I enjoyed the video very much...........especially since it began with a kiss for Dougal!! Seriously, great video. I enjoy traveling vicariously with you. Be safe.
And there is a great Forno - a sort of bakery / cake shop/ minibar - called Forno Moderno just across the bridge from where you stayed overnight! Great breakfast or lunch place. Certaldo is absolutely magical..
My Italian wife and I are going to Certaldo next Sunday for lunch with our friends, Alessandra and Leonardo. It’s not far from our home in Siena. We go to see them often. I was at the Apple store in Firenze (Florence) today, buying my new phone. Ain’t I a show off! By the way, it’s pronounced ‘ch-ertaldo’. Not intending to be cheeky, just in case you intend mentioning it in a future vid. Ciao for now, Gordon.
Hello Andrew, I thought of writing to You already a couple of videos back, after I saw Your video crossing Switzerland. Even though, initially I watched Your videos to obtain some general & technical info about caravans and camper-vans, while watching that particular video, I came to understand, that You are actually a very artistic gifted human. I further discovered Your creative vein, beeing a vulnerable artistically soul, in Your following italian trip videos. There is much more that wants to come out and somethimes I even thought, that You are on the wrong track, (even though You do a magnificent job) producing technical videos. I saw You as a "art raporteuer" or as a travel reporter. It was really moving when You talked about Your last journey with Your father to the swiss mountains. There Your other, creative side, dawned upon me! I then decided, whenever You come to Switzerland (where I reside, Basel), I would be happy to join You and show You some of the more hidden beauties of swiss landscape. The same applies to Italy. If You want to get in touch You can contact me at: heiry77@gmail.com So take care and All the Best!
07:14 - Better that the motorhome is not too wide… People always talk about length with motorhomes, but I think width is just as important. A narrower motorhome allows people to overtake more easily (when I drive there are always people overtaking me) and makes life much easier all around.
I appreciate the captions, always put them on screen if an available option - useful when you want to watch when you are sharing a room and do not want the headphones on but do not want to disturb others with the volume up ... plus my hard of hearing parent can watch with me at a low volume and does not miss out on the content.
Maybe not an "exciting" video, however, this looks like an amazing contrast to the busier touristic places in Italy. Well worth a visit. Thanks for sharing! Cheers.
Thank you so much for the captions. My hearing isn't great, so it's wonderful to be able to follow the video - You Tube self generating captions are not that accurate.
You're welcome! It adds a lot of work but if it's appreciated then I'll do my best to continue. Bear in mind it might take me a couple of days after the upload of a video but I'll do my best!
What a beautiful town. Reminded me of similar towns near Florence that I visited on hols there a couple of years ago. As for the noise, well that is Italians for you! They are the noisiest race of people! I stayed in a small hotel in Rome years ago and every single night, just as I was dropping off at midnight, a whole party of people would come back, shouting, laughing, slamming the bathroom door etc., etc. It was probably 2 or 3 but it felt like a small army! Every Single Night I was there. But Italians and Italy are just so lovely - it's worth it.
Well done on getting to Certaldo Alto - we couln't find the lift to take us up from Certaldo town! We love Italy and try to visit every year. As for the biters they re everywhere. An Italian told us to use Autan Family as it is not harmful to humans but is 100% effective - give it a try.
Wow. Lots of old world charm there! Does Certaldo mean city of cats, I wonder? Thanks Andrew. Just lovely. Ear plugs and some valerian and catnip tea may have helped.🌱🌾🌿
It’s a shame you were not allowed to film inside the factory, but at least we saw a beautiful Italian town.There are so many of these old towns in Italy and they are all beautiful. Thanks, Peter
Everything in Europe is late! We don't go out to eat until after 10 pm and rarely get to bed before 2 am!😂😂😂 Your on holiday so what's all the rush for? Early to bed? Try a mid afternoon siesta will do you loads of good! Lol
Andrew Ditton I can imagine that it does. I can always hear you clearly so you could get away without them. But, I think for the deaf community they are a must and I’d feel sad that they would miss out on your adventures. I have Ménière’s disease which means I sometimes go deaf, but I can still watch you with captions and it cheers me up. So it’s for sure worth it. I’m grateful! Kisses to Dougal. 🐾🐾
No, the first models arrive in the UK at the end of October. But there is a list of dealers on Etrusco's Social Media channels, and you can find them at the NEC.
