Free Time Camping

Kids will be mighty chuffed hereabouts, as the area’s absolutely brimming with high-octane distractions and top days out. They might get all in a flap over the exotic birds and cheeky monkeys at Parco Gallorose, or spend hours on the rides at Cavallino Matto (both 10 minutes’ drive away), or maybe they’d prefer to take the plunge at the waterpark and reach dizzying new heights on the treetop rope courses 15 minutes from base...? There’s loads for the grownups too of course: the pretty hillside villages of Bibbona and Castagneto Carducci are both with 15 minutes of the site, and are must-visits for cobbled streets, old old castles and stunning views towards the sea. Sippers and tipplers should opt instead for the village of Bolgheri – it’s a famed stop on the Etruscan wine route, and should entice non-drinkers too with its castle and scenic vineyards. Approach it from the Carducci side for a splendid drive along the oft-photographed Viale dei Cipressi. Tuscany’s more than just wine and beaches: explore that ill-fated tower in Pisa within an hour, and the bridges, statues and galleries of Florence within two.