Escaping to Italy

Saturday, Sept 5 

Flew out of dreary, drizzly Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon with fingers crossed for sunny skies and warm weather in northern Italy.  Heavy cloud cover and a bit of turbulence on the short flight south to Verona, but we emerged into the sunshine on the approach to the airport.  In the distance the mass of Lake Garda was silvery grey and the mountains were shrouded in clouds, but the fields around the city were a sunlit patchwork of crops, vines and fruit trees - looking lush, green and fertile.

I was met by a friendly fellow with a shiny new Mercedes for the short ride into the city and my hotel which is in the pedestrian area, close to all the historical  sites.  Hotel Accademia is lovely and the staff are a delight - just the place for my stopover in Verona! 

Despite feeling rather weary, I took an evening stroll around the immediate precincts of the hotel and discovered a beautiful, clean small city, bustling with Saturday night diners and shoppers.  The architecture is stunning - tall, narrow buildings washed in a multitude of soft hues, adorned with pretty balconies, quirky shuttered windows and an amazing variety of rooflines. I walked to Piazza Erbe, only a couple of blocks away - a large open area surrounded by fine buildings and with a busy market in the middle.  As the light began to fade a thunderstorm sent the rain bucketing down - no brolly of course - so I sheltered under an awning for a bit and then high-tailed it back to the hotel and a nice warm shower.  No interest in food tonight after a bit of a snack on the flight, but the the super comfy bed was very inviting and the weather forecast for Sunday very promising.

Thunderstorm, Piazza Erbe, Verona

Sunday 6 September

A wonderful sleep, a delicious buffet breakfast and cloudless blue skies so I was feeling ready to spend the morning exploring Verona.  I love the colourful tourist maps that the hotels supply - still have a problem with orientation though.  Fortunately there are multiple signposts everywhere to aid those who are cartographically challenged.  First stop, Casa di Giulietta - where else!  Being relatively early in the day the courtyard below Juliet's balcony was not too crowded and there were only a few enthusiastic souls adding to the graffiti in the tunnelled entrance to the courtyard.  A solitary young woman was posing on the balcony - her fellow was busy getting photos from a viewing window (money changes hands in order to access these points of course).  I was happy with a couple of snaps, just to say I've been there.  It is actually quite pretty, although in fact totally fanciful.

Juliet's Balcony, Verona

Moving on, I followed the street thinking that I was heading to the Arena - whoops, wrong way.  I passed the Porta  Leoni - the remains of an ancient Roman portal and found myself on the banks of the Adige River where the Navi  Bridge crosses.  A rather splendid church, San Fermo, dominates the riverside at this point.  From the bridge there is a wonderful view of the cypress dotted hills that surround the city to the north and the Castel San Pietro further upstream.

Adige River, Verona

  The old city of Verona is almost entirely encircled by the river which meanders towards the sea from its source in the Italian Alps. Retracing my steps I wandered through pretty streets lined with attractive shops and endless cafes to the Piazza Bra, site of the Arena, the stunning Roman Amphitheatre which is currently hosting the Verona opera season - Aida tonight - hope there are no thunderstorms!  Piazza Bra is a large open area with fine public buildings and a small park on one side, a string of cafes facing the Arena and narrow little streets running off into the city centre on the other side.

Piazza Bra, Verona

  The Arena is very grand, a little crumbling in places but in all amazingly well preserved for a structure built in AD 30.  The queue to enter was long so I was happy to content myself with a stroll around outside - such a beautiful sunny morning with tourists and local families all out enjoying this lovely city.  Lots of bikes - easy riding in the flat city centre.

Arena, Verona

From the Arena I decided to revisit Piazza Erbe where I had been caught in the previous night's rain.

Bustling Piazza Erbe, Verona

  Today the glorious buildings were bathed in sunshine and the restaurants and market were doing a roaring trade.  Usual market stuff - souvenirs, bags, scarves and hats - but I did buy some strawberries and peaches which look amazing- breakfast tomorrow - along with an amerana crostini from one of the many pastry shops (big thing here).  Piazza Erbe is dominated by the very tall Torre dei Lamberti which is accessed from the smaller neighbouring Piazza dei Signori
.

Torre dei Lamberti, Verona

  Tried a small cup of amerana gelato but still suffering nerve reaction to cold stuff so not really enjoyable - shame, but a chance to sit a while and watch the passing parade.  

I wandered through some back streets and came across the Arche Scaligere, the weird and wonderful gothic funerary monuments of the ruling Scagiler family which date from the 13 century.  

Sadly my time in Verona was coming to an end.  It is a most appealing place.  Coffee seemed like a good idea and I had been recommended the little cafe next door to the hotel.  Nice cappuccino and a brioche (an Italian croissant) before my car arrived to take me back to the airport.
  Jessica and Stefano were flying in from London and Rome respectively, and it was wonderful to see them again.  We collected  our Alfa Romeo Giulietta and with Stef very competently at the wheel drove westwards to Lake Garda.  The route took us through vineyards and over the hills to the lake at Lasize where we turned north and followed the lakeside road past Bardolino, Garda and Torri del Benaco to our apartment in Brenzone. What a beautiful drive - slow because of the Sunday traffic, but all the more time to appreciate the scenery!

Driving beside the lake - a glimpse of Garda town

  As we headed north the mountains surrounding Lake Garda became higher and steeper, the lower slopes covered with a variety of trees, palms, olives, cypress, willows by the shore and brilliantly flowering oleanders.  The villages are small and delightful with pretty, colourful houses, stunning churches and lovely waterfront parks and promenades.  There appeared to be a walking track beside the lake for most of the distance we travelled and many beaches which were well populated by sunbathers, swimmers and people messing about in boats - idyllic really!

Mountains dominate the northern end of Lake Garda

We were met at the apartment by lovely Monica and were thrilled with the amenities and location.  Casa Pagani is a small complex of apartments, set in a beautiful garden and right across the road from the lake.  We have two bedrooms, living area and a huge terrace overlooking the lake - perfect for our three night stay.

View from our terrace, Brenzone sul Garda

 On the recommendation of Monica we drove a few minutes to Castelletto di Brenzone, the nearest small village, where there are a number of waterside restaurants - most already filling with diners on this perfect, still and warm evening.

Delightful Castelletto di Brenzone

 We settled into Trattoria Don Pedro which despite its Spanish sounding name, had an extensive Italian menu.  It was delightful to be greeted with a complimentary glass of Prosecco to sip while we made our sections - calamari and bruschetta (antipasti) and pizza and scampi pasta (primo) - all delicious - accompanied by a local house white (yummy).  What an introduction to Lake Garda - wonderful food, a restaurant full of happy diners, charming waiters, views to die for and the rosy glow of the setting sun behind the mountains across the lake  - all finished off with shot of limoncello, compliments of the house!  We sure were happy campers!

Harbourside, Castelletto di Brenzone