Thanks! Getting too attached to a car can be problematic...danielfigfoz wrote:Lovely report, makes me rather miss my mark II Clio that took me all over Germany, France, Italy and everywhere in between. I bought her with 104,000 miles on the clock, if I had known then what I know now about cars I might not have, but I got so many memories out of her. I scrapped her at 160,000 as it was too much of an insurance nightmare to bring her over to Switzerland for a year but I am starting to regret it.
Looking at this thread again has got me into planning another trip. I have a dilemma though - take the car I've driven to Italy seven times before (171k miles on the clock), or take the newer one (46k miles) which is mechanically identical but at present an unknown quantity in terms of reliability.
It's a tough choice! I guess I could just book the trip and wait until it's time to go before deciding which car to take.
Anyway, partly because of budget and partly because of my concern about having to abandon a Rover 75 in Italy(!), I think this trip will just scratch the surface. At present, it's looking like an Alpine adventure, and nothing more. Good enough for making use of my Italian Job soundtrack CD, and for stocking up on Italian wine.
I've discovered that there is a Newhaven-Dieppe ferry which is scarcely more expensive than Dover-Calais, but which is possible to use as an overnight stay with cabin. If I use this, I can aim to stop in Dijon on the way out, so that my travelling companion (who is currently taking an MRes in food history) can visit the Musée de la Moutarde! We can then cross Switzerland on Route 9, entering Italy through the Simplon Pass of Orient Express fame. For many years I've always wanted to stay at Agriturismo La Tensa in the mountains above Domodossola. We can use this as a base for exploring Ticino - the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland - and the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia; there doesn't seem to be anything there, but I want to go because it's part of Italy! I can also use Domodossola as a base for taking Jessica to Milan, where she's never been.
A long weekend there could be followed by a brief stay in one of the luxury hotels high in the Alps near Oulx; they are much cheaper in August than they are during the skiing season, but the facilities and views will still be excellent. This will serve as a base for visiting the Sacra San Michele, which is perched on an outlying Alp(!) just west of Turin, and which I've driven past several times but never driven up to see the views. We can also head up to Mont Cenis, which I've driven over before, but which I'd like Jessica to see because it was the location of the first railway linking France and Italy (fell railway opened 1868; tunnel in 1871). It is a fantasic drive!
The plan is to then return from Oulx to Dieppe in one day - just over 500 miles - and to do it on 15 August; this is a massive national holiday in France, and the last time I drove across the country on that day I only saw about three other cars!
So, I think this is the plan. I can't let the year pass without driving to Italy. I used to go all the time, but now I'm lucky to get just a couple of trips. Getting divorced didn't help, but hey ... my ex-wife now has a boyfriend who lives in Milan, and she flies over to visit him every fortnight.