Exploring Lake Garda

Monday 7 Sept - Malcesine and Riva del Garda

We stayed three nights at Brenzone sul Garda and each day were greeted by cloudy skies and wind which gave way by late morning to clear sunny skies and calm weather.  Must be something to do with all the mountains and the huge mass of Lake Garda.

View from the gate to the apartment in Brenzone

  Our first excursion was to the gorgeous town of Malcesine, 15 minutes to the north and nestled under the highest point in this area, Monte Baldo.  The town is smallish - several waterfront piazzas, a plethora of narrow cobbled lanes, colourful houses - very quaint and charming.

Malcesine 

  A busy place, obviously popular with tourists but impossible not to be enchanted by its character and setting.  Plenty of cafes - we chose one at the main harbour for our coffee and croissants - a constant parade of passersby and boats coming and going and an interesting place to linger, serenaded by a skillful accordian player.

Breakfast in Malcesine

   We decided to catch a ferry to the head of the lake and the large town of Riva del Garda but there was plenty of time first for a stroll through the little lanes and some browsing in the cute shops.  Jess bought a rather funky leather belt and I bought some locally made soap.  There is a cable car that accesses the top of Monte Baldo - I am sure the views are spectacular but it looked rather barren and uninteresting at the top so we chose the boat trip instead.

Setting off up the lake from Malcesine

The ferry was an old converted paddle steamer - no steam now but the wheel still operates.  It is a bit of a slow boat and the trip up the lake was a good hour and a bit, with a stop at Limone sul Garda on the western side of the lake.

Limone sul Garda

  We didn't disembark at Limone but the old part of the town did look quite interesting.  Much of the area around Limone seems to be devoted to modern resorts and there is a substantial beach at the southern end of the town.  The cliffs become very high and plunge directly into the western rim of the lake from Limone to Riva - the road is mainly in tunnels in the cliff, although we did see a rather treacherous looking high road along the way which was being tackled by some intrepid cyclists.  The mountains rise more gently on the eastern side of the lake and it is well  populated along the shoreline.
We eventually sailed into the port at Riva which is in a stunning location with a backdrop of high mountains.

Riva del Garda

  There is a huge promenade along the front and a large piazza dominated by an old stone clock tower.  We disembarked and walked through the streets behind the piazza - lots of shops - in fact Jess found a favourite, spent quite some time there and emerged with a couple of bargains - jeans and a nice pair of work pants.  I walked along the waterfront - very pretty with nice gardens and open spaces, but lacking the character of Malcesine.  Very much a water sports kind of place - famous for windsurfing apparently and today there were plenty out scudding along in the breeze. There also seemed to be dozens of cyclists arriving in town towards the end of the day.  Time for a coffee in the piazza and then we upgraded our tickets for the fast catamaran back to Malcesine.

Arriving back in Malcesine - lovely view of the castle

  It was dinner time so we checked out a few places and finally after a little wait secured a table at Al Marinaio Ristorante, located on a small piazza at the water's edge.   The staff brought us a complimentary aperol spritz, which seems to be the favoured aperitif in Europe at the moment (marmalade drink to my taste, but there you go) while we waited for our table and then we enjoyed a superb meal in a gorgeous location - 4 cheese gnocchi, scampi pasta and roasted vegetable pasta - yum all round.

Enjoying an aperol spritz while waiting for our table

 As usual the local house wine was excellent and the service was very friendly and professional. The locals here are most welcoming and speak German, Italian and English.  Lots of holiday makers from Germany and Austria.   A lovely way to end a great  day out.  Lake Garda certainly lives up to its reputation as one of Italy's most beautiful places.

End of the day - Malcesine

Tuesday 8 September - Sirmione

On recommendation we decided to make the journey to the southern end of Lake Garda and visit the medieval town of Sirmione which is located on a small peninsula that juts out into the lake.  It was a bit of a drive but the journey across the vine covered hills to Affi where we joined the autostrada turned out to be very scenic.  No mountains here, and as we approached Sirmione we were in very flat territory - quite a contrast to the mountainous landscape in the north.
The approach to Sirmione is via one road that runs down the middle of the narrow peninsula and it was choked with traffic.  Many people had chosen to park some distance away and walk to the city but we persevered and were finally rewarded with a car park about 500 metres from the moat that separates old Sirmione from the modern town.  It is a pretty tree lined road offering tantalising glimpses of the lake and distant mountains.  Obviously a very popular destination judging by the crowds pouring over the bridge and through the ancient archway.

Fortifications at the entrance to Sirmione

There is evidence of human presence in Sirmione dating from the 6th Century BC, but apparently the town really became popular as a holiday resort for the wealthy from Verona is the 1st Century BC.  It is easy to see why.  A low hill rises in the centre of the peninsula and is covered with beautiful deciduous trees and ancient olives.  It slopes down to little beaches on one side and the narrow streets of the town on the other side.

Strolling through the parklands at Sirmione

  From several vantage points there are panoramic views of the whole of Lake Garda and the northern mountains.

View north from Sirmione

  The old fortifications date from the 12th Century and they are quite foreboding.  In more recent times Sirmione has been frequented by writers such as Ezra Pound and James Joyce.   It certainly is a jewel of a place but I would love to wander the streets without the crowds who were visiting on this hot, sunny day.

Pretty streets of Sirmione

 It had been our intention to have lunch at Sirmione but the restaurant we liked (waterfront, vine covered pergola, spectacular views) had finished lunch service so we settled for a coffee in the piazza and drove back to Brenzone to enjoy a little relaxation on our own terrace.   Stefano's friend from Verona had arranged to met him and Jessica in Malcesine later in the evening so it was take away pizza accompanied by the sun setting behind the mountains.

The gardens of Sirmione are exquisite

Wednesday 9 September - Verona and Venice

Jessica was keen to see Verona, Stef and I were happy to make a return visit and we had all day to reach Venice, our next destination.
Verona was easy to negotiate and we were able to find parking very close to the Arena.  We made a quick pass around the ancient monument, then stopped for breakfast at Cafe Scala.  From there it was a viewing of Juliet's balcony - very crowded in the courtyard today - before wandering through Piazza Erbe.  We took in the sights, bought some wonderful fruit at the market and then found a great restaurant at the end of the piazza for lunch - another wonderful meal which we lingered over for ages - today, bruschetta, gnocchi, pear, walnut and avocado salad accompanied by more great wine.  I am certainly acquiring an appreciation for the wines of northern Italy.

Bruschetta - at restaurant Mattanzi, Verona

Enjoying lunch in Piazza Erbe, Verona

From Verona it was a two hour cruise along the autostrada and over the bridge to Venice.  We parked the car at the huge Tronchetto car park ( a man made island at the entrance to the city specifically designed to accommodate vehicles) and then after a couple of vaporetto rides found our stop and met Frederica who escorted us a short distance to our apartment in a tiny lane just off the Grande Canal.
We took minimal luggage from the car - so pleased with ourselves as we observed people hauling huge suitcases over humpy bridges and on to the vaporettos (water buses - Venice's main form of transport).
Our apartment was straight from the pages of a design magazine - an old building with a tasteful mix of old and new in the huge rooms.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Venice apartment - amazing!

After our lovely lunch we weren't too fussed about dinner so Stef and Jess went to the grocery store for cheese, bread, charcuterie and olives to accompany the fruit from the Verona market and we had a little feast at home. Stef also made carbonara - I think he needs to eat pasta every day!   Decided to leave Venice until tomorrow and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching telly and reading.  It is Stefano's first visit to Venice so he is keen to see the sights and soak up the atmosphere.