FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF ITALY | VAN LIFE EUROPE
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
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✏️ www.overlandingsophia.com
Thank you to Adam for letting me use some of his beautiful footage from the snow! Go and check out their channel for more travel videos that are really works of art -
⭐ Tania & Adam's UA-cam Channel (Jits into the Sunset) - / jitsintothesunset
Hello! We’re Chesca & Ben, and we live full time in our self converted sprinter van, Sophia. We spent 6 long months converting our tiny home on wheels, turning her from a workhorse into a place we call home. At the beginning of 2020, we were chasing the winter sun around Spain and Portugal. But when the pandemic hit, we found ourselves back home and waiting it out on Chesca's mum's driveway. Life suddenly took on a different rhythm. But now, 6 months later, we're back on the road and ready to chase some adventure. First stop, France 🌍 🚐
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Hello! Thank you for tuning in this week! Our time with Tania and Adam just flew by, can't believe we're parting ways with them already. But with winter closing in, it's time to head south and chase that sunshine. So off we set, through the Mont Blanc tunnel and into Bella Italia! Hope you enjoy xx
Great video as usual guys , hugs to River 😘🐶xxx
You already know how much we love you guys but adding here so you a DOUBLY sure 😘 Ps. Can you add River to our WhatsApp group please? We miss her dainty little skankles (skinny ankles) and beautifully scented fur 🐾 xxx
❤ GR8 VID ❤ LOVED IT ❤ our own caravan'ing means lighting up the BBQ, turning up the boom box, popping open a Modelo and sipping from a bottle of Hornitos ❤
I miss my country, thanks for this beautiful video. Big Hug from Perth Western Australia.
Oh, Tania & Adam here! The north of Italy is very beautiful, nice video.
Lovely to see River's herding instincts developing over the last few videos. I love Italy, especially Tuscany. Italian cuisine is my favourite of all the countries we have visited.
Thanks to Tania and Adam, I found you two and River. Loved this vlog as you traveled into Italy discovering the mountains and thermal pools...awesome! See you next week, safe travels.
Ah amazing, welcome Adele!! 😍Love that you are coming along for our journey - hopefully it won't be too long before we're back with Tania and Adam and exploring the south of Italy 💞Sending love! xx Chesca
What a lovely area Samoen is , we had a week there , great for white water rafting , looking forward to the Italian bit . On the bucket list . Thanks for the recommendation for Jits . Have overdosed on them this week . Don't think you realise the entertainment value you guys give . In today's uncertain climate you guys take us all over Europe and beyond from the comfort of our own homes and it is fantastic . Many many thanks . Stay safe and take care .
Ah we saw lots of signs for white water rafting while we were there, what a beautiful place to be in the summer months! So glad you've been enjoying Jits, they really do make the most amazing videos. And thank you for the kind comments, it really means so much that you enjoy the videos. Your support is always appreciated Ken! Hope you're keeping well, sending love from Italy 😊💞xx Chesca
Another amazing video guys. Hope your doing well. Italy is a lovely country. Love how River is becoming more adventurous and growing up! Xx
Thank you Jack! We're both doing well, thank you. Glad to be in Italy exploring a new country. River is loving van life - it's great to see her off adventuring and trying new things. Water and snow in the same week! xx Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia your UA-cam videos rock! Highly recommend heading up in the Scandinavian countries if your allowed too! Reckon river will have a whale of a time bless her! Stay safe xx
Those hot springs looked incredible! And to have them all to yourselves - perfect. Loved the video as always. Enjoy the rest of your travels through Italy 🧡 Beth xx
Thank you Beth!! The hot springs were beautiful and just what we needed after a long day's driving 😍Hope you guys are back out on the road sooner rather than later. Sending love from Italia! xx Chesca
Check in with Sara and Luca from Leave Everything and Wander. They found similar lack of parking and they're Italian! However they do know some secrets... It's worth a go...
