Our Italian Adventure

Without a rental car, our options for traveling to Lazise was limited. Verona has an extensive bus system which includes suburban buses with routes to towns on Lake Garda. However, traveling on commuter buses with suitcases is not always appreciated by those who take the bus to work, or on their daily chores. As it turned out, the bus stop was about 10-15 minutes from the VRBO all uphill. We chose the more expensive option by hiring a private driver with Transfeero. We got picked up right at our Verona hotel and dropped off in front of our new lodging.

This might have been our most modern lodging during this trip. Our hosts were an older couple. Their son lives in Milan, but he was there because the couple do not speak English. The mother does speak German.  More on Germans later. We were on the entire second floor of this very spacious unit with large balcony. The lodging was in a very nice residential neighborhood which sits on a hill above Lake Garda. The walk into town is about 10-15 minutes. The unit is part of several other houses in a gated community.  We had access to the very nice community swimming pool.   .

VRBO Pool

Our Unit

The rest of our first day was spent checking out the waterfront promenade, the touristy area of Lazise, and some grocery shopping. Lazise seemed very busy for a small town. Part of it was a wine-tasting event happening on the promenade. Oh well, it should tone down on Monday. We discovered a gem at Crepes OUI. Even though their printed menu focuses on crepes and breakfast, they always post several daily pasta specials on their exterior board. I can’t remember which pasta dish I ordered that night (maybe a tortellini), but it was one of the best of the entire trip. The owner, Paolo and our waitress, Anna, were outgoing, friendly, and made us feel welcomed. The place had mostly locals eating there, which is always a good sign. While enjoying the savory dinner, we discussed our plans for the rest of the week.

Previous planning had us going to various towns on Lake Garda. It would be Riva del Garda on Monday, Sirmione on Tuesday, and Malcesine on Thursday. We would stay in Lazise on Wednesday. However, this was day 26, and we had just arrived at a beautiful small town on a lovely lake. From talking to others, most of the other towns on the lake are the same with just different locations.  Sirmione was probably the most touristy of all of them. Lazise is located on the southwest side of Lake Garda. We decided to enjoy Lazise and skip going to Sirmione and Malcesine. Tomorrow, we would travel to the far north side of the lake to visit Riva. After that, we would relax and enjoy a lake holiday in Lazise!

Lazise on Lake Garda

Amy on the Lazise Promenade

On Tuesday, June 2nd, we arrived in Riva del Garda, which is normally just called Riva. This is on the far north side of the lake with the foothills of the Alps surrounding the town. It makes for a majestic setting. Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is comprised of three regions. Riva is in Trentino, while Lazise is in Veneto. The third region is Lombardia. Riva had belonged to the Republic of Venice and later to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Riva controlled the northern half of Lake Garda along with trade routes coming over the Alps. The ancient walls, gates, and fortresses were from medieval times. After WW1, this area was removed from Germany control and made part of Italy. We noticed a lot of German being spoken in Lazise and Riva, but not to the extent that we witnessed at our next destination. Many of the television stations were in German.

Hmmm, it seemed like a lot of tourists were already arriving in Riva. The arriving ferry was packed. We also recalled signs for the Lazise wine-tasting not ending until Monday evening.  That doesn’t seem normal for that type of an event to continue past the weekend.  We later found out that June 2nd in Italy is Republic Day. It commemorates the day in 1946 when Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and become a republic.  Still, it wasn’t tourist crazy like Florence.

Riva has a beautiful lakeshore path which glides past a fortress, parks, flower beds and beaches. The stormy morning clouds quickly gave way to sunny skies. We also started to see windsurfers as we headed back into town from the lakeshore path. Before tennis, my sport passion was windsurfing. I started just as the sport started taking off in popularity. This was my main sporting activity for about 25 years. Since a bicycle crash demolished my left shoulder, I have not windsurf.  This is because a lot of strength is required to lift the sail from under the water while treading water. This is required to perform what is called a water start. I would have loved to jump on a board on scenic Lake Garda, but it wasn’t going to happen.

Riva del Garda

Riva’s Lakeshore Path

I wish this was me! Harnessed in & planing. The brick arches behind him is actually part of a tunneled bike & walking paved path. From there we saw at least 50 windsurfers on Lake Garda.

Near the waterfront is the Torre Aponale. This 13th century clock tower was built to defend the city.  It has 165 wooden stairs which were begging us to climb. We complied and were rewarded with some nice views of the area.

The Torre Aponale

View from Torre Aponale

Time for some American food. Sorry, don’t judge us, but those burgers we had in the Piazza Catena were delicious.  Afterwards, it was time for another funicular. We took the Ascensore Panoramic Funicular to the Venetian Bastian. This fortress was built in 1508 to protect the city from invaders. The views of Lake Garda & Riva were stunning. A cafe at the top offered us an opportunity to have a beverage and enjoy the scenery.

Riding up the Funicular

The Venetian Bastian

We returned to Lazise, and couldn’t resist another dinner visit to Crepes OUI. I even had the same pasta dish. This time we had some savory crepes for dessert! Our next three days would be spent relaxing in the Lazise area.