Juliette Tentvakanties at Camping Paradiso

For the freedom to roam around the Versilia area, there are bikes for hire from Camping Paradiso, so bag one and head off on the 2.2-kilometre ride into Viaréggio, which takes 10 minutes by car. This is the birthplace of one of Italy’s most famed carnivals, where floats satirising local and international politicians bob through the streets in early spring each year. Missing the festivities? Get a glimpse of what they’re like at the museum in the town’s La Cittadella complex… or head in the opposite direction to Torre del Lago and take in a different type of culture at Puccini’s 16th-century home. This town holds an annual event dedicated to the composer in mid-summer, where you can catch opera performances. Further along, at around 25 minutes, try Lago di Massaciuccoli for boat rides and birdwatching, or zip along to Pisa for a look at the famed leaning tower. Alternatively, one of Tuscany’s often-underrated cities, Lucca, with its circular main piazza set on the site of a Roman Amphitheater, is accessible just over half an hour's drive away.