Yes we love those guys! Great suggestion 😊 xx
...halfway and all I envision is Ben speaking from under a blanket ...such a good vid guys 🤍
You gotta do what you gotta do! 😂 xx Chesca
Awesome guys Italy looks epic 👌🏻
It's certainly looking that way, we're looking forward to exploring more 💞
Its amazing to see how much fun you guys are having and many beautiful spots!! We end up living Italy and crossing the borders to france and spain! Chasing the sun! Keep it up guys ❤️🥰
What a wonderful surprise seeing snow this time of the year. ....... your dog loves water 🐶🐾🐾🐶 🍷🍺👍🏼
Haha it was definitely a surprise! And a cold one at that 🥶River's really growing to love the water! She hates it if she can't touch the bottom though 😂 xx Chesca
Cool.....I'm missing Italy so its a great video to watch. Aosta Centre is nice for a couple hrs(bit late now). The Ligurian coast line is great. I spend fair amount time in finale Liguria (things not so good at mo due to the heavy rainfall)......Great vids guys.Keep up the good work, I'm gonna love the Italian adventures as a little fix for me!!.... Safe travels through Italia : )
Thank you for the recommendations! We're currently driving through the north as we want to spend time exploring the south of Italy (and avoid the rain), so I apologise now if we miss some gems along the way! But hope you enjoy seeing Italy through our eyes. I've only ever been to Florence so I can't wait to see what else this beautiful country has to offer! x Chesca
What a beautiful spot for the hot springs and walk about. River is growing up super quick!
Isn't she just?! She's a real little dog now 🐶Those hot springs were just stunning, our favourite park up in Italy by far! xx
Good morning,
I woke up with a vanlife song idea, about a never ending vanlife song, made by all of us.
In time, everybody may (be able to) add his own part(s), and combine / listen to his favorite parts.
The only thing that very important to me is that the chorus (refrain, coro, refrein) will always be and stay
This is a happy song
About Happy moving on
I'm moving on
And that the text in between should be in many languages, as we all speak...
Also, it feels to me as a vanlife special, when a bit of you all would be added at the right "spots", like "Hi guys", "You know what day is", "Good morning everybody", "Afternoon", "Hey guys", "Helloooo" and much more of all of you. Fine for you ?
About those text, some rough thoughts
Watching the sunrise,
Nadar en el mar,
Sun is burning,
Il fait chaud,
Paella on the fire,
Siesta en la playa,
y vamos a la cama
-----
("Hi guys")
Looking outside,
It's all white,
Mucho viento,
The heating is on,
Tout mouillé par la neige,
Supper in the van,
And an extra blanket
------
("Good morning everybody")
Somebody's knocking,
Is this a parc ?,
Ser ahuyentado,
Moving to another place,
Que c'est beau,
The blue-green lake,
Et la fin d'une autre journée
-----
And so on and on and on by everybodies vanlife additions
I'm sure some of you can produce (many versions of) music for this happy song.
And please, let's forget about money, this is about vanlife, one big family and also, winter's coming, giving us all a bit more inside van-time.
Thnx, have fun, be happy and safe journeys,
OnTheMove
I'm enjoying watching River grow! Our red Border Collie is a rescue that somebody dumped in the country when he was about 5 so we didn't get to see him grow up...
Oh my god that's awful to hear 😭But at least he is with you now and living his best life 🐶River sends puppy kisses to you all 💞🐶xx Chesca
Live for your voice overs
Thank you my love 💞
Such a beautiful vlog guys! Definitely made the right decision moving on to that charming village. Great to see River taking to the water. She certainly seems to love van life. Your adventures with Jits was really enjoyable to watch. Glad they got sorted 😊. Have a good week and safe travels ☺🐶
Thank youuu! Yeah, so glad we decided to move and not stick around the dumper truck car park 😅 Those hot springs were beautiful! Glad you enjoyed the adventures with Jits, we're already missing them and can't wait to meet up again in Italy. River sends puppy kisses and says yes, she's loving being a van dog - endless walks and lots of new smells 🐶💞xx Chesca
Great to catch up on your adventures this week,another awesome video,I really enjoy watching them,thankyou.
Stay safe ,take care.
Thank you Mike! So pleased to hear you enjoy them! Hope you're having a lovely weekend xx Chesca
Beautiful and with unfolding passion for life in every second of this film.
Life isn't going so well at the moment first I found Jitts Into The Sunset next I find Overlanding Sophia when you find people like these or as Iggy Pop sang "with a lust for life" .....well you make things better for a while .
