On Sunday morning, we are waiting for our contact to meet us at the apartment in Venice to return our damage deposit. She calls us to tell us that all public transportation (Vaporettos) are not running due to the VolgaLonga boat race. This is an annual boat race which takes place in Venice in the canals, lagoon and over to Burano and the City shuts down it's public transportation. So instead of taking the Vaporetto to the car rental location, we had to take a water taxi. Let me put it this way, the rich and famous, those who want to be seen as being important or the naive, take boat taxis. We really had no choice, as I don't believe we fit into any of these categories! Oh well, as we say, always part of the adventure of travelling, can't have everything go smoothly. At least got a picture of Robin in a water taxi.
Get to the car rental agency and while he is doing the paper work, I ask if he has a map of how to get out of Venice and onto the A4. I get the "rolling of the eyes" and I am told "Signora, there is only one way out of Venice and you will see signs for the A4". "Grazie", I respond with my most gracious smile.....I know there is only one way out of Venice, but I keep smiling. Very easy driving and great directions by our new landlady in Peschiera del Garda. Only takes us about 1 1/2 hours, taking in a quick stop at one of the many rest stops along the Autostrada. These Europeans certainly do these rest stops very well.
Our car is a Fiat 500 and must say, it is very spunky. Even performed very well on the Autostrada, lots of pep. Robin wants to buy one!
Arrive in Peschiera del Garda around noon and go for a walk along the lake. What a beautiful mountain lake, spectacular views. Lake Garda is the largest and easternmost of the Italian Lakes. Some snow capped Dolomites in the distance. The main site of interest In Peschiera del Garda is a fortress which was built in the 19th century. It is named Fortezza del Quadrilatero because of it's square shape. This fortress played a prominent part in most military campaigns conducted in northern Italy after 1400, especially campaigns conducted during the Napoleonic wars and during the First Italian War of Independence.
As we drove into the town, we could not believe the traffic and the people everywhere. We thought, oh well, it's Sunday and it is sunny and warm. After two days of rain we think perhaps that locals from Verona and Venice are here enjoying the Lake. As an aside, when Suzanne and Colin left us in Rome they drove up here and spent the night. She reported that this was a very sleepy little town. Suzanne had also mentioned that a school break was happening this coming week. We also realized, during our short walk along the river and an afternoon drive to the next town, that all around the lake are family campgrounds. So, you have probably guessed it by now.....campgrounds .....school break......oh, I forgot to mention, Movieland, Gardaland and Sealife, all if which are family attractions , are all nearby.....yikes, the people! I would say that the majority of tourists here are German. They seem to like this area for camping. All the signs for restaurants and the menus are in Italian then German followed by English.
We take possession of our apartment which we will be in for the next five nights. We are in a newer apartment complex, across the river from the old town. We walk into the old town for dinner, which only takes about 10 minutes. Quite happy with our apartment and its location. We even have a little yard, as we are on the main floor.
Pictures below taken in Peschiera del Garda walking back to our apartment after dinner.
Definitely noticeable here, are the much lower prices for food, than in Rome and Venice. Here we are paying 3 Euro for cappuccino and tea, whereas we were paying almost 8 Euro in Rome and Venice. Nice change. The sticker price shock is for gas...yikes, now that is expensive.
Monday arrives and we go for a one hour walk along the path by the shore. Not sure how far it goes, but each town we drove along later, had a similar path system used by walkers and cyclists alike. We stop for coffee/tea at a small restaurant across the road from our apartment. As we are sitting there, a woman comes walking along with her young grandaughter. Not sure why, but this little girl came right up to our table and proceeded to get onto Robin's lap. Robin says "I usually scare little children!". The little girl proceeded to empty the sugar bowl of all is sugar packets, she thought this was so amusing, then she would put them all back. We were able to communicate somewhat with the Grandmother with our meager Italian and found out the little girl was 1 1/2 years old. She really didn't want us to go. Very cute, unfortunately did not have a camera to capture this special moment! Less people in town now that the weekend has passed; easier to get around.
We drive up the east side of the lake, which we have been told has the more scenic views. We head to Malsecine, which is about one hour north of Peschiera. We take a cable car (Funivia) up Monte Baldo. At the base (90 metres above sea level) it is 25 degrees C. When we arrive at the top (1,760 metres) it is 7 degrees C. Thankfully, we were well prepared, unlike a lot of the other tourists! Lots of hand gliders up at the top.
We then spend some time wandering around Malcesine before returning home. Nice day, great views all along the lake with small towns scattered along the lakes and into the Dolomites.
Big rain/thunder storm overnight and raining this morning, Tuesday, May 26th. Finally stops around 10.am. We head out in our car and decide to take a route suggested by one of our guide books, the Valpolicella Wine Route. The route starts on the shores of Lake Garda, whose fertile glacial soil supports the Bardolino, a wine that is meant to be drunk "young".
Our first stop is Lazise which has a picturesque harbour, a medieval church and a 14th century castle. Stop at a cafe overlooking the harbour. Lots of activity with ferries coming and going across the river. Good people watching. Some of my commentary follows....."Did he not look in the mirror this morning? What was she thinking when she put that on? Oh my! Not a good look (that is usually an Englishmen with black socks and sandals and a t-shirt not quite covering their extremely large beer belly!), Really. " O.K. You get my drift. But I have to say last night at dinner was the best. A middle aged German man was wearing his lederhosen! I must say, I wasn't the only one staring or commenting, even the Germans.
