Campervan, RV & Vanlife News

The 38th autumn rally of the Calabria Camper Club Sila has ended in Serra San Bruno with 27 crews from across Italy. The route included the Tropea coast, Paravati and Soriano, with Serra San Bruno as the central stop. Club president Franco Morano presented a commemorative plaque to mayor Alfredo Barillari. Councillor Valerio Lagrotteria said the municipality aims to obtain the national Bandiera Gialla award for motorhome and caravan facilities and to present its bid at the Salone del Camper in Parma.

Carabinieri in Castellamonte are investigating an incident on 21 October 2026 in which unknown persons overturned the caravan used as a home by a 48-year-old man from Umbria. The man found the caravan vandalised and lying on its side with wheels up after returning from a walk with his dog. He reported that in previous months stones had been thrown at the caravan and firecrackers set off nearby at night. Councillor Alessandro Musso, delegated to social policies and health, condemned the vandalism and said the man had received support from local social services since early 2025, though some housing solutions offered were refused. A local resident has temporarily provided the man with accommodation.

Cerenzia will open the PreSilandia camper van area on 7 November 2026 at 16:00. Mayor Salvatore Mascaro announced the opening, which coincides with the Biodiversity Festival. The initiative is part of a sustainable tourism strategy for the Presila Crotonese area. Three days of events will run from 7 to 9 November, including music, food stands and the feast of Saint Theodore.

Italian law does not prohibit permanent residence in a motorhome, but requires three parking conditions under Article 185 of the 1992 Highway Code. The vehicle must rest on the road only on its wheels, without auxiliary jacks, must not discharge any waste other than exhaust, and must not extend beyond its own dimensions with awnings, steps or open windows. Discharging wastewater onto roads or public areas carries a fine of 87 to 344 euros, with Article 255 of the Environmental Code applied in serious cases. To register a residence, a person must obtain no-fixed-abode status in the municipality where their main interests are centred.

On 5 November a caravan caught fire in Padua on Via Benvenuti in the Cave district, on private property under a canopy. Fire crews from Padua and Abano Terme extinguished the blaze; the caravan and the canopy were destroyed and no one was injured. Investigators are working to establish the cause, and damage is estimated at several thousand euros. The caravan belongs to a British citizen.

A fire broke out on the evening of 5 November on Via Chiesanuova in Padua, next to the Cimitero Maggiore. The flames damaged a camper van and the canopy it was parked under; no one was hurt.

Police in Genoa arrested two Egyptians aged 18 and 19 for attempted aggravated theft from two camper vans on Via Struppa. Both were found inside a second vehicle and will face a fast-track trial today.

Italian manufacturer Arca has updated its range with the launch of America H motorhomes and the return of the Mascotte camper van series. Both models are based on a 140 hp Fiat Ducato chassis. The America H motorhome is 745 cm long and comes in two layouts: the H 745 GLC with a central island bed and another version with longitudinal single beds. The Mascotte camper vans include the V 599 GT with a lifting rear bed and the V 636 MG with an enlarged rear double bed. Prices for the Mascotte range start at just over €65,000.

Mombercelli has opened a new motorhome stopover at the municipal swimming pool, completed during the summer. The project was 80% funded by the Piedmont region, with works carried out by Verri Srl of Nizza Monferrato. The site has five pitches with electricity and water connections. Mayor Ivan Ferrero reported about ten bookings since the opening at the truffle fair.

A 1988 Volvo 740 with an extended body that previously served as a hearse is for sale in Sweden. The owner proposes converting the long rear compartment into a sleeping area for one person. The car is located in Örebro County and listed on the Swedish platform Blocket for 35,000 Swedish kronor. It has a 2.3-litre petrol engine producing 115 hp, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive, with 160,000 km on the odometer. The seller notes rust, a cracked windscreen and a last inspection in March 2023.

