My last stop on the Eastern Europe tour by camper van was at my friend’s place in Italy. It was a spontaneous and random plan. I met my friend for the first time in the Canary Islands in Spain. Since then, we have stayed in touch and met multiple times. When I was planning my way back home, I noticed that a possible route would lead me through northern Italy. I’ve been to my friend’s hometown before and just thought I’d reach out to him and ask where on Earth he is. Not easy for digital nomads to stay up to date when they’re rarely in their hometowns. But to my surprise, he was. He was even renting a bigger place in the centre and offered me my own room. That sounded so amazing, and I made sure I could stay at his place for a couple of days.
Moving into the rental apartment of my Italian friend
So I rushed over the weekend from Montenegro to Northern Italy, arriving at his place by Sunday afternoon. I parked my camper in a public parking lot within walking distance of his centrally located rental. I packed my small backpack with all the necessary items to stay and moved into his place for a couple of days. The place was very nice and spacious. We worked together at the kitchen table in the morning, and in the afternoon, we usually headed out to enjoy some sun by the river. A proper work-life balance. My friend bought a scooter, so we could easily go around and explore the area.
We both were quite productive and had time to learn from each other and talk about a lot of things. He started enjoying cooking and prepared dinner and snacks for me. It was amazing. Back in Italy, with all the best food. One afternoon, we prepared a nice sandwich to bring to the river and eat there. It was probably the best sandwich I’ve ever had, and then in these nice surroundings. Mortadella with burrata. 10 out of them. My friend was enjoying it a lot, too.
Staying with the friend’s family
After 3 days, my friend’s rental ended, and I was able to move the camper van to his parents’ house. They have a beautiful place with a big garden. I was able to park in their parking space next to the house. I got power from the house and opened my rooftop to sleep there during the night. Perfect.
I hadn’t seen my friend’s parents for a while, and it was great to see them again. The mother tried her best to talk with me in English, and it went very well. The father understood enough to follow the conversation, but didn’t speak English well. But it didn’t matter. The intention to communicate was there, and we understood each other despite the language barrier. So I really enjoyed my time at their place. I felt so welcome and like part of the family.
One day, we were invited by the grandmother to eat fresh Italian Gnocchi. That’s another level, I have to say. It was so good, and in addition, it was also fun during lunch. The grandmother lived in Canada for quite a while and could speak English pretty well. Such multilingual, truly local experiences are my absolute favourite. Those memories I’ll remember forever.
Bicycle round-trip in Friuli
On the last day in Italy, I took off from work because there wasn’t much going on, but I had interesting things to do there. My friend left for his motorboat license course, and his parents asked me if I wanted to join for a bicycle ride. I haven’t done it for long, and sure, I said yes. They even had an extra mountain bike, which I was able to borrow. So off we go. A sunny day and perfect temperatures. The area is full of vineyards and a bit hilly. In the background, we could see higher mountains as part of the Alps. Sometimes we drove into a forest and had to climb quite steep roads. Very diverse and beautiful to see the region by bike. Once the father took me up into the forest and into a bit more technical part, a smaller trail with roots. I used to be quite decent at mountain biking when I was younger, but I realised I’m really not as secure anymore and have lost some practice. The father was still impressed by my fitness as well. Which is interesting indeed, since I’m not doing much sports. Nothing on a regular basis, just occasionally some team sports or randomly walking around when exploring.
Before heading home, we headed to a local restaurant/hangout place at a farm. It was nice to experience such a local place and see how locals enjoy their time off. Since I’m always looking for new local drinks, I got introduced to a new one. I knew the brand, but not that specific drink, “Chinotto,” by San Benedetto. I liked it. The brand is quite famous for its water and also produces one of my favourite iced tea tastes.
After a 3-hour ride, we came back, had a quick shower, changed clothes, and headed into town to have a pizza. We got in the little, cute Fiat. The three of us. Not much space, but it works and is very original. We headed to one of their favourite pizza places in town, and I ordered my friend’s favourite pizza – the house creation. It was really nice indeed, and we took a piece back home for my friend to eat. He was very happy.
A full day on the road back home
The next morning, I got up and had breakfast with my friend and the family. Then I figured out that there was some kind of holiday and, therefore, a lot of traffic on the highway. So I decided not to go via the highway, but through the mountains. I never came from Northern Italy through the mountains and thought, why not try that. The view is definitely better, but also way slower. I had time and didn’t even need to be back home on the same day. I usually like to drive as much as I can, and if I get tired, I stop.
I said goodbye to the family. Amazing hosts during my few days’ stay in Cividale. Then I headed in the direction West for a bit before heading north into the Italian Alps. I’ve passed close to the town of Cortina, where the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place. The roads were very good and the landscape beautiful. I passed many nice villages and towns. The area is part of Italy, but the people speak German. I continued to drive without many stops. I still had some things in my fridge and went out to some parking lots a few times to grab some food and continue.
I passed places like “Vigo di Fassa”, “Bozano” or “Merano”. From there, I passed Val Venosta and headed up the mountain pass of Resia (Passo Resia). Arrived up there, there’s an artificial lake with the upper side of a church peeking out. To generate electricity, valleys were flooded, and villages down by the river had to be cleared for the lake. What’s left is an unusual view, a submerged church and an underwater village. I stopped there for a quick walk and to get some fresh air. Since the lake is located at 1498 m.a.s.l the temperatures were a bit colder, which was great. I’ve been on the road for 8 hours already.
After a break, I decided to continue and not stop to spend the night. Although this place would have been nice. I had one more destination in mind to check out. A place already in Switzerland, where I’ve never been to. It’s an enclave, not directly connected to Switzerland via road. A valley and at the end a town called Samnaun, which is famous for tax-free shopping. Nature is beautiful as well. I just made it there before sunset to have a quick walk by the river. Since it’s famous for tax-free shopping, I also went there to fill up the camper. They have the cheapest gasoline price I’ve ever seen in Switzerland, and I refuelled fully. 80 litres were sold for 1.21 Swiss francs per litre.
Since I was already in my home area and speaking to the guy at the gas station in Swiss German, I felt like I was almost home, so I continued driving. I had to cross two more passes, but I was familiar with the road, and it was okay despite the darkness ahead. The good part is that during the summer it’s very bright for a long time. So at 9 pm it’s still not dark. The road was very empty, and I could drive at a good speed. At around 11 pm, I made it home after 12 hours on the road. Exhausted, but happy to have arrived.
