Is travelling by camper a luxury or a traditional way to save money? It seems that camping is not just a way to travel the world while spending little, but that, thanks in part to technology and expensive vehicles equipped with spacious double bedrooms, conference rooms and even garages for cars accessed through extendable platforms, the real luxury has become the freedom to move as and where you please.
So forget the makeshift campsites with laundry hanging out to dry, typical of many campgrounds, and think instead of real homes on four wheels: new, beautiful, fully equipped and designed for unforgettable stays.
But what do VIPs think? To “switch off”, do they prefer hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, or the gift of freedom? Many leading Italian figures from music, entertainment and culture have chosen holidays “on the move”.
In the documentary Rumore dentro, presented out of competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival last year, Florentine rocker Piero Pelù travels by camper to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in the Camargue. “A journey of personal and artistic renewal, which opens the door to a new awareness and a different perspective on the world,” the artist admits.
In August 2024, Elodie and Andrea Iannone also chose a camper to travel across the Algarve, in southern Portugal. Images shared on social media show days spent between beaches, cliffs, boat trips and stops along the ocean. The couple followed the coastline, alternating life on board with walks on the sand and sunset aperitifs. “Stopping near the sea, deciding the route day by day and moving around without depending on reservations. An informal choice, far removed from the rhythms of the usual picture-perfect holidays,” the couple says.
Actor Fabio Volo has spoken several times about his passion for camper holidays, a formula he has chosen for several summers and also experienced with his family overseas, in California, Australia and New Zealand.
“It is the freedom to adapt the journey to the children’s schedules, change the itinerary and experience travelling without separating the holiday from everyday life, while always maintaining a high level of comfort,” he explains. This lifestyle also features in the novel Una gran voglia di vivere, where a camper journey gives protagonists Marco and Anna the opportunity to reconnect and reassess their relationship.
Renowned Italian comic artist Milo Manara has described himself as “a great camper enthusiast”. He travelled in a Saviem Renault 4x4 fitted out for life on board, taking drawing boards and tools with him. Work continued along the road and the vehicle effectively became a mobile studio. With that vehicle, he travelled around the Mediterranean twice and ventured into the Sahara. The extraordinary experience he recalls took him, for around five months, through Pakistan, India and Nepal.
Another life, another experience. In summer 2020, Neapolitan singer-songwriter Giovanni Truppi, known to the public for his participation in Sanremo 2022, set off in a camper with two friends and a dismantlable piano for concerts held along the route through France, Italy and Slovenia. “The camper was home, dressing room and means of transport, as well as the place where I could continue writing and playing music,” he says.
All that remains is to mark an important date in the calendar for itinerant tourism. Enthusiasts will be able to discover all the latest developments at the Salone del Camper - Caravan Accessori Percorsi e Mete, in collaboration with APC (Associazione Produttori Caravan e Camper), taking place at Fiere di Parma from September 12 to 20, 2026. The event showcases vehicles, accessories, destinations and new ways of experiencing tourism.