@@andrewjditton ok i will explore. I remember you made a video of a really cheap campsite and you were the only one there. I think it cost u a fiver approx. Do you remember that video? Its my first trip out in my van scarey.
Hi Ruth, that was a Caravan and Motorhome Club 'Certificated Location' (5-van site) which has sadly since closed. However, for your first trip I would strongly recommend using a site - you know the access will be good, there is power if your heat system fails so at least you can plug in a fan heater, and there will be people around to help you out if you get stuck. Once you've got it licked, then start exploring the smaller sites. If you're on your own, you'll find both major clubs offer good prices, especially in the week, at most of their sites. I often pay just £10/night including electricity. Good luck!
@@andrewjditton yes i will take your advice. My van isnt really set up yet. So i am camping in my van. If i have an extension lead can i plug that in at acampsite and run it inti my van or is the electric set up different?
Hi Andrew, love following this journey through from the uk to Italy really nice countryside all steeped in history. My fav town in Italy is Florence and free camping with 30 Kim’s fantastic. Was the free camping only motor homes or could I take along my Knaus Sport 500FDK? Sorry to pick your vast knowledge - could you maybe recommend a website or reference book for free camping across Europe please. We are a family of 4 and a slowly converting to solar so we can do more back to nature experiences, which we did in Australia 🇦🇺 before moving to the Netherlands permanently 3 years ago. Again thank you for your continued story of your life in the camping / caravan world!! Are you missing your Airstream or are you getting the motor home bug? Not much room for you bike and. Dougal seems very settled in his new traveling environment. All the best Chris Denison
Cheers Chris! These areas are generally for motorhomes only - you might get a knock on the door if you try parking a caravan unfortunately. I don't know of a free camping guide book I'm afraid.
Thanks Andrew for reply - btw I’m happy to purchase such a guide as I’m sure if anyone has out one into the market place they would expect a return for their hard work 😓👍once again thanks for your updates and looking forward to the next one!
Hi Andrew, we always love your Blogs, I'm Aussie with a English Wife and we are looking at buying a second hand MH next year to stay Near her elderly parents and also travel the UK and Europe. I am thinking of buyer one with a rear bed and garage in order to fit a small Motor scooter for shopping and getting into towns I'm wondering about your thoughts on this?
Great video Andrew as always. Wow i cannot believe your doing a tour review in their van, but they won’t let you film in the factory. Your would have though at least that someone from the company would have given you a welcome chat. It’s an oxymoron. Rod.
I just noticed there was some kind of unusual looking cable car at 3:40 in which the entire small car appears to tilt upward on one end. Somehow, I didn't notice that the 1st time watching. I suppose we could Google - tilting cable cars in Certaldo Alto, Italy to find out about that. Okay I Googled that & saw a different angle on the view of one of the cable cars at: goo.gl/images/bQwL1i along with a partial caption of "Certaldo's very steep hills" and understood what's going on. The cable cars tilt up on the end so people inside stay level horizontal even though going up or down an extremely steep hill. That's a nice idea! ☺
Andrew Ditton A great little place Andrew, thanks for sharing it with us, although free camping seems to have a bit of a downside, at least there! Wouldn’t it be great if all town authorities provided such facilities... 🤔 🧐 🐍
I always check for free spots first, with the result that we almost never pay to sleep somewhere. We have seen some wonderful spots where we will return without any doubt, but also places where we won't return to. Maybe the first of many free camping spots for you? ;-)
Thumbs up all those who would rather watch Andrew & Dougal than something else on TV!!!!!!!!!!!! I rest my case! (he drops the mike and walks off the stage)!
