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eddied 
Joined: May 09, 2005
Posts: 2477
MH: Sold
Gender: 
Location: N40degrees,35´32.15" E14degrees, 21´48.08"
Status: Offline
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Hi everybody, a couple of useful sites just visited on a trip up to Alto Adige/Sudtirol for Christmas Markets.
Overnighted in Rome after being held up by terrible thunderstorm and three hour traffic jam :
Planet Camper
Great Ring Road exit (7)00138 Roma
Phone +39 06 8887634
url: www.planetcamper.com
Signposted 'Castel Giubileo'
Just about 200 m. from Great Ring Road exit and very well signposted.
This is know in Italian as G.R.A. and is Rome's equivalent of M25, and just as bad traffic wise
A huge dealer site, with several score of new and used motorhomes on display. Also a large number in secure storage. Camping area very large, with several electric hook-up points, level, entirely gravel standing. 2 service points, one at each end, for black and grey water disposal and fresh water.
Paid euro 15 for overnight with hook-up which powered everything including Carver Fanmaster 4000 on full blast no problem.
As capacity for 130 motorhome,. no booking necessary. Reception open until 21:00 every day, all year.
On to the heart of German speaking Italy, Alto Adige; or Sudtirol as the locals call it. The autonomous province of Bozen/Bolzano.
Very colourful Christmas market at Brixen/Bressanone, in the Cathedral square of
a very pretty little town. Have put a photo in the albums setion.
Enjoyed some Gluhwein and Kandelerei, and a lot of window gazing and just a little shopping - prices seem high this year.
Very cold, with a temperature down to minus 10°C on the night of 01 December, followed by a very heavy snowfall during the night of Friday 02 December and the Saturday morning.
Our Bessacarr E645 was as warm as toast inside though with the help of a 13Kg. bottle of Propane, the Fanmaster blower , and judicious stuffing of little holes with old dusters.
We stayed at the Camping Hotel Loewenhof, Via Brennero 60, 39042 Brixen/Bressanone. phone + 39 0472 836216
url: www.loewenhof.it
18 Euro per night gave us 6 amps of electric, suffcient for 1 kw. on the Fanmaster plus telly/fridge and a mild top up of the batteries. We used gas for heating water, and salt and antifreeze down the sinks to stop them freezing up.
The toilet facilities were actually in the basement of the Hotel building, and very clean and well heated. Our only complaint was that the fresh water taps outside were frozen up, so topping up with freah water involved a trek through the snow to the toilets and laundry room with our ten liter jerry can.
After the very heavy snowfall of Friday night/Saturday morning, full marks to the local authorities for keeping everythin moving as per normal. We took the 10:33 bus from outside the hotel into the town centre - 1 Euro, and about 5 mins. journey. It turned up at 10:33 on the dot wearing its snow chains. Not strictly necessary these as 450 snowploughs and 5000 voluntary clearance teams had been out all night/morning keeping things moving.
We then took the 11:15 bus from Brixen to Bruneck/Brunico, which left at 11:15 and 45 seconds, wearing his snow chains, for the 30 Km ride up the Pustertal valley to the market at Bruneck. Again very pretty, but prefer Brixen as a place to stay.
On the Sunday morning explored the now fully cleared local roads, and got fresh water into the tank at an old army barracks that the local council had set aside as an 'area di sosta' for motorhomes, with basic toilet facilities, completely free of charge, for the duration of the Christmas market. Counted 17 motorhomes there as we watered up.
However don't regret the 18 Euro per night for an adequate electricity supply and well heated facilities.
The Christmas markets in Sudtirol run from 02 December to 06 January, the main ones being in Bozen/Bolzano, Brixen/Bressanone, Bruneck/Brunico, Sterzing/Vipiteno, and Meran/Merano. All make available some sort of facility for motorhome overnights.
On Monday returned south to what seemd to us now summery temperatures of 13°C.
saluti, eddied
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UK
