Umbria or Bust!

[socramsnalla]

We (Wife and I) plan to take our Marcos Mantara Spyder to the Tuscany/Umbria border late September early October to see friends that have a villa near Castiglione del Lago on Lake Trasimeno (between Florence and Rome). We plan to take the Motorail from Calais to Avignon (keep the miles down) and then Drive along the Cote D'Azure into Italy. We are allowing a very gentle 4 days to get there from Avignon and say 4 to get back to Avignon hopefully not using too many major roads We have pretty much got our stopovers in France sorted but does anyone have suggestions or tips for the trip/stopovers from Genoa through Florence to Lake Trasimeno. Its a there and back so we could do two different routes. Any suggestions need to bear in mind limited budget and little grasp of Italian (wifes french is pretty good). I know this is a relatively dormant board but come on guys here is one to get the Grey matter working!

[socramsnalla]

Very many thanks Olivero. Your advice is greatly appreciated. The normal tourist SNCF Autotrain from Calais to Avignon that we were planning to use stops running in mid September so we have switched to the Service that runs from Paris to Livorno. We will miss out the Cote d'Azure on the way to Italy but have more time to explore Tuscany/Umbria.

We have come to expect some rain in Italy. We once spent a week in Florence mid summer and had four days of downpours and thunder storms. Its all a question of luck if we are having to plan this far ahead.

I am off now to log onto Google maps and have a look around.

Once again many thanks.

[socramsnalla]

Hi Louis. Really nice retreat to get away from it all! I'll file it away for another trip. We have been to Italy 5 times before over the years but have usually either arrived by Plane or Boat. I have never done it this way before and Florence has been the nearest point that I have visited to your place. Thanks for the tip I will add it to my Google map of the trip which is now getting very full. I think that I am going to need two weeks rather than 10 days.

[socramsnalla]

Well just over a week to go to our "Umbria or Bust" trip.
Booked the Autotrain and bed and Breakfast in Aix en Provence, Menton, Spezia, and Lucca for our trip down to Lake Trasimeno.

Got my headlamp deflectors, Yellow vests x 2, red triangle, Spare bulb kit, fire extinguisher, updated satnav, insurance, phrase books and Maps.

What (if anything) else must I have in the event of a discussion with Italian Traffic police?

I suppose I should leave my speed warning gizmo (GPS not radar) in England. I understand the French and Italian police don't like them?

[socramsnalla]

In my driver pack.

[socramsnalla]

blueyes said:

socramsnalla said:

I had a look on their site and it doesn't seem to say anything about Livorno. Also it says the car goes on one train and you arrive later by passenger train and then collect the car. Not sure I'd want Italian train men unloading my car... especially if it was a Marcos! Is this what you're doing?

I initially got my wires crossed when I mentioned Livorno (based on out of date information). The Livorno Service is is not SNCF but interestingly I believe that there is a Dusseldorf / Livorno motorail service that is reasonably accessible by car from Amsterdam (Ferry Crossing). That service goes up over the Alps (stunning views) but I can't remember who runs it. I also understand that Belgian railways runs a service to the south in conjuction with SNCF

Yes I am taking a risk but I have two fiends who used the service earlier this year in an MX5 and a Scimitar GTE. The Simitar GTE owner insisted that he watched them put his car on the train and they were quite obliging. They assure me that neither of them had any problems and I should be fine. We have organised it that we arrive in Avignon and stay in a B&B overnight. The car travels overnight and arrives the next morning.

I have resolved my 10cm minimum ride height problem with specially adapted Spring assisters that I can fit on arrival at the depot at Bercy Station and remove at the other end.

We are picking up the train from Nice on the way back. WISH US LUCK!

[socramsnalla]

Hi Louis. Still on the trip. Having a fabulous time. Managed to get the Marcos round the Monaco GP circuit (at a crawl relative!y speaking). Wife got a video as proof. Been down to Umbria and now on our way back. Did Montepulciano today and staying in Siena tonight. Really puzzled though, have not seen one Ferrari or Lambo in Italy.but there are Porkers everywhere.

[socramsnalla]

At last! two Ferraris and 1 Lambo in Santa Marguerita Leguria (next to Portofino).

Arrived back in England tonight much later than expected. The Marcos got us all the way to Umbria and back to Paris only to have a fuel line go (next to the manifold). That was fixed and then the Steering lock failed in the queue at Eurotunnel at Calais. Becuse the Marcos had got to Eurotunnel before breaking down, I had to be towed onto the train by a French truck and towed off at the other end by a British truck.

Despite all that a wonderful trip. I think that some of those computer driving game designers must have spent time in the motorway tunnels around Genoa. Just wonderful with the throttle open and the top down.