![Arco and the best motorhome service area, EVER! [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xTJgAeKUVhc/mqdefault.jpg)
I thought the video was very enjoyable. Incredible little town, beatifully photographed and genuine. 😊🐕
Cheers Graham!
I enjoyed the video very much...........especially since it began with a kiss for Dougal!! Seriously, great video. I enjoy traveling vicariously with you. Be safe.
Another great clog Andrew. Cool music as always.
You have the knack of finding some beautiful, out of the way places. Lovely.
Wow what a beautiful place! Great watch as always Andrew 👍🏻
And there is a great Forno - a sort of bakery / cake shop/ minibar - called Forno Moderno just across the bridge from where you stayed overnight! Great breakfast or lunch place. Certaldo is absolutely magical..
I love the cozy feel of small, old looking towns like that.
What a beeeeeuuuutiful place! Thanks for sharing Mr D.
Thanks, Andrew! That was nice!
My Italian wife and I are going to Certaldo next Sunday for lunch with our friends, Alessandra and Leonardo. It’s not far from our home in Siena. We go to see them often. I was at the Apple store in Firenze (Florence) today, buying my new phone. Ain’t I a show off! By the way, it’s pronounced ‘ch-ertaldo’. Not intending to be cheeky, just in case you intend mentioning it in a future vid. Ciao for now, Gordon.
Cheers Gordon! I didn't have a clue how to pronounce it... as you might have noticed :)
Andrew Ditton
No one is expected to know the correct pronunciation, Andrew. I’ve got the advantage of 17 years of Tuscan life and lifestyle.
Thank you Andrew for yet another fantastic and well produced glimpse into a beautiful part of the world.
Hello Andrew,
I thought of writing to You already a couple of videos back, after I saw Your video crossing Switzerland. Even though, initially I watched Your videos to obtain some general & technical info about caravans and camper-vans, while watching that particular video, I came to understand, that You are actually a very artistic gifted
human. I further discovered Your creative vein, beeing a vulnerable artistically soul, in Your following italian trip videos. There is much more that wants to come out and somethimes I even thought, that You are on the wrong track, (even though You do a magnificent job) producing technical videos. I saw You as a "art raporteuer" or as a travel reporter. It was really moving when You talked about Your last journey with Your father to the swiss mountains. There Your other, creative side, dawned upon me!
I then decided, whenever You come to Switzerland (where I reside, Basel), I would be happy to join You and show You some of the more hidden beauties of swiss landscape. The same applies to Italy. If You want to get in touch You can contact me at:
heiry77@gmail.com
So take care and All the Best!
Cheers Heiry! I'm back in the UK now but will bear that in mind :)
Great video...very lovely town...I love the fact that there’s lots of walking!...safe travels!
Just love your wonderful and relaxing videos...really great, thank you for making them:)
Cheers Curt!
07:14 - Better that the motorhome is not too wide…
People always talk about length with motorhomes, but I think width is just as important. A narrower motorhome allows people to overtake more easily (when I drive there are always people overtaking me) and makes life much easier all around.
The idea of free camping is a good one. Another feel good video 👍😊
Beautiful enjoyed the trip
Fantastic video. At this rate I will need another lifetime to see all the wonderful stuff you keep showing us. :)
That looks a lovely place 😍
Absolutely stunning only one thing missing “Litter “ there wasn’t any 😀
I appreciate the captions, always put them on screen if an available option - useful when you want to watch when you are sharing a room and do not want the headphones on but do not want to disturb others with the volume up ... plus my hard of hearing parent can watch with me at a low volume and does not miss out on the content.
Thanks Dawn! It's hard work but worth it if I know it's appreciated :)
I’m new to your channel Andrew and I’ve loved this Italy vlog. Really interesting and looking forward to your other videos. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers David - and welcome aboard!
Great shirt!
wow what a lovely looking town, very interesting, loving your choice of music adding to the lay'd back atmosphere
Maybe not an "exciting" video, however, this looks like an amazing contrast to the busier touristic places in Italy. Well worth a visit. Thanks for sharing! Cheers.