Fermo has reduced long-term motorhome parking in the coastal neighbourhoods of Lido Tre Archi, San Tommaso and Casabianca. Over two years the municipality installed height barriers and bollards in car parks, starting with the area on Via Ugo La Malfa in Lido Tre Archi, and extended the measures to streets in San Tommaso and to Via De Gasperi and Riva del Pescatore in Casabianca. According to the council group Insieme per Fermo, motorhome presence is now sporadic. City councillor for urban security David Cinti said controls must continue, and the group supports restarting a neighbourhood watch scheme.

The Volkner Mobil Performance returns in a new edition in 2027. The 12-metre motorhome has a patented garage that fits a Porsche and starts at around €2 million.

The television programme Camper in Viaggio broadcasts an episode covering Umbria and Assisi. The episode airs on the Italiana channel on 11 November 2026 at 00:25. The two presenters travel across Italy by camper van and visit villages, craft sites and food traditions. Daily missions are assigned by Professor Umberto Broccoli. The format centres on first-hand contact with local communities.

Pordenone's second council committee for urban planning, public works and the environment will hold a public meeting on 5 November at 17:30 in the Missinato hall of the town hall. The session will cover plans for a serviced motorhome stopover in the San Gregorio district on Via Italo Svevo. The site covers about 3,000 sq m and is linked to the city centre by cycle path and public transport. The project, with a total investment of 632,500 euros, includes 10 fully serviced pitches, e-bike charging points, a shared green area and automated access with paid parking.

Over the Halloween weekend the campsite in Piediluco, in the municipality of Terni, hosted 25 motorhomes and more than 60 people who stopped there during a tour of Umbria. Michela Bordoni, the municipal councillor for heritage, called it a concrete example of the programme to put municipal property to productive use. She said concessions are aimed not only at using public assets but at generating value and new opportunities for the area. The autumn presence of motorhomers shows that a site traditionally linked to the summer season can remain attractive at other times of year.

The motorhome used by Will Smith during film productions was built by Anderson Mobile Estates. The vehicle is 16–17 metres long, has 22 wheels, about 110 square metres of living space and is valued at $2.5 million. It carries 14 televisions, a kitchen with domestic appliances, a bathroom with a steam shower and a cinema room with a 100-inch screen on a second level that appears when the roof is raised by about 42 centimetres. Finishes include natural stone worth more than $125,000, and some tables are valued at around $12,000 each.

Management of the motorhome area in Piazza del Buonumore in Borgofranco d'Ivrea has been awarded to Ried srl of Tricase, in the province of Lecce. The public-private partnership runs for at least ten years with an annual fee of 1,200 euros payable to the municipality. Works on the square are being carried out by Valli Unite sca for 71,981 euros, within a total budget of 115,000 euros, and are scheduled for completion between September and February 2027. The project, called Balmetti on the road, is funded by the Ministry of Tourism; the management tender was held for the third time after two failed attempts.

German manufacturer Carthago has unveiled fully redesigned Liner motorhomes and a new layout for its C2-tourer range. The Chic e-line I 64 XL QB on a Mercedes chassis measures over nine metres and has a base price of around €215,000. The Chic s-plus I 61 XL LE on an Iveco Daily chassis is 870 cm long and priced at just under €241,000. The C2-tourer I 146 FF-RB-LE is 731 cm long and features a face-to-face lounge; the layout is also available as a semi-integrated model and in a lightweight version weighing 35 quintals.

Fratelli d'Italia wants a motorhome stopover at the swimming centre in Borgo San Lorenzo. An indicative rate is €10 a day, and management could go to Vivi lo Sport.

On the Strada della Rezza in Bardassano, a hamlet of Gassino, a motorcyclist crossed into the oncoming lane on a bend and forced the driver of a camper van to swerve sharply to the right. The camper van scraped along the crash barrier on its entire side, damaged its rear section and lost bumper parts. The driver was returning with her daughter and another mother with a child from national equestrian competitions in Narni, Terni province. No one was seriously injured. The motorcyclist left the scene. There is no mobile phone reception on that section of the road.