Thank you for these beautiful words Nick! To know the videos have helped brighten up your day, just a little, means the world. Really hope you enjoy the rest of our travels and we'll do our best to make you feel like you're on this adventure with us 😊🚐 xx Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia Thank you
I really appreciate that you guys put a lot of the scenery into your trips. It is so nice to see things that I may not see. Thank you and Fun story. hehe, River so many different new things, and you all with good friends. :)
Thank you for this, it means a lot to hear you appreciate the scenic parts of our videos - they're the parts we love to share the most. Trying to capture the beauty of a place isn't always easy, but hopefully you get some of the magic 😊Hope you're having a lovely weekend xx Chesca
Ahhh hey guys!! God I was smiling literally the whole way through this video😄. Loved it!! Just the positive vibes and thing I need! Super glad Adam and Tania got sorted and the van is fixed! And I'm looking forward to seeing you all meet up again in the vlogs, can't beat the good times 🥰. Ben... Your voiceovers were ace mate, definitely should do some more I reckon! Sorry Chesca, you might be losing that job if you're not careful!😉😂. I hope you are all doing wonderfully, and you are enjoying Italy! Have a great rest of your week, and speak to you soon!❤️x
Thank you! Yeah we're so glad Jits got fixed, can't wait to see what they get up to in Switzerland 😍 haha Ben has the voiceover job, he was so good! Hope you're having a lovely week, thank you as always Jak for the endless support! xx 💞
I think you too are my favourite vanilla lifers just because most of the people I watch are very preachy you two seem like people I could spend time with and not feel uncomfortable
Nat, that's so incredibly kind of you to say, thank you! 😭 Sending lots of love to you from Italy! xx Chesca
Another great episode Mont Blanc looked beautiful our holiday there was cancelled this year can't wait to go next year,love the drone footage too,keep up the good work and stay safe.
Thank you! Yes Mont Blanc was stunning, we didn't realise the drive to the tunnel would be so spectacular! Sorry to hear your trip was cancelled, but Mont Blanc will be waiting for you when you can get back!! I have to give credit to Adam for the drone footage - he knows how to fly a drone 😊Thank you for the support as always, hope you're having a lovely weekend xx Chesca
Great video guys. We have just started a channel and you're inspiring us to keep going!
Wishing you all safe travels.
Fantastic video! We think you made the right decisions continuing the drive to that amazing village. Such a shame that lots of it was closed but still beautiful. :) That chocolate spread at the end looks amazing!
Thank you! 100% agree, better to wake up next to hot springs than next to a dumper truck 😅When you're in France, go to a Bio Co-op and look for the spread there - it's a vegan alternative to nutella but oh my, it's 1000x better! Seriously good! 😍xx Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia Ooh thanks for the tip! We're heading over on Wednesday so we'll hopefully find a co-op soon after! Hope the weather has improved in Italy :)
Great video! The joys of trying to find drinkable water. Definitely worse in the south we’ve discovered
‘Maybe River and I can do something’ 😂 so good! Great video guys! 🙂
Haha the cheek! 😂
Great video, I love it when van life vloggers end up in each other's vlogs 😁 Discovered you guys this evening through Tanya and Adam's vlog 👍
Amazing! Thank you Angela! It's been an absolute joy convoying with Adam and Tania. We miss them already 😭Hopefully not long before we're back together again in Italy! Sending love xx Chesca
Hi guys, once again an amazing video, keep it up. 1. If it's on your route check the Civita Di bagnoregio (citta che muore) aka the dying city. 2. Tell those jits guys I've been waiting for a new video for 2 months. Love and peace from Romania
Thank you for the recommendation, I’ve just googled it and wow, it looks beautiful! It’s on our way south so we’ll head that way 😍 You should be treated to a new Jits video today! Keep your eyes peeled 👀 Xx Chesca
Beautiful landscapes, mountains. Is this the first time River has seen snow?
The mountains were spectacular! And yes! It's the first time River saw snow! She absolutely loved it 😍❄ xx Chesca
Always look forward to watching stay safe cheers from Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Thank you Barry! Always appreciate your comments. Sending love from Italy to Australia! Xx Chesca
Great video guys. When it started to snow in the mountains, I thought I was watching ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham 😂 Keep it up and stay safe while you are abroad. Best wishes from Mal and Dave in Stoke
Hahah I'm sure 'Let it Snow' was going through our heads at some point 😂And thank you, glad you enjoyed this one! Lots more to explore in Italia 😊Hope you're both having a lovely weekend! 💞xx Chesca
Lovely view of Mont Blanc there 🤣
Without a time stamp I have no idea what part of the video you're watching Andy 😬😂
Overlanding Sophia 🙈 aah would have helped wouldn't it! I was being sarcastic never mind, it was when you pulled up to the spot in the snowstorm with zero visibility 😜😁 😆
Sa-mo-ens is how you pronounce it. I spent my honeymoon there in similar weather. I love the place. When in Italy take a look at Lake Como, it’s fabulous as are , Genova, Verona and Milan but you’re going to struggle to get the van into a lot of Italian towns as the roads are very narrow once off the main drag.
