RV Travel Italy

I haven't personally, but I have old friends in Italy who do vacation on RV's and they like it. The pros are: - if you enjoy camping, it's better than sleeping in a tent. - you get to take the hotel room with you rather than packing and unpacking each time. The cons are: - You can't live like a gypsy, therefore you need to check in campgrounds that take RV's. They tend to be outside of cities. As a result RVs are great to vacation at the seaside, the countryside, the lakes, the mountains etc., but not so good to visit Rome or Venice. - They are great for extended periods spent at the same location (at least a week per campground). But if you want to change location every day, it may not be that efficient. Checking in and out and setting up at the campground takes time.
- RV's tend to be big for some ancient streets in Italian towns, as a result they are hard if not impossible to maneuver in many urban streets and also some country roads. I don't know what type of vacation and where you are envisioning. However I wouldn't consider it if you want to visit the Italian cities and towns. If you want to spend some time in the Alps or at the beach locations, then it's another matter. There are plenty of RV's campgrounds in those vacation spots. However, I have a question? You don't live in Europe and obviously you can't drive one there from NY. Do you intend to rent one? If so, that could be very expensive. They usually go for at least 750 Euro a week for the smallest 4 bed types. Once you add the campground fees you might save in a brick and mortar hotel, I'm afraid.

When I was there in April, the gasoline was $9.51 per U.S. gallon. That makes travel in any recreational vehicle an expensive proposition. I would suggest you find a good agriturismo, and do day trips in a rental econobox.

Thanks for the response. I was hoping there would be more pros than cons. My wife will love your answer as she has been trying to discourage my idea. Was thinking of taking a month, rent an RV and go up one coast and down the other at our leisure. Was thinking it would give us flexibility and with 4 people might be more economical than staying in hotels and renting a car? Thanks for the input. It seems when I ask the question, I get mixed signals. Rocco

"Thanks for the input. It seems when I ask the question, I get mixed signals." Yes, you will get different answers. It depends on who is responding. When it comes to Italy, I think you can trust Roberto's advice.

Ok Rocco. I don't want to discourage you, but if you are thinking of a RV to save, that's definitely not the best option. I did some search online with Italian RV rental companies. I tested the entire month of May 2013 (30 days). Prices range according to the size of the vehicle but the cheapest I could find were between 4,200 and 4,500 Euro/month inclusive of everything (taxes, mileage, insurance) but no fuel. I also checked the average price for a campground fee. The one in Florence is over 15 Euro a day for a spot. Assuming 30 days at similar campgrounds, that's another 400-500 euros for a month. The Italian coast is 8,000 km (5,000 miles) long. You probably won't have time to cover it all. Let's say you do 1/4 of it or 2,000 km in a month. At the average price of fuel, assuming an average consumption for an RV of 8km/liter of diesel we are adding another 400 or 500 euro (diesel fuel is currently approx. Euro 1.75/liter in Italy or almost US$ 9/US gallon). All in all your month will cost you almost 5,500 euro for the RV, or well over 1,300/week. A regular fuel efficient car will not cost you more than 300 euro a week (incl. gas, insurance and all bells and whistles). With the remaining 1,000 euro a week you can easily rent an agriturismo or apartment large enough for 6 people, with plenty of change to spare. Even with a regular hotel room for 4, you'll come out ahead.

And you won't have to waste time on the housekeeping aspects of RVing, I have done that for years, setting up and breaking down each move( and that means making sure everything is properly stowed for driving ) , unhooking your hoses and electricity, dumping your tanks( super fun there). These aren't huge chores, we devloped a great system, BUT, we were not in Europe trying to tour amazing sites, we would find a nice lake/beach and stay 3-7 days in each place. The more you move in an RV the more it costs.. and it can really add up , people have no idea. And I like RVing, but its not the cheapest or easiest way to vacation all the time.

I'm an avid RV'er in the U.S. When I unhook, I've got my diesel truck to get me around @ 20 mpg. In Italy, you'd be in a small class C minihome. When you setup your vehicle, you'd be without an additional mode of travel. And, RV parks are out of the cities. You'd have to figure out how to get to the travel sights by bus or other ways. It's not a very efficient way to see the country. That's why I say find a good agriturismo and get a small car to do day trips. You'll be able to hit many sites and get the most out of your trip. And, you still get the feel of the countryside. In Tuscany and many other regions, virtually every farm has turned itself into a agriturismo for income. There are hundreds and hundreds of farms to stay on.

Have done all kinds of touring from tents to pop ups to a real RV. Would not do an RV in Italy as like in the US, most campgrounds are outside cities and would need another vehicle to get to town or sites you want to see so I think the cost would be way more expensive than getting hotel or place on a farm in my opinion.

Sounds like the nye's have it! Haven't heard any advice in favor of. Rocco