For a relaxing holiday in complete freedom and with a hint of adventure in the Savio Trails, the camper van is the ideal means of transport: there are numerous areas suitable for parking and overnight stays, also with services dedicated to lovers of outdoor tourism.
Our en plein air tourist itinerary starts from Verghereto. Here, in Via Umbria - Strada Provinciale 137, we find a public parking area: a car park with free camper service, overnight parking possible, illuminated, quiet, not far from the Town Hall. Water and drainage service is not available in winter, due to possible frost.
We can also stay overnight in the hamlet of Balze: the quiet, free camper van parking area is located at the sports field, adjacent to the village centre. From here we can go hiking on Monte Fumaiolo, immersed in nature: in particular, we can reach symbolic places rich in history such as the springs of the Tiber River and those of the Savio River.
Moving around the vast municipal territory of Bagno di Romagna there are several possibilities for camper van parking. Let us take the E45 motorway: near the San Piero in Bagno exit, in Via Battistini, which is only 700 metres from the town centre, we find a large parking area, open all year round, free and with open access, not only for motorhomes but also for other motor vehicles, but it is not equipped with loading and unloading water service.
From here we can easily reach the various attractions in the area, possibly using the San Piero-Bagno di Romagna cycle-pedestrian path.
Bagno is famous in particular for its thermal baths and for the curative properties of the waters found there: definitely not to be missed is a relaxing walk and a swim in the pool.
Moreover, there are numerous excursions on foot that can be done along the paths and through the woods. You can, in fact, walk along the mule track to the Sanctuary of Corzano to visit the remains of the fortress of Corzano; the Sentiero degli Gnomi (Gnome Path) and the Ca' di Gianni Adventure Park, perfect for children and families; the recently inaugurated trail Quattro Passi intorno a Bagno (Four Steps around Bagno); the Bosco del Benessere (Wellbeing Woods); and the path leading to the Chiardovo Sulphurous Spring.
In the Monte Còmero area, Lake Acquapartita, Lake Pontini and Lake Lungo. Not to be missed is an excursion to the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi (Casentino Forests National Park), passing through the Visitors' Centre at the IAT - Tourist Office located in Palazzo del Capitano, in the town centre.
From Bagno di Romagna we go back towards San Piero in Bagno and take the SP 46 towards Lake Ridracoli, in the Bidente Valley. Situated in the ancient village of Ridracoli, surrounded by the woods of the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi (Casentino Forests National Park), we find a camping parking area, open from Easter to 2 November, equipped with 13 pitches for campers, tents and caravans, with bathrooms with showers and foot washers, hot water, sinks for dishes, stone tables and stoves for barbecues, electricity and water connections and toilet flushing.
From here we recommend a visit to the lake and the Ridracoli dam, with the interesting Idro Eco-Museum.
Back to San Piero in Bagno, we take the E45 again and arrive in Sarsina. In Via Ambrola, near the Stadio Comunale (Municipal Stadium), we find a camper van area equipped for parking, electric recharging, water drainage and refuelling.
A short walk from the service area, reachable by a short staircase in a few minutes, is the historic centre of Sarsina: here we can visit Piazza Tito Maccio Plauto, overlooked by the thousand-year-old Basilica of San Vicinio, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art with access to the neo-Gothic dome-auditorium of the former Seminary, the National Archaeological Museum and the interesting finds from the Roman era found in various places in the area and in the room next to the Tourist Office in Via IV Novembre.
A few minute walk takes us to Calbano: here we can visit the workshop of a luthier specialised in the construction of the Italian classical guitar. In summer we can enjoy a performance of the important Plautus Theatre Festival.
From Sarsina it is worth arriving at Tavolicci, which can be reached in less than half an hour. This hamlet in the municipality of Verghereto, now almost entirely uninhabited, was the victim of a Nazi-Fascist massacre in July 1944: witness to this is the Casa dell'Eccidio, a museum that we recommend visiting.
Here, in the 22 July 1944 square, we can park in a camper van area inaugurated in 2022, equipped with water and drainage.
In good weather, Tavolicci offers a superb panorama. From the camper van area it is possible to go on nature walks, on the Sentiero della Memoria (Path of memory) and the Sentiero di Maria (Path of Mary).
From Tavolicci we return towards Sarsina and take the E45 to Mercato Saraceno. Here we can take advantage of a camper van area, which we find in viale Matteotti, adjacent to the Sports Centre and the swimming pools, a few hundred metres from the town centre. Small in size, the area can accommodate four motor homes and is equipped with camper service with self-cleaning water drainage.
Mercato Saraceno was awarded as Città del Vino (City of Wine): you can follow an itinerary designed to connect the network of five quality wine cellars in the municipal area and enjoy tastings in the wineries.
In addition, Mercato Saraceno is home to interesting parish churches and very ancient churches, also linked by a specially designed itinerary.
Follow the E45 downstream to Cesena. In the Malatesta city, there are two areas suitable for camper vans: one along Via Calcinaro, 500 metres from the A14 Cesena exit, equipped with a service area with manhole and drinking fountain, and one in the Hippodrome area, in Piazzale Tordi. The latter, adjacent to the Carisport sports hall, is easy to reach due to its proximity to the E45 and Secante motorway. It consists of 10 large, well-lit pitches, on a level grass-block surface, and is equipped with a camper service toilet wash, with a coin-operated drinking water column to charge tanks and a free drainage well.
The camper van area is adjacent to the car park in Piazzale Ambrosini, connected to the historic centre of Cesena by convenient 10-15 minute minibuses at a cost of only 50 cents per person per day.
From here, you can reach on foot the numerous points of interest the city has to offer, from the Biblioteca Malatestiana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the Rocca, (Cesena Forteress), the Basilica of Santa Maria del Monte, without forgetting Villa Silvia-Carducci, which can be reached by camper van.
The Ippodromo del Savio racetrack is the venue for the annual Camper Meeting Cesena Città Malatestiana, held on the first weekend of October, in conjunction with the important Cesena International Street Food Festival.
From Villa Silvia-Carducci, or from the camper van area in the Hippodrome area, it is easy to reach the Secante superhighway, which we will take in the direction of Rimini, to join the via Emilia and reach the hill village of Montiano in a few minutes.
The camper van park is located in Via Clementina Mandolesi, a residential area close to the village: the area is large, quiet and close to a playground. In the Montiano area it is pleasant and relaxing to take walks in the hills rich in olive groves, following for example the network of characteristic "Poetic Paths".