Certaldo.... beautiful Hello Dougal 🐶 lol
Thank you so much for the captions. My hearing isn't great, so it's wonderful to be able to follow the video - You Tube self generating captions are not that accurate.
You're welcome! It adds a lot of work but if it's appreciated then I'll do my best to continue. Bear in mind it might take me a couple of days after the upload of a video but I'll do my best!
Shame about the poor nights kip but what a lovely place. Enjoy your factory tour ;))
What a beautiful town. Reminded me of similar towns near Florence that I visited on hols there a couple of years ago. As for the noise, well that is Italians for you! They are the noisiest race of people! I stayed in a small hotel in Rome years ago and every single night, just as I was dropping off at midnight, a whole party of people would come back, shouting, laughing, slamming the bathroom door etc., etc. It was probably 2 or 3 but it felt like a small army! Every Single Night I was there. But Italians and Italy are just so lovely - it's worth it.
Yep, absolutely! Like the driving... there is no malice in their haste, it's just how they drive!
Well done on getting to Certaldo Alto - we couln't find the lift to take us up from Certaldo town!
We love Italy and try to visit every year. As for the biters they re everywhere. An Italian told us to use Autan Family as it is not harmful to humans but is 100% effective - give it a try.
Will bear that in mind next time, thanks Pamela!
Wow. Lots of old world charm there! Does Certaldo mean city of cats, I wonder? Thanks Andrew. Just lovely. Ear plugs and some valerian and catnip tea may have helped.🌱🌾🌿
It’s a shame you were not allowed to film inside the factory, but at least we saw a beautiful Italian town.There are so many of these old towns in Italy and they are all beautiful. Thanks, Peter
Looked a beautiful old town. Good idea to bring in people to stay , shame it was a bit too noisy. Juliet and Phil
Everything in Europe is late! We don't go out to eat until after 10 pm and rarely get to bed before 2 am!😂😂😂 Your on holiday so what's all the rush for? Early to bed? Try a mid afternoon siesta will do you loads of good! Lol
Nice, very nice, so sad about the noise. At 6:47 in the video you pass a building that has a dome on it, was it a Church?
I guess so Paul.
Captions are great as I have hearing issues. Although you always speak clearly and enunciate beautifully.
Thank you on both counts! It takes a long time to do the captions so always highly appreciated when someone acknowledges that. So thank you again!
Andrew Ditton I can imagine that it does. I can always hear you clearly so you could get away without them. But, I think for the deaf community they are a must and I’d feel sad that they would miss out on your adventures. I have Ménière’s disease which means I sometimes go deaf, but I can still watch you with captions and it cheers me up. So it’s for sure worth it. I’m grateful! Kisses to Dougal. 🐾🐾
I am really enjoying this series Andrew, will Etrusco be exhibiting at the NEC? 👍
No, the first models arrive in the UK at the end of October. But there is a list of dealers on Etrusco's Social Media channels, and you can find them at the NEC.
Well I thought it was exciting ! Regards AJ
Andrew thank you, nice vlog. Have you got any free camping or wild van camp stops in Devon exeter area and surrounds that you know of?
Hi Ruth, I'm afraid my knowledge of Devon is near non-existent as, to my shame, I've only been there once (but I loved it)
@@andrewjditton ok i will explore. I remember you made a video of a really cheap campsite and you were the only one there. I think it cost u a fiver approx. Do you remember that video? Its my first trip out in my van scarey.
Hi Ruth, that was a Caravan and Motorhome Club 'Certificated Location' (5-van site) which has sadly since closed. However, for your first trip I would strongly recommend using a site - you know the access will be good, there is power if your heat system fails so at least you can plug in a fan heater, and there will be people around to help you out if you get stuck. Once you've got it licked, then start exploring the smaller sites. If you're on your own, you'll find both major clubs offer good prices, especially in the week, at most of their sites. I often pay just £10/night including electricity. Good luck!
