Coasting around in bella Italia; WEEKEND: TRAVEL: ENJOY THE BEAUTY THAT THE ADRIATIC RIVIERA HAS TO OFFER WITH THE DELIGHTS OF VENICE JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

Byline: By STEVE CHILTON

IF you are planning a camping holiday for the family this year there are plenty out there to chose from.

But how do you sort out the wheat from the chaff? And how can you guarantee some half-decent weather?

Why not hop on a cheap flight to France or Italy? STEVE CHILTON and MICHELLE SPERRY report.

I LIKE to think of myself as a veteran of the Eurocamp holiday.

Down the years I've seen action at most of the Channel ports and French seaside towns.

Kids blissfully asleep in the back of the car, dreaming of sandy beaches, as we drive on to the ferry, bound for Normandy, Brittany or the VendAe.

Brunch in Roscoff, St Malo or Cherbourg - a usually traffic-free trip down the coast to the accompaniment of whatever "holiday" cassettes I had smuggled in the glovebox.

Halcyon days.

But time moves on. The kids no longer believe Abba and the Beach Boys are remotely retro-trendy and their legs need folding twice over to get in the back of a car.

And, much as I love La Belle France, I wanted to stretch the family a little in every sense this time.

The arrival of no-frills flights to Italy gave us just the opportunity. By booking early we got flights to Venice for about pounds 130 - for the four of us!

For that price I was able to afford car hire in Italy for 10 days. A little Punto hatchback would allow us travel the 70-odd miles down the Adriatic coast to our Eurocamp holiday home and tootle about to our hearts' content.

Well, that was the plan and for the most part it worked.

One, however, does not tootle on the Adriatic coast road heading south from Venice.

Imagine a road no wider than your back garden, bearing M6-strength traffic buzzed by swarms of motorbikes and you've some idea of the perils of the S14.

I was not quite a quivering wreck when we pulled in to our campsite at Lido di Pomposa - one more kamikaze Vespa rider would have tipped it - but let's say I was looking forward to a relaxing bottle of wine, or two.

And relax we did thereafter: beach, swimming pool and the odd tootle on minor - inland - roads to discover some captivating Italian towns.

One of the reasons we chose this destination was - and no offence here Brits - we thought it would be a change to try out a Eurocamp which wasn't dominated by our countrymen.

Of the 650 or so pitches, which included tents, holiday homes and some private caravans, we were the sole English family for the first few days in early July.

The Danes, Germans, Swiss and Italians had us surrounded. And this while Euro 2004 was in full swing.

As I mentioned, I have seen a few Eurocamps in my time. This one takes top marks for its swimming pools, carefully divided so that children can splash about safely while adults (stomachs tucked in dads) can swim more seriously in an adjoining pool.

Heated to perfection, overseen by sharp-eyed lifeguards and a good poolside cafe-bar to boot. What more could pool potato ask for?

The site is bordered by a safe beach and while the Adriatic can be a bit cloudy hereabouts and the sand more grey than golden it was a popular draw.

Our children were probably a bit too old as late teenagers to suit everything about the site, which is probably best appreciated from toddlers to about 12s.

Night entertainment centres on an outdoor covered stage and dance floor where everything from talent shows, pilates classes and Euro-disco takes place.

It's not quite Birdy Song level but you know the scene - mums and older sisters holding on to the nippers as they stumble through a first few steps.

Most parents fall into the 30-40 age range and are looking for a quiet family site with guaranteed sun and sand.

The site has an all-weather soccer pitch, bike hire, the aforementioned bar-restaurant and a reasonable shop.

A five-minute walk along the beach brings you to the seaside town of Lido di Pomposa, one of seven "lidos" - small resorts built up from the '60s onwards - and each with a good range of restaurants and lots of beach attractions for families.

That was fine for us for a while but we soon wanted to explore.

Given our earlier experience on the road down we opted for a coach and boat trip to Venice from the campsite.

It proved a bargain at about pounds 25 a head. The journey included a private boat cruise of an hour or so from the port of Chioggia across the Lagoon to the world's most famous city on water.

This is a wonderful and instructive way to arrive. We got a history lesson on the way, saw some strange ramshackle fishermen's huts and viewed an island that was once fit only for lepers and is now being developed into an island hotel for millionaires.

On other days, we braved the roads and had idyllic days out, one at Comacchio, the seat of the Roman empire in the 5th century and a little further afield at Ravenna. The shopping half of my clan found boutique- shopping heaven.

But to those looking for more intellectual pursuits the town is home to a unique collection of early Christian mosaics and monuments.

But, to state the obvious here, this part of east- coast Italy was a main artery for one of the world's greatest empires and civilizations.

Every hamlet, town and city hereabouts is drenched in that history.

And the joy is you can sample as much or as little as you like, knowing there is a sandy beach around the corner and the sun on your back.

FACTFILE STEVE CHILTON and his family travelled with Eurocamp to the Vigna Sul Mar holiday parc at Lido di Pomposa, staying in a Venezia holiday home, idealyy suited for two adults and two children under 12.

A seven-night holiday at the parc costs from pounds 239 for a family of two adults and up to three children staying in a Venezia holiday home.

This price is for accommodation only.

Flights and car hire are available at a supplement.

For more information contact Eurocamp on 0870 366 7552, or visit www.eurocamp.co.uk

CAPTION(S):

TOP MARKS: The huge pool complex at Eurocamp's Vigna Sul Mar holiday parc in Lido di Pomposa and just a short distance away via a coach and boat journey, all the delights of Venice (top) can be enjoyed