Got off the topic. Robin always says my stories always take so long because I get side tracked!
Pictures above in Lazise.
Continue our tour and stop in Bardolino, which is famous for its light red wine. We stop here for lunch and sample a glass of the "Superior Bardolino" which was very nice. Walk around the town a bit then drive towards Affi, a small village surrounded by vineyards. Then through Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella which is known for its' marble. The pink marble was used for the palaces built in Verona. We stop at a winery and buy a couple of locally made wines.
Pictures of Bardolino and the Valpolicella area follow.
Since arriving in Italy, we have noticed an aperitif that most Italians drink and is orange in colour. The Germans also seem to order this often and I have even seen this ordered early morning as well. They call it a "spritz" and it comes in many different combinations, but always with a base of aperol. Aperol is an aperitif with an orange base, is similar to Camperi, and has an alcohol content of 11%. Prosecco is normally added to the aperol to make a spritz.
Wednesday May 27th, start our day with a nice long walk along the lake boardwalk/trail. Then take the train to Verona, only 15 minutes away, another Unesco World Heritage Site (gosh another off this list...check). It's ancient centre has magnificent Roman remains, said to be only second to Rome. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk into the old City centre from the train station and the first thing we see entering is Verona's amphitheater. It is the 3rd largest in the world and is in wonderful condition. They still have concerts here and the opera holds its' summer season here. I can just imagine what a magnificent setting this would be for an opera.
We stroll through the narrow lanes, filled with high end shops, restaurants and of course many gelato shops. The Piazza Erbe was once the original centre of trade in Verona and merchants still have stalls here, but mainly geared towards tourists. Many medieval houses still inhabited. We make our way to the ancient Ponte Scaligero (bridge) which crosses the Adige River. The Adige flows through Verona, and across the river is the Roman Theatre, which was built in the 1st century and is built into the hillside. Continue onto the Duomo Santa Maria Matricolare. Many of the ancient buildings, monuments, churches and statues have been cleaned here in Verona and they have done a wonderful job, they look spectacular.
The story of Romeo and Juliet is said to be based here in Verona. So one can go view the Casa di Giulietta with its small marble balcony (we walked right by it ) and also the tomb. This is really only a story and has no basis in history. Having said this, must help the tourist trade as you can stay in the Julietta Albergo or the Romeo and Julietta Hotel or the Romeo/Juliet Inn or the Julietta rooms....get my drift. You can also eat at the Julietta Restaurante, the Romeo and Juliet Inn, etc. etc......did I mention the Romeo and Juliet Gelato shops?
The poet Dante spent time in the court and dedicated the final part of the Divine Comedy to the Scaligeri ruler of the day. Enjoyed Verona and well worth the time we spent here and glad we went by train, nice break from driving.
Out for dinner tonight and we had free entertainment. As we are sitting there enjoying a glass of wine before dinner, we start to hear two people arguing. Well it is coming from the gelato shop across the lane. We can only see the woman, but oh man, she is really giving it to the guy. We hear him giving it back, but not quite as loud. A few of the other patrons in the restaurant are also taking in this display of Italian passion. It goes on for about 10 minutes. Finally, the lady comes out behind the counter to stand in the doorway. The owner of the restaurant we are at, goes out to try to calm the lady. The hands are just flying all over as she is explaining what is going on. We might come back tomorrow night. Episode Two, Season One! At the end of the evening we get a complimentary apple cake to share, not sure if this is because we are good patrons or simply as a peace offering for listening to the going ons across the lane. The apple cake was delicious and we were told that it was made by the Mother of the owner....yum.
It's nice to be staying out of the touristy area so one can observe everyday life. You see many, many older couples taking care of their grandchildren, and many generations of one family living together. We have gone for long walks every morning while we have been in the Lake Garda area, and stop at a small inn across the street from our apartment for tea/coffee on our way back. After the first day, we didn't even have to place our order. Big smile and Buon giorno from the owner and then he would bring out our green tea and cappuccino.
Last full day here in the area and we decide to drive to the west side of the Lake. Our first stop is Sirmione which sits on a peninsula that jets out into Lake Garda at the south west end. You enter the old town by passing the Rocca Scaligera a castle with a moat built in the 13th century. A very lovely town, we had a hard time finding a place to park, but glad we made the effort to spend some time here. Not sure why, but a lot of spa hotels here, one even advertised that it specialized in healing ear, nose and throat ailments.
Then onto Salo, another 30 km's on the west side of the lake. The locals tout the fact that the inventor of the violin, Gaspare da Salo lived here. History tells us that Mussolini ruled Northern Italy from here during WW11 until 1945, when he was shot by the resistance. The town does not advertise this at all, can't blame them. Picturesque water front with a marble walkway all along the length of the town and harbour. Another great day of touring.
We have our friend and adviser Steve to thank for telling us about the Lake Garda area. Glad we spent time here. Off to Slovenia tomorrow morning.
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