see Mount Vettore, Italian for Victory, 2476m above sea level. It is also named the cloud factory because it gives the impression the clouds are appearing from a ledge on the mountain, it was really impressive. We stopped for a rest and Suzanna had kindly made us lunch. We had homemade wholemeal bread rolls with sunflower, pumpkin and linen seeds, a mixture of vegetables and olive oil and a peach for afterwards, it was absolutely delicious. On our way back down we saw two enormous white fluffy mountain dogs protecting a large herd of sheep and their young.

 

These mountain dogs protect the sheep

 

 

Their paw prints were the same size as Jac's fist

 

 

Milko, Susanna & Otto

Lentil Flower

Susanna told us that two week previous the surrounding fields had been completely blue with lentil flowers. She showed us the flowers and explained that when the flowers dies the lentils are extracted from the plant. Intrigued by this we headed to Casteluccio to buy some lentils. We bought 800g (400g of orange and 400g of green) and got some cooking and recipe tips from Susanna.

Lentil stall in Casteluccio

 

Next we headed to a town called Visso, On the way to Visso Milko told us about a lake in the mountains that contains a crustacean named Chiroefalo Marchesonis and is referred to as the living fossil. This is the only place in the entire world where it can be found. When we arrived in Visso we parked the car and walked into the centre of the town where Milko and Susanna took us to the Collegiata S.Maria a beautiful church famous for a huge painting it houses of St Christopher and Jesus. We saw some typical medieval buildings and tasted Ciauscolo, a spicy sausage meat usually torn and served on small pieces of crusty bread. We bought some Ciauscolo and cheese from the butchers and got some bones for Oscar.

Ciauscolo, lentils & Pecorino di Visso

 

On the way back to the car we stopped at a famous bakery for a slice of pizza which Milko treated us to. Milko and Susanna also gave us some biscuits to try, they were called Biscotti Secchi Alla Vernaccia, essentially they are sugar coated biscuits made with red wine. they don't sound overly appealing but they were absolutely delightful. So after spending almost 11 hours with us, driving us around the region getting to know us, teaching us about local foods and taking us to famous spots Milko and Susanna took us back to the Nature Reserve. We were all exhausted after a jam packed day but we were so grateful to them both for offering to spend the day with us and show us around. We told Milko and Susanna that if they ever come to England we would be happy to return the favour and take them to see some of our sight. After such a busy day our heads had barely touched the pillows before we had fallen asleep. The following we morning we slept in, we even managed to sleep through the donkey at the Agriturismo that insisted on heehawing at a ridiculously early hour every morning.

 

Milko, Susanna & Otto