We decided to sample three well known Italian lakes during summer. They were Lake Garda – Lago di Garda, Lake Orta – Lago d’Orta and Lake Maggiore – Lago Maggiore.
On our way towards the lakes after leaving Croatia we were excited to visit the coastal Italian city of Trieste with its pretty grand canal, pastel coloured stone buildingsand its historical area, but parking was impossible, note to self we were back in Italy. We gave up after circling around the city streets three times. Instead we headed to the quieter outskirts of the town and enjoyed a peaceful stroll along a beautiful promenade where elderly locals were catching the morning sun rays and taking a dip. The ocean was a beautiful colour and there were two great tiny beach front cafes where you could sit and enjoy coffee, but this was not for us as they only accept cash and we had just entered across the Italian boarder and had not been able to find a cash machine.
Driving onward through rich countryside called Porpetto, Rob unexpectedly spotted our first fields of blissful sunflowers. They stood like an army – alert and tall facing the sun. This was a great distraction from the ongoing toll costs, as we hadn’t anticipated so many. But we were thankful for good roads.
It was also exciting to drive past the outskirts of Venice and Milan- Milano which we have been to during our last Europe holidays. This gave us a different perspective from the outside.
Our first overnight stay was at Lago di Garda which is the largest of the three lakes. It is known for its crystal clear waters. Our Airbnb accommodation was in a lake town called Padenghe sul Garda. This seemed like a quiet relaxed town as we drove around. Our accommodation was up in a beautiful area on a hill side which looked over Lago di Garda about half an hour’s drive from the more touristy area of the lake. The surrounding neighbourhood was lined with beautiful two story villas and elegant hedged exotic gardens. We had arrived in a beautiful quiet part of Italy. Our studio apartment was on the ground floor of a beautiful villa home. It came with a big old traditional fire place which we knew we would not be lighting during our stay as the weather was warm and sunny.
We left our cosy quaint villa to explore an old castle – Castello, that over shadowed the town. It was a steep drive up some narrow winding hillside so we were pleased we didn’t choose to do the half an hour walk to the castle, as it was a very hot afternoon. At the top we took in the panoramic views of Lake Garda and then we explored inside the castle. This was no ordinary castle as within the walls sat a small community of quaint stone villas with cute gardens. We strolled through the quiet cosy two lane village. We realised this was a hidden gem within a fortress.
In the late afternoon we walked 10mins to the quaint lake front promenade. We found our favourite jello filled ice cream which we had enjoyed months ago in the Italian Riviera !!! We walked along the pebbled beach until the beautiful clear waters and the warm afternoon sun got the better of us and we dived in for a swim in our underwear!!!
The next morning we drove further around to the popular tourist area of Lake Garda called Sirmione. It was very warm summer day. After finding parking, we knew we needed to be early or we would miss out on finding a park during summer. We headed through the Scaligeri Castle entrance way into the old town.
Inside the walls, the tiny town was a flurry of activity with many tourists out enjoying the quaint cobbled street covered in walled flower gardens, eating gelato and ice blocks. Oh that was Rob and I!!!
The water was pretty. We enjoyed viewing a local Church and I tried out my sexy pose!!! Not so sexy hey!!!
I also paid to use an interesting squat toilet. The second negative was as the crowds thickened, so did the traffic inside the walls. There is a lot of cute accommodation within the walls. At times it was a battle off between high foot traffic versus cars entering and trying to exit through one lane narrow cobbled streets lined with cafes. Our advice get here early and leave by midday to avoid the high summer crowds. Our car temp was 41 degrees when we left at midday and traffic was being turned away from our parking area due to no parks being available. Rob thought he saw a mirage wine bottle on the roadside and the again one full of his favourite snacks in a petrol station!!!
Pretty glam, Kim. Looks like you’re having a ball. The lakes sound and look beautiful. Not too fussed on the squat toilet. Bit hard on the knees. You’d have to have good aim which could be tricky.