LAKE GARDA

Left Pescallo with rain forecast, gloomy skies and a chilly 7C. Sirmione on Lake Garda was a 2.5 hr drive away , a first planned stop.Our accommodation for 3 nights was in the hills above the very pretty village of Malcesine, another 1hr 25 away. There’s quite a distance between the two lakes and Garda itself is around 3 times larger than Lake Como.

Parked in one of Sirmione’s ginormous car parks outside the old walls at 11.15am. 2 euros an hour and quiet but it must get rammed in summer.A 10 min walk found us crossing the little bridge beside the ancient castle and entering Tourist Central. It was all a LOT busier than I remember and looked much more touristy with cafes, ice cream shops, fridge magnet shops…the whole shebang.

Checked out Il Grifone, the simple little hotel we’d stayed in with a room overlooking the turquoise shallows of the lake.It had grown too and now had a lovely dining terrace on the lake and looked quite upmarket.

Once away from the busiest streets, the village was really lovely to stroll through with very pretty buildings and we were soon heading up to the church and past Maria Callas’s one time home.It was lovely up here and a beautifully built panoramic walkway by the shore made a nice loop , taking us back to the castle.

I suppose because of its scale and also how shallow it is at Sirmione, Lake Garda looked more like the sea.It was a different colour to Lake Como, a lovely pale turquoise with little pebbly, shingle beaches.Looked nicer for swimming too.

However, the landscape is very flat at this southern end and the dramatic, rocky mountains were further north.Had coffee in the Sirmione Hotel as it looked nice and quiet with a big glass terrace overlooking the water.

Google maps suggested we had a 1hr 20 drive to Malcesine but in reality, it took about 25 mins more than this.We went through countless roundabouts, residential developments and villages which seemed to go on forever.The lake side was much more developed than when we were here last.Passed Punta San Vigilio which at first I hardly recognised because there had been so very few houses nearby when we’d visited.I’d loved that spot, with the little walkway and terrace.

Finally, near Malcesine, the mountains now looked very dramatic, even in the mist, a real wow.This area was a gorgeous place to arrive at after a long journey.

We were the first guests of the season at Nature Resort Panoramica and they were so welcoming and lovely to us!

We were shown into a very attractive modern bar area with a wood fire and given a glass of Prosecco each to celebrate.Wandered out with these welcome drinks to the big outdoor dining terrace, the rain having stopped – what a great view, even in the gloom.Our room itself was huge with a hallway and a lovely balcony on the 2nd floor.Super quiet.

The poor Easter weather had put off many people, so they had very few guests. Booked in for dinner at 7pm then headed to the village to explore.Given the weather , it wasn’t too busy but I had really forgotten how pretty it was.Yellow, pink , cream coloured buildings, absolutely pristine clean little streets – just beautiful.of course there were plenty of touristy shops but somehow it seemed lower key and more nicely done than in Sirmione.

The castle dominates so we headed down some steps to an old gate where they used to bring in boats.There is a Lungomare that begins beyond the castle, a walkway that allows a stroll by the water.

Instead, we explored some of the little inlets lined with cafes and finally couldn’t resist sitting in one which overlooked the main ferry port.Even under rainy skies it looked appealing.

Got a seat in the warmed, covered area right beside the lake and had tea for me, beer for Chris served with nibbles.Then an Apple Strudel and cream for me but because they only had a small piece left, I was also given a large slice of Apple Cake and ice cream! It was beautifully presented and looked amazing…

Well, the strudel was really nice, lots of apple and cinnamon but the cake was, sorry to say, a bit sickly.Cakes in Europe never seem to have that home made sponge taste we have at home (I bake a lot) , fresh cream is rare, it’s always UHT and there tend to be odd syrupy concoctions poured over cakes too. (That said, the presentation of goodies is always tip top, it wins me over every time.) However, it was a lovely gesture by the cafe and I really enjoyed our stop there.

I was so pleased we’d chosen Malcesine as our base.(We were told by our hotel that the village is pronounced Mal Chesiny, not Malche Seeni as we’d previously thought.) Such a lovely place.

Showered and down for dinner at 7pm where we were given free Proseccos again – could get used to this! Chris had a mixed fish dish to start and I had a smoked trout salad.Both pretty good.Then Fillet of Beef for Chris..an enormous 200g slab of rare beef… served with salad and veg.I had Beef Cuts which was essentially slices of beef served with rosemary potatoes and some veg.