What a beautiful place to spend a honeymoon! We didn't realise what a beautiful place it was until we turned up 😍 We would love to do Como, Verona, Milan etc, but we're heading south as the winter rolls in. We're saving the north of Italy for another summer 🌞 But thank you for the recommendations 😊 xx Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia it does get cold in the north so I don't blame you. I'm told to recommend Pompei and the Amalfi coast in that case if you can. Never done it myself but my daughter recommends it. To be honest the whole of Italy is beautiful. I toured around the north by motorbike two summers ago. By bike or car the Stelvio pass is a must, but that's near Bormio which will be snowbound I would think by now. I hope you're enjoying your trip at least as much as we are. All the best, Gareth
Beaut vid! We've just been bathing in Bagni di Petriolo in Tuscany and Ben would defo love it cos the water is 43°c! 😂
I just read this comment to Ben and he was like 'What! Where the F**k is that?! Let's go!' - so safe to say I am now googling that and seeing if we can head there 😍Thank you for the recommendation lovely! xx Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia hahaha we if you're heading south then it's defo worth a stop but there's loads in this area. There was even a chihuahua bathing in there today 😂
Beautiful video! My favourite bit was when you were talking and River was just licking you... so cute. Enjoy Italy :) xxx
Thank you so much lovely! Yes!! Wasn't that so cute, I'm so glad someone else noticed that bit 😭 Hopefully one day River will get to meet handsome Oslo 🐶xx
The Beautiful off the mountain 🏔
It was a spectacular drive! The mountains here are something else 💞
Overlanding Sophia my dream to go place like this you guys Lucky :)
Every blogger seems to be breaking down this week haha. Of course it has to be pissing down. 😂🙈
Typical isn't it! Think we brought the British weather with us 😂
Getting to see Mont Blanc from Chamonix is Awe Inspiring but the route from Lac Annecy through Val d Isere, over the Col d Iseran is spectacular (and a lot cheaper than the MBT 💴😆) and some BEA-utiful scenery on the other side.. After that the drive down to Pisa is much the same..
How much was the Mont Blanc Tunnel for “Sophia” 💰
Really excited that yr in Italy and about to explore Tuscany..
One of our favourite places was Sienna but not sure if you will get the same vibe during these times 🦠 😷
We’d also recommend Florence (of course) Lucca, Voltera and San Gimignano ❤️🇮🇹
Have Fun 🚐💨😍
Thank you Ian! I remember driving to Italy on a school trip, and it was absolutely breathtaking. I think we did that route you mention and now I'm thinking we should have done that instead! Still, driving through the Mont Blanc tunnel was a cool experience (even if it cost us 60 euros!). Thank you also for the Italy recommendations! Bookmarked them all. Can't thank you enough for all your support/encouragement/suggestions Ian, it's so much appreciated by both of us! Hope we bump into you on the road one day 💞🚐 x Chesca
Overlanding Sophia - When you make it up to Norway you will discover tunnels that make the MBT look like a toy train set tunnel 😆 They have roundabouts and junctions in them 😳
We were in Riga Latvia 🇱🇻 in autumn of 2015 and headed south in search of some sunshine and ended up in Albania 🇦🇱 then Sicily 😆
Hope you guys have as much of an adventure as we did.. 🌍
Yeah “Overlanding Sophia” meeting with the “Hotel du Van”
would be soooo cool 😎
🚐+🚐💨💨😍
Have Fun ❤️xx
Chesca & Ben. Love your channel! I was hoping I could ask how much I would need to budget for a van build to a similar spec as yours. I think you guys have smashed it with the design, build quality fixtures & fittings!
Hey, thank you so much! So we were really bad at keeping a costings sheet, and stopped about halfway through the build 🙈But we estimate it cost us £8k to convert the van, not including the cost of Sophia herself 😊x Chesca
Overlanding Sophia thank you that’s perfect! Safe travels 😎
I'm currently at lake Annecy and contemplating Italy. I've heard reports of problems with some mountain roads due to the heavy rainfall
Yeah the storms have been really bad. We came through Aosta but apparently there's been serious problems there. Hopefully it passes soon enough and you can make your way over here!
@@OverlandingSophia I have since crossed through the Mt Blanc tunnel. There have been quite a few sections of road on the way that were either blocked (with diversions) or being repaired. It's good to be heading south and enjoying warm weather again. Take care
💙💙💙
💙
If you stop off at Sanremo in italy 🇮🇹 goto Cocoon Cafe and say hi to my sister who runs it .
