With its reputation for delicious cuisine and fine wine, Tuscany doesn't spring to mind for camping holidays. But, as Sandra O'Connelldiscovers, it's just the spot - as long as you don't mind local driving habits
THE KIDS HAVE a picture book, Katie and the Mona Lisa, in which the heroine climbs into pictures in art galleries. Driving around Tuscany reminds me of it. Turn any - usually hairpin - corner in Chianti and you're into a fresh canvas of hilltop village, hazy cypresses or fields of sunflowers. Any minute you expect to find a celestial paintbrush retreating into the sky.
Of course, for every pleasure there has to be some pain, and, although the scenery is beautiful, the driving can be torturous. We are staying at Norcenni Girasole, a terrific four-star campsite surrounded by vineyards near the town of Greve in Chianti. Though the campsite can't be faulted, negotiating the surrounding hills takes its toll equally on car and driver.
In this part of the world you can spend half an hour winding back and forth around corkscrew roads to find you've only travelled a kilometre as the crow flies. It's just as well the scenery is so arresting: you get plenty of time to soak it up - assuming you're not the driver.
If you are driving, you spend the entire trip focusing on the rear-view mirror, muttering: "He's not really going to pass me out here, is he?" And, of course, he is. And her, too.
It's a shame about the kamikaze locals, because touring in the car is normally half the reason camping holidays are so great.
Mornings are spent exhausting kids with waterslides and playgrounds, so that in the afternoons, when it's too hot in Tuscany to do anything but retreat into an air-conditioned vehicle, there'll be peace and quiet from the back seat. Or at least more subdued squabbling.
Norcenni Girasole is a large campsite with two enormous pool complexes, one at each end, and a miniature train ferrying residents between them. The train is fantastic, not because the distance is particularly great but because the site is so steep. Any weight you put on during this holiday will be on your calves.
Despite its size, it is wonderfully quiet - the cicadas were by far the noisiest residents.
Pitches are set, for the most part, in the shade under terraced trees, with views over the valley by day and a flotilla of fireflies dancing past your barbecue at night. That's if you stay in. Norcenni has four restaurants, all outdoors and shaded by grapevines; they overlook yet more of the beautiful Chianti hills.
So most nights are spent out, which was particularly helpful for us after the woman from the mobile in the terrace below thundered up to complain that our youngest was kicking stones at her window. Having met her, I couldn't really blame him, but dining out from then on seemed by far the better part of valour.
In terms of amenities, the campsite has tennis courts, playgrounds, loads of water chutes and slides, and a terrific lazy river for floating down on oversized inflatables.
There's also a supermarket, gift shop, two bars and an amphitheatre, where the resident red coats entertain the kids until way past bedtime.
By morning the same troupe are back up, leading what must be specified in their contracts as "bikini aerobics" beside the pool. How they do it, and so perkily, is beyond me, but thankfully a good number of fathers always happen to pass at precisely the right time each morning to show appreciation.
No doubt it is a way of relaxing their eyes in advance of all the driving ahead. And with so many places to visit in the region, it would certainly be a shame for eye strain to put a stop to your gallop.
Florence is just over half an hour away, and finding parking along the river is no problem at all. Suspiciously so, particularly as some sort of traffic tickets - in Italian, so I'm only guessing - have been arriving from Hertz ever since we got back.
It's a great city for strolling around, not least to see the incredibly faithful reproduction of Michelangelo's David in Piazza della Signoria, next to the Uffizi. If the queues are their usual length, it's probably all you'll see of the famous gallery's priceless treasures.
Equally unmissable is the stunning medieval hill town of San Gimignano, a visit to which was, for this writer at least, highlight and lowlight combined.
Thinking my youngest was about to be hit by the sole car in the pedestrianised town centre, I let out a scream that bounced back and forth across the main piazza so loudly, and for so long, it brought the entire ice-cream-eating population to silence - no mean feat with Italians. Oh for a picture frame to climb into.
Sites for sore eyes: five top destinations
1 Chateau des Ormes,
Dol de Bretagne, northern Brittany, France. A 17th-century chateau, silver-service restaurants and rolling parklands: it's the Ashford Castle of camping, but not so po-faced. Stay in one of its Robinson Crusoe tree houses (children must be over eight). It's got everything from golf to horse riding, as well as terrific pools, kids camps and playgrounds. All that and just down the road from St Malo and Mont St Michel. Kelair Campotel (www.campotel. com) has special offers to Dol this summer - two weeks from €750, including ferry fares.
2 Le Grande Metairie, Carnac, southern Brittany, France.Doesn't have the wow factor of Dol, but this site on the beautiful Gulf of Morbihan is possibly better for younger kids, given that the site is built around its own petting zoo. Good playgrounds, a great pool and only a cycle from the expansive beaches of Carnac. A week here in July, for two adults and two children, is priced from €2,500 with Keycamp (www.keycamp.ie).
