The best wild camping spot near Parma

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been more active and exploring further afield. As lovely as Ferrara and the Po delta is, we’ve been yearning for hills, which you’d think wouldn’t be an issue being from the Lincolnshire fens!

So we’ve had a few trips south to the hills near Bologna. On one occasion we were on the bikes and it was very much a roller coaster of a ride. My frustration at not being as strong on an incline as I used to be came to boiling point and a slight meltdown ensued! Lesson learnt though; a bit of patience with myself and a careful vetting of all future routes for steep mountains!

With normality slowly seeping back in to every day life here in Emilia Romagna and being ever conscious of our future move south we decided to see as much up here as possible. Which started on Sunday with Parma, Modena and the surrounding area.

We drove to our chosen wild campsite for the night; twenty miles south-east of Parma. We parked the van, unloaded the bikes and had a very pleasant cycle in to Parma centre. It was downhill all the way!

Parma is in the heart of Italy’s Food Valley and is famed for it’s Parma ham and Parmesan cheese. But it has a cultural side to it as well, being a popular destination for fans of opera and art. Despite the volume of traffic on the way in, the centre itself was nearly deserted which made for a very pleasant wander round it’s beautiful Parisian style boulevards, a modern day reminder of it’s brief Napoleon history. We had a spot of lunch and a glass of fizzy red wine (a local speciality) and took in the sights. The most striking of which is the cathedral and neighbouring Baptistry made from pink and white marble, dating back to 1178 and 1196 respectively, which made for a beautiful backdrop to our lunch stop.

Our cycle back was some what tougher than the ride in. Perhaps wine wasn’t the best idea especially as it was now in to the 30’s! We made it though and upon our return any notion of a secluded, quiet camping spot was soon dispelled. The area was packed full of cars abandoned on the rocky track down from the main road. The river bank was a wide expanse of beautiful, smooth pebbles with the river bubbling away in the middle; a fraction of the size it must be when the mountain snow melts early in the year.

Of course it being Sunday afternoon, the locals had flocked here to sun bathe, paddle and enjoy the good weather. But it didn’t matter, we headed straight for the lovely refreshing river to cool down from our ride then got comfy for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

However, as the afternoon melded in to early evening and the sun dipped behind the mountains everyone packed up and went home. The cars were loaded up and driven off, the few other motorhomes pulled in their awnings and went, leaving only tire marks and overflowing rubbish bins. The noise of squealing children and barking dogs was replaced with the beautiful gurgling of the river and the chirping birds, who I imagine were as pleased as we were to have the peace restored. We couldn’t believe it. What bliss.

After a very comfortable and quiet night, I was awoken by the glorious sound of the dawn chorus. Nature’s own alarm clock that has got to be the best thing to wake up to. A wonderful cacophony of birds chirping their soulful tunes, a melodious proclamation at another day beginning, all with the gurgling river as a backing track. Well, when I could hear it over the snoring coming from the lump next to me!

After some early morning yoga on a sandy patch of the bank further up stream followed by a coffee and a wash in the river we left our wonderful camping spot still reeling at how lucky we were to have it to ourselves.

Our first destination of the day was a small village called Torrechiara, which we reached via one of the most scenic roads I’ve ever been on. Due to a closed road on the edge of the hills we were forced to detour up and over from one valley to the next. The road gradually wound up the mountains with fabulous views of the Appenines to the south. When we reached the ridge the views to the North were just spectacular. We could see all the way across the Po delta and just about make out the snow capped peaks of the Alps rising up out of the haze. How lucky that we were sent on this route.

The road dropped down to the town of Langhirano, a centre of Parma ham production which was evident in the number of factories surrounding this much more industrial town. Soon the imposing view of Castello di Torrechiara came in to sight and we parked up on the edge of the village to go and explore. At the centre of this little settlement was a fabulous little Piazza, containing La Tavola del Contado, a bar and restaurant where we had a coffee and a pastry for breakfast. The owner was extremely helpful and told us she had lived there for years and absolutely loved it. We could see why. The short walk to the castle was very steep but so worth it. From it’s commanding position the views across the valley were beautiful and we had the added surprise of there being a small hamlet up there within the castle walls which housed locals, a B&B, a church and a restaurant. It really was like a step back in time. The castle was built between 1448 and 1460 by Pier Maria Rossi, a high commander in the service of the Viscontis and is one of the best examples of reinforced architecture in Italy. Being built on a walled base on top of a hill made for a very secure location. Unfortunately, the only day it’s closed is Monday, which was slightly annoying as the interior frescoes and courtyards sound wonderful. Perhaps I’ll get back there one day.

Modena was our next stop, another city on the old roman road known as Via Emilia, which is evident just by looking at the straight line on a map between Bologna, Modena and Parma. Modena is a bit smaller than the other two cities but equally as picturesque and just as desserted as Parma was the day before. Highlight’s include the cathedral, neighbouring tower known as Ghirlandria, the huge Ducal Palace where the military train their cadets and the public gardens. We had a delicious lunch in the piazza right next to the cathedral whilst discussing afternoon plans. Unfortunately most museums and galleries are still closed so we would have to remain outside for now. Which was fine by us as it was such a wonderful day.

We had been recommended a visit to a Balsamic Vinegar producer to the south of the city so decided to drop in and were so pleased we did. Acetaia Leonardi are a fourth-generation family business who have been making balsamic vinegar since 1871. We were invited to taste their different vinegars whilst learning how it’s made. As there was only the two of us, Vittoria, the extremely helpful and knowledgeable member of staff, took us upstairs to show us where the vinegar is produced and gave us a sample of their hundred year old vinegar, after which we could see where the name balsamic came from as it’s origins was a healing syrup for a sore throat. The smell as we climbed the stairs was just fantastic, even through a face mask the wafts carrying sharp notes tickled our taste buds causing our mouths to water. The vinegar is made from slow cooking grapes of the Lambrusco and Trebbiano variety, which is then aged in barrels of varying sizes, with an opening so the liquid can ferment . Once every year the top layer of liquid is transferred from the largest barrel to the next barrel in it’s series and so on. The liquid from the smallest barrel is then sold. So the older it is the thicker it becomes making it useful for different things ranging from salads to ice creams! In this part of Italy it is common for a bride to come with a dowry of balsamic vinegar as a barrel is often started when a baby is born and the resulting series of barrels passed on when she is married.

After making a well considered purchase from the vast array of vinegars available (not that we’ll be putting it on our salad every night!) we hit the road and headed back to Ferrara. What a fantastic first proper van adventure, one that we won’t forget in a hurry. I’m already excited for the next one!