After a bit of a sleep-in we had a morning cappuccino at one of the beach bars, then headed off at 10:00.
In no particular hurry we had a leisurely drive generally west and a bit north, passing through Gap, which was a bit of a drag.
The current highway goes right through the city, although they are finally building a bypass. Maybe next time we come this way we won’t encounter the same issue.
Somewhere between Gap and Die we encountered a road incident – several police cars were gathered near a dump truck that hadn’t quite made a curve in the road and had run headon into a barrier at the side – totally smashed the front-end in.
Our last night on the road (this time) was spent at the edge of the village of Le Champs de Raphael, where we’ve stayed before. I recall that last time I set up my tent and spent half the night wondering if I was going to get blown away in the wind.
The view is awesome, and you can just hear the clanking of the cow bells in the valley below.
When leaving in the morning we encountered a ‘deviation’ that was somewhat confusing. After going about 10 km in the direction we wanted we had to turn around and retrace our route almost completely, as did at least a couple of other vehicles.
We eventually joined the road that Colin was familiar with and made it up to Clermont-Ferrand where we turned west for the rest of the journey.
Whether new or old, viaduct or bridge building use the same basic structure….
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a small park that had some interesting wood sculptures.
Continuing on refreshed we reached Mansle in the early evening. Had a very welcome hot shower and a nice dinner of salmon with new potatoes and green beans cooked by Neal – very good ‘homecoming’.
There was a lovely swimming pool just outside a large, very crowded restaurant. I made use of the free wi-fi for a bit, then had a fairly early night. Thankfully it was a bit cooler than the previous couple of evenings had been.
The next day’s travel was almost across the Apennines to a campground we’d stayed at two years ago just outside the village of Zocca. This time we didn’t have quite as frustrating a time finding it, although the gps was, once again, not totally accurate.
The old dog is still there, but is moving a bit more slowly.
We pre-ordered dinner, and were both very pleased. I think it’s the same chef who was very new to the place two years ago, and they still have a lovely organic garden for many of the meal’s ingredients.
My lasagna was obviously handmade, and was delicious – no meat or tomatoes, but zuchinni and cream sauce – very nice, and just the right amount.
After only one night we were on our way again, this time taking the paege to make better time – although at times we were barely moving because of roadworks and on/off ramp backups at every large city we passed.
When I went to bed Mo was full across my pillow – as I tried to nudge her over she growled and snapped at me! After mollifying her and almost falling asleep we were kept awake by a prolonged lightening and thunder storm.
Before leaving Conzano the next morning we had a nice walk around the village. 
There’s an art exhibit all summer and the artworks are all over the place – it was very different and made for an interesting morning.
We eventually made a wrong turn – the pink arrows weren’t up yet to guide us – and we ended up in Casorzo, where we stopped for a quick snack just outside the town.
It was a rest-stop and had fantastic views, as well as some wall art of fairy tales.
We then made our way to the town of Montemagno, which has a castle – the oldest part is from the 12th century, with major additions in the 13th and 18th centuries.
We walked up and around it, but it was all closed up – it did have, of course, more incredible views.
We parked for the night in a large flat parking lot next to a pasta and sauce making place – Colin popped in and checked with them and they didn’t mind us being there.
Sally McKenzie's European Adventures 