@@andrewjditton yes i will take your advice. My van isnt really set up yet. So i am camping in my van. If i have an extension lead can i plug that in at acampsite and run it inti my van or is the electric set up different?
Hi Andrew, love following this journey through from the uk to Italy really nice countryside all steeped in history. My fav town in Italy is Florence and free camping with 30 Kim’s fantastic. Was the free camping only motor homes or could I take along my Knaus Sport 500FDK? Sorry to pick your vast knowledge - could you maybe recommend a website or reference book for free camping across Europe please. We are a family of 4 and a slowly converting to solar so we can do more back to nature experiences, which we did in Australia 🇦🇺 before moving to the Netherlands permanently 3 years ago. Again thank you for your continued story of your life in the camping / caravan world!! Are you missing your Airstream or are you getting the motor home bug? Not much room for you bike and. Dougal seems very settled in his new traveling environment. All the best Chris Denison
Cheers Chris! These areas are generally for motorhomes only - you might get a knock on the door if you try parking a caravan unfortunately. I don't know of a free camping guide book I'm afraid.
Thanks Andrew for reply - btw I’m happy to purchase such a guide as I’m sure if anyone has out one into the market place they would expect a return for their hard work 😓👍once again thanks for your updates and looking forward to the next one!
Enjoyed the vlog as usual Andrew. Some of those streets looked rather narrow, were they one way streets?
Hi Andrew, we always love your Blogs, I'm Aussie with a English Wife and we are looking at buying a second hand MH next year to stay
Near her elderly parents and also travel the UK and Europe. I am thinking of buyer one with a rear bed and garage in order to fit a small
Motor scooter for shopping and getting into towns I'm wondering about your thoughts on this?
Hi Justin, buying an MH is all about YOU and your needs, not the vehicle itself...
Great video Andrew as always. Wow i cannot believe your doing a tour review in their van, but they won’t let you film in the factory. Your would have though at least that someone from the company would have given you a welcome chat. It’s an oxymoron. Rod.
I explain all in the next vlog. It's nothing to do with having anything to hide and everything to do with personal privacy of the employees.
Andrew Ditton I didnt think they had anything to hide, lets be clear about that!
I just noticed there was some kind of unusual looking cable car at 3:40 in which the entire small car appears to tilt upward on one end. Somehow, I didn't notice that the 1st time watching. I suppose we could Google - tilting cable cars in Certaldo Alto, Italy to find out about that. Okay I Googled that & saw a different angle on the view of one of the cable cars at:
goo.gl/images/bQwL1i
along with a partial caption of "Certaldo's very steep hills" and understood what's going on. The cable cars tilt up on the end so people inside stay level horizontal even though going up or down an extremely steep hill. That's a nice idea! ☺
and sad the Factory does not even have a small bit that you can Video!
I explain all in the next vlog. It's nothing to do with having anything to hide and everything to do with personal privacy of the employees.
Free camping! Who'd have thought it? What a great idea to attract tourists and bring money to a town...
Andrew Ditton A great little place Andrew, thanks for sharing it with us, although free camping seems to have a bit of a downside, at least there! Wouldn’t it be great if all town authorities provided such facilities... 🤔 🧐 🐍
I always check for free spots first, with the result that we almost never pay to sleep somewhere. We have seen some wonderful spots where we will return without any doubt, but also places where we won't return to. Maybe the first of many free camping spots for you? ;-)
It certainly adds to the case for a Motorhome over a caravan for touring.
What camera do you use
Hi Sue, most the filming is on a Canon G7X
Lots of cats around😏
Horrible roads over there...been there last summer, torture for the van 😞
Vlog obviously. Damn autospell
👌👌😀😀
Thumbs up all those who would rather watch Andrew & Dougal than something else on TV!!!!!!!!!!!! I rest my case! (he drops the mike and walks off the stage)!
Ha ha! Cheers :)
As normal, excellent ……..
First🤣
You looks very tired in this video....
Yeah, it was catching up with me
Su...😴