I was really missing veg this trip as I eat a lot at home.Our beef was perhaps quite bland in taste but hunger makes good kitchen and we still enjoyed our dishes .There was particularly tasty home made bread served with the meal plus their own olive oil which was really top quality stuff.I think the UK’s supermarkets must get all the rubbish oil because unless you pay top dollar, to me, olive oil too often has an unpleasant bitterness to it.My go to producer at home is Seggiano…lovely stuff and stocked in one of our local delis.

Fantastic buffet breakfast next morning…prunes, fresh fruit salad, yoghurt, different breads, cold meats and cheeses, pickles , stuffed tomatoes, antipasti, eggs, croissants, cakes….superb.Looked forward to this every morning, something I love about staying in a good hotel!

After breakfast, we drove 20 mins to Riva del Garda, parking in the Blue Garden Parcheggio which serves a very nice shopping centre in the newer part of town.

It also gave us the first 90mins free. Strolled down to the shore and the lakeside walkways, very nicely done and through the old town itself which was very pretty.

Lovely colourful pastel buildings, very attractive indeed.

Then to the Bastido and the little funicular. Good views from the top terrace over Riva and a very interesting small ruin to explore.

Limone was only 6 miles away…I was really looking forward to seeing it again….would it be as nice as I remembered?

We’d been so impressed with the village two decades ago and – it didn’t disappoint!

Certainly it was far busier, with more by way of touristy shops but the buildings were so lovely, all pastel colours and there were little lake inlets with attractive cafes.

A great, rocky mountain backdrop too, very impressive and lined with terraces of lemon and olive groves.Even the houses had pretty, ceramic lemon signs at their front doors.

The sun had come out and we got a table close to the water in a lakeside bar (Via Nuova?) Beer for Chris served with nibbles of nuts and Doritos, tea for me.Then we couldn’t resist ice cream – Fresh Fruit Salad for myself and Morello Cherry for Chris. They were ace!And, the sun had finally made an appearance, transforming everything, as it does.

Oh, this was the life! Off came the insulated jacket I’d been wearing non stop this past week as the sudden warmth heated us up.Hadn’t seen head nor tail of the sun since Monday!

Malcesine lies almost directly opposite Limone and we could see our pastel coloured hotel sitting high above the village.Lake Garda’s mountains were looking great in the sunshine.There were ferry boats plying back and forward between Limone and Malcesine, a great way to see the village without worrying about parking.

Heading back ‘home’ we picked up supplies in the supermarket at Blue Garden in Riva.Eating in tonight, hopefully on the balcony.The lake was looking really impressive as we drove back to Malcesine. Cold meat, tomato and onion salad, cheese, bread…nice to sit out at last and enjoy the views from on high on our balcony.

Our second last day and the cloud had once more descended on Lake Garda.No Monte Baldo today(again) so we made for Trento, a small town in the mountains, about an hour inland and of which I’d read good reviews.

Drove via the A22 and passed the stunning castle of Besenello on route.

Trento turned out to be an absolute gem – quite gorgeous in terms of the frescoed buildings in several of the medieval streets.It wasn’t touristy at all albeit it was busy pre Easter.The main piazza, Piazza Duomo, was a beauty too.

In some respects , the decorated buildings reminded me of Lucerne – so beautiful, we just stood and gaped at them.They were incredible.

It didn’t take long to wander up to the edge of town where we found 13th century Buonconsiglio Castle.What a place inside! Again, amazing frescoes and decoration and lovely views onto the town with its backdrop of mountains.

After a good hour or so exploring the wonderful interior, we made for Piazza Duomo again…

Time for a cafe stop and I was really hungry…went for their Lasagne, Chris just had a beer. My Lasagne , despite looking unctuous, somehow managed to be a bit tasteless.Not as good as my own, dare I say it! However, it filled a space:) I’m very critical about food, I do know that but it’s difficult not to be when so much that’s offered in restaurants and bars is really not what I imagine any of the chefs would offer , quality wise, to their friends and family at home.

Finally, a Grom Ice Cream shop was spotted in Piazza Duomo so more scoops of Cassata Siciliana and Coffee for me , Pistachio and Salted Caramel for Chris.Nice end to a great visit!

We drove a different route back, via the SS45 which was a much more scenic route.Passed an interesting small lake overlooked by Castel Toblino hotel which looked quite something.

I can’t recommend Trento enough for anyone who loves beautiful architecture!
Final Day tomorrow: Verona

Previous Days:Bergamo -DAY 1 of a 13 Day Trip TUSCANY and the LAKES: Florence , Siena, San Gimignano LAKE COMO and LUGANO VARENNA TO BELLANO WALK (Lake Como)