Ah amazing!! This would be such a cool thing to do 😍xx Chesca
Hello I am so jealous you are on the road I would love to be on an adventure right now, you might bump into Leave everything and wonder or tiny planet. I am enjoying the vids. Do you set up websites Chesca?
Better to use sostas or campsites in Italy rather than using PFN quite a few listed are not safe,Italy has recovered from covid a lot better than many other European countries,I have family there and visit often,be the further south you travel you need to be more security careful,but it's a beautiful,friendly country with many great places to visit.👍Paulo
Hey Paulo! We don't think our budget would stretch to paying for a campsite every night! We will be careful and vigilant about where we park, thank you for the heads up regarding the south. It might be more of a challenge but we're already loving this country. It's a beautiful, soulful place and we can't wait to explore more. How wonderful you have family here and can visit often! 💞 xx Chesca
Overlanding Sophia thanks you 2 I've been unable to travel so much this year due to the pandemic,but will be visiting as soon as possible,if funds permit get the ferry to our home island ,Sardinia,you won't be disappointed,safe travels from sunny?? Devon👍Paulo
👍👍👍
Once again a great update.... would be really helpful if you could say we're the location is...I mean at least the name of the town and Google does the rest.
Hey Sascha! Thank you! We do put the name of the town on the screen when we arrive in places 😊 x Chesca
This channel should be 7 days a week if I’m being honest....... 🏕🦮🚐 x
Did you get van fixed? Was it the battery u/s? @ overlanding sophia🤯🤯🤯🤯🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Hi, I live in Italy so if you need places to visit don’t have problems to contact me and if you come near Venice tell me! I will be honored to guide you
Anna, that's so kind of you - thank you! Venice is a little far north for us now, but if you see us heading that way please drop us an email (overlandingsophia@gmail.com) or let us know on Instagram so we can message you 😊Hope you're having a lovely weekend xx Chesca
Great vlog guys! Where do you get your music from btw? Goes so well with the video :)
We use Music Bed! I keep meaning to put together a playlist of the songs we use in the description, as most of them are on Spotify and well worth a listen ☺️ x Chesca
@@OverlandingSophia ok sweet, thank you! Ill be keeping my eye out for the link. Love the vids keep it up 👍🏻
Can you please tell me what size pipe you used for your cooker
Hey Joan, do you mean the pipe used to connect the cooker to the gas regulator? xx
Yes and did Ben fit it himself was it easy to do
Thank you for getting back so quick♥️
Did you feel awkard for not getting Jits anything after they gave you those gifts. Haha I'd be like 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈
Andy C We did get them a gift! We gave them a little orchid flower for Jits 🌷 But, we just didn’t film it 😉
Overlanding Sophia haha 😆 👍🏽👌🏽😎🌺
You are in Northern Italy. That fake Napolitan music background is stupid
We’ve travelled across the Baltics Italy Greece France Spain et cetera et cetera I’ve seen plenty of these deserted towns it’s an absolute crying shame what’s going on to Europe ....the deserted towns are due to globalisation ...all the young leave the towns and head off to the big cities.... but more so head off to the other countries like England Germany London Frankfurt Amsterdam while those beautiful picturesque little villages just disappear from our history
It's a sad state of affairs for sure. We noticed it particularly in Portugal, where entire streets were lying abandoned. This place was very quiet but I do imagine it's popular in the summer. The pandemic hasn't helped tourism in these towns at all, which is now what many of them rely on x
Surprised you don't share the driving on longer journeys like that.
Try being the driver while Ben is a passenger... you won't be surprised much longer!
Overlanding Sophia 🤣🤣🤣 Back seat driver Ben is it....
Congestion charge in Pisa beware 🙄
Thank you Steve! Thankfully we parked on out the outskirts and walked in, so we avoided a congestion charge, but that's useful for anyone else reading this and heading that way 😊
You are not in Italy yet. Valley d'Aosta is not fully Italian. You can notes that they speak French. Go to lake of Como, Lombardy Alps Val di Mello.......
We're off South! Sicily awaits 😊
@@OverlandingSophia northern Italy is more interesting, landscapes, history, buildings,variety of nature, don't miss it, of course Sicily is beautiful. Enjoy Italy, ciao.
Gegio Morby We would love to see northern Italy!! Unfortunately the weather isn’t the best right now. We will see the north when it’s warmer ☺️
@@OverlandingSophia Good idea 😊
RIVER DONT LIKE THAT RIVER
Haha I know! She's not living up to her name 😂