3 Pra'Delle Torri, Caorle, Adriatic, Italy.A lively four-star campsite between Venice and Trieste, it has Italy's largest outdoor swimming pool. Actually, it has two pool complexes - and, as kids rate a campsite by the quality of its pools, that is enough to guarantee a happy holiday. But there's golf, windsurfing and scuba for the grown-ups, too, as well as excursions up the Dolomites and day trips to Venice and the 1,000-year-old castle at Conegliano. Bungalows housing four people cost €141 a night during high season (www. pratelletorri.it).
4 Bella Italia, Lake Garda, Italy.For the best of all worlds, Italy's Bella Italia, on the southern shores of Lake Garda, is hard to beat. Terrific water complexes, a (shingle) beach safe enough for children and wonderful views across the lake. A kilometre or so from the prom at Pesciera del Garda, it's just as handy for the historic town of Sirmione - jewel of the lake - and the Gardaland theme park. For day trips it's a toss-up between Verona and Venice. Or why not both? Fly via Bergamo or Milan. Bungalows sleeping six people start at €101 a night in high season, direct from www.camping-bellaitalia.it.
5 Crea-Langues, Provence, France.God forbid you'd want your kids to study on holiday, but those of you who have teenagers who are keen to brush up on their language skills - unaccompanied - might like to consider this gite-based camping option, 40km north of Aix-en-Provence.
Holidays here include three hours of formal classes and 24 hours of immersion in the language each day.
Fun stuff includes horse riding, sailing and windsurfing.
The nearest airport is Marseille, and prices start at €990 for a 10-day course. They also run courses for adults. www.crealangues.com.
The dos and don'ts of a campsite holiday
Do . . .
Check precisely which amenities will be open when you go there. Some of the advertised facilities, from kid's clubs to water parks, open only in July and August.
Opt for an operator that runs kid's clubs - Ballinasloe company Kelair Campotels' BuzzyBee clubs are particularly good for younger children.
Remember that booking with a camping-holiday company can get you extras, such as free overnights, for those driving long distances, or the chance to swap sites should the weather not be obliging as you'd hoped (very important in the case of Brittany).
Make friendly noises at those staying in your immediate environs. You can be sure that within 20 minutes of arrival their kids will be in your tent or mobile and vice versa, so it makes sense to keep things upbeat among the adults.
Don't . . .
Forget the Goldilocks rule when choosing a campsite: not too big and not too small. Too big and you'll be driving to the pool. Too small and you'll be kicking a ball with your kids every evening because they'll have no one to play with.
Pack too much. No one dresses up to go camping, and there are laundries throughout the site to keep you going.
Bin your household goods when you're leaving. It's a matter of campsite etiquette to offer leftover durables - bin liners, washing powder or condiments - to new arrivals.
Stay put. Campsites are so self-contained that it's easy to put off venturing out. It's a shame, because, no matter how good the venue, the campsite shouldn't really be a destination in itself so much as a good-value - and fun-filled - accommodation option in a part of the world you want to explore.
Fly-drive or ferry?
Don't rule out the ferry just because of what seem like cheap flights. The travelling is every bit as exciting as the arriving when you go by boat. And forget about rust buckets: these days it's a choice between Brittany Ferries' two-year-old cruise-style ferry Pont Aven and Irish Ferries' new Oscar Wilde. Expect to pay €1,200-€1,400 for a high-season return.
If you're not bringing your own car, factor in about €700 a week to hire one.And flying will give you an extra two full days on site, and, if you're short of holiday days from work, that's worth its weight in gold.
It also opens up the possibilities of campsites throughout Europe, not just in France. These days companies such as Keycamp offer destinations from Spain to Slovenia.
Also, because there is always driving involved in a camping holiday, there's a lot to be said for a left-hand-drive car, particularly in places such as Tuscany, where you really do need to see around corners.
Go there
How to get there
Ryanair flies to Pisa, about two hours by car from Norcenni. Air fares for July range from €50 to €130. Alternatively, go via Bologna, which Ryanair often charges less to fly to. Aer Lingus also flies to Bologna; prices currently range from €70 to €130 in July.
Where to stay
Keycamp (www.keycamp.ie) has a week's stay in a three-bedroomed mobile home at Norcenni in July for €1,435. Or book direct (www.camping.it) and get a mobile home for five from €129 a day in high season.
Where to visit
If it's the passeggiata (or evening stroll) you're after - and that's the one thing about a campsite holiday you might miss - the crescent-shaped Piazza del Campo in the town of Siena is just under an hour from Norcenni - and it's a showstopper. Beautiful people and beautiful buildings, it's Italy in a nutshell. Just don't scream.
Where to eat
The surprisingly unassuming (for Tuscany) town of Greve in Chianti is GHQ for gastronomes. Go in autumn for truffles and any other time of the year for wine and sausage. Get all the above and more at Antica Macelleria Falorni, Italy's most famous store, now in its eighth generation.
Where to avoid
Pisa. Great buildings. Grotty hawkers and a really strange approach road lined with women doing a little lunchtime hawking of their own.