It is the summer of 1982, Reinhard and his wife Erika decide to try out a new type of holiday, they would like to stay in touch with nature and the open air and take their children Simone and Holger to a place where they can play freely and peacefully.

Camping is the best option, so they decide to spend their holidays with their faithful caravan at a campsite in Cavallino-Treporti, not far from Venice. The days pass calmly, the children are happy and the family is satisfied with their choice of holiday.

In the following two years, however, they decided to change their destination and for visiting a place which is different from those they have already seen, they chose Yugoslavia, more precisely Croatia and Dalmatia. The holiday was beautiful and relaxing, but soon the desire for Italy, for the sandy beaches and the shallow water returned; so in 1987 the couple agreed to return to the Venetian peninsula of Cavallino-Treporti.

The Camping Dei Fiori welcomes them for their holiday immersed in untouched nature. When they requested to reservate for the following year, the campsite had already been booked out. The campsite staff suggest them to stay at a nearby campsite, owned by the same owner like the one where they stayed the previous year: Camping Mediterraneo.

It is love at the first glow and, from that moment on, the Seiferths have never left this campsite again. The couple says that they love Italy a lot very much and, above all, the region of Cavallino – Treporti: “All the locals are friendly, honest and helpful” they say “we felt immediately integrated into the local community” so much that even today, on their arrival, they meet many Italian acquaintances who, over the years became friends of the family.

Erika tells us with a slightly excited voice that they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year on August 31 at the Ristorante Mediterraneo: A table with delicacies was prepared for them, which they ate together with all their “holiday friends”. But this is not the only nice memory they have of their holidays here. Reinhard actually remembers the numerous parties they organized together with their neighbours: “Everyone brought something, we joined the tables in the middle of the street and formed a long line of different chairs, everyone with the intention of spending an evening together. “The best thing,” continues Erika, “was that many nationalities met and exchanged stories, ideas and traditional dishes!”

The municipality of Cavallino-Treporti, as has been the tradition for many years, awards a prize to those people who for a long time have chosen this municipality as their holiday destination, defining it as real “Ambassadors of Tourism”. Therefore we participated in this ceremony in the municipal building on Tuesday, August 27, 2019. The couple signed the register emotionally and officially accepted the task of reporting about their holidays and talking about our territory as soon as they turn back at home.

Before the final toast, Reinhard whispers movingly: “This is home for us”, and with these words the great loyalty and passion of the family for this place and for all the memories they have of it can be summed up.

We start heading out a bit moved, where a small refreshment has been arranged and between a conversation and a photo we joyfully end this special and certainly emotional afternoon!

Translation into English by Teresa Uhlig