Peillon – Ovada

8th day

Today we made the most of our stay at the campsite and had a leisurely breakfast while the day warmed up.

Since the journey to Ovada by road was going to be very heavy due to traffic, we decided last night to take the highway. Thorqui and I followed the planned route, and despite being on a toll road, we enjoyed it a lot because the route hugs the Mediterranean, and the views are spectacular 🥰. It is true that we saw all the towns from a distance, but that didn't make us feel any less connected to them.
Thorsten and Beast ended up taking the road and also had a “religious” experience 🥹.

You have to keep in mind that it's not the same to drive with Beast, where you can dodge traffic and find gaps, as it is with Beast, which is two and a half meters wide and almost six meters long 😥.
It was a perfect day for all four of us, and we found ourselves in a motorhome area in Ovada, Italy.
To help you understand a bit where we are staying, let me explain the difference between “motorhome area,” “campsite,” and “wild camping.” A motorhome area is a free space provided by the municipality for travelers with “homes on wheels.” It can have more or fewer services (drainage or filling of water, electricity, and sometimes they allow you to semi-settle for the night and dine outside...) but it is always appreciated, especially considering how frowned upon this way of traveling is these days ⛺. You all know the concept of a campsite. A plot in a controlled place, for a fee, where you usually have all the services (bathrooms, electricity, water, drainage and filling of water) and you set up as if you were at home, you can take out whatever you want. Wild camping is becoming increasingly difficult, but it does happen…. You park where you won’t disturb, spend the night (without taking anything out), and the next day you continue on your way. In all three cases, it is taken for granted that you will be respectful and that when you leave, you will leave everything as you found it or better 😌.
Once that is clarified, I’ll tell you that tonight we are sleeping in a motorhome area in Ovada, a town near Genoa, nestled between the banks of the Stura and Orba streams, where the facades are dominated by the technique of “trompe-l'œil” to disguise the narrowness of its alleys, which we believe has turned out to be a wonderful discovery 😊.

T and I are not city people. We usually look for places away from the hustle and bustle that allow us to explore the surroundings once settled in our base camp.

Ovada has pleasantly surprised us. We went for a walk to explore the historic center and stumbled upon a beautiful and lively town. With a church, Our Lady of the Assumption, featuring a very white and sober Baroque facade that hid an overwhelming interior, which was open for our delight, allowing us to see the frescoes by Prieto Ivaldi, 19th-century paintings, and several altars commissioned by guilds of the time.

A memorial, of course, I know I’m being annoying 😓…

Stocking up on fresh local products for dinner. If the town provides us with a place to spend a safe and free night, the least we can do is reciprocate by spending a little, no matter how small, and enjoy a lovely dinner at a set table 🤗.

We bought two types of lettuce the other day, and we need to finish it 🤦‍♀️. Luckily, we also really like salads 😋.
Good night... I’ll keep you posted 😘

8. 17-04-26.pdf