The Last of the Famous International Playboys

After the hustle and bustle of Florence and Bologna, the final stop on our tour of north Italy was the welcoming and serene Desenzano del Garda. It is a beautiful town on the southern shoreline of Lake Garda and benefits from being on the main train line which makes it a great base for exploring.

Desenzano del Garda, Italy

The port is in the centre of the compact town and there is a charming lighthouse on the sea wall to complement the picture perfect scenery. The lakeside walks are fabulous and heading east you can even make it as far as Sirmione, although the ferry there is only a pleasant twenty minute jaunt. There are an abundance of great restaurants in Desenzano, although I would advise booking as even out of season the weekends can get busy as Italians migrate to the lakeside town for a short break.

The Lighthouse of Desenzano del Garda, Italy

The locals also descend on the town for the weekly market which is gargantuan and sells everything from cheese and fresh pasta to clothes, jewellery, household goods and much more. It stretches for the whole of the lake front in the town and appears endless. I actually bought a kilo of Formaggio Stravecchio from a frantically busy cheese stall which seemed to be built on a mountain of cheese barrels.

The market of Desenzano del Garda, Italy

There is also an opportunity to step back in time with a visit to the Villa Romana di Desenzano del Garda which is slap bang in the middle of the town. It is an unearthed Roman settlement complete with partly intact mosaic tile floors and frescos and is well worth a visit.

The frescoes of Villa Romana di Desenzano del Garda, Italy

Exploring the lake your first stop will be Sirmione, which is one of the most picturesque and popular places on Lake Garda. It is very popular for good reason but at it’s heart is a great sense of fun, epitomised by the ice cream ladies in the Gelato shop who insisted on having their photos taken when I asked if I could take photos of their fantastic ice cream shop.

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

The Scaligero Castle is the spectacular focal point of the town but head a short distance away from the busy centre on the town and soon you’ll find yourself on immense flat stone outcrops which make for a stunning lakeside panoramic walk. Eventually you’ll arrive at the archaeological site of Grotte di Catullo, you can even grab a beer en route on Jamaica beach. And it’s possible to circumvent the headland and return to the main town without having to retrace your steps.

The panoramic walk around the headland of Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

On another day we caught the early ferry to Bardolino on the East coast of the Lake, which is not far from Garda itself. It’s very pretty town, famous for it's wine and can be easily explored in an hour. The lake front at Bardolino is the perfect spot for a coffee and a croissant.

Bardolino, Lake Garda, Italy

There is an excellent lakeside walk from Bardolina to Garda which is a beautiful fifty minute stroll along the sore so the lake. Garda is also quite a small town, and hence easily explorable and it had the most interesting shops we'd seen so far on the lake.

The walk from Bardolino to Garda, Italy

The express boat from Garda to Dezesano was a blustery affair but a lovely ride with wonderful views of the mountains and water. There is something quite unique about a boat trip on the Italian lakes. The vast expanse of water reflecting back the intense green shoreline with the mountains silhouetted by the dazzling blue sky. Combined with the feeling of not actually moving but acknowledging the gentle background murmur of the boats engine. It is a sublime distraction from your day to day thoughts. You just sit back and breath it in.

Lake Garda, Italy

Our last couple of excursions from Desenzano utilised the excellent train links. Peschiera del Garda is a small town at the southern most tip of Lake Garda and is only a ten minute train ride from Desenzano. The historic old town is a short walk from the station and you'll enter via Porta Verona which is the most dramatic of the many gates to the town which is ringed by huge Venetian fortress walls. 

Peschiera del Garda, Italy

The canals of the Mincio river form a natural defence around the town and make for a imposing and striking backdrop to parts of the town. The Ponte dei Voltoni is beautiful bridge of terracotta archways and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Venice, and there is actually a Gondola service in Peschiera del Garda. We explored the charming shops of the old town and then strolled along the beautiful tree-lined lakefront to Lido Cappuccini. It certainly makes for a pleasant day trip.

Peschiera del Garda, Italy

The Porta Nuova station of Verona is a thirty minute train journey from Desenzano. From the station it is a good twenty minute walk to the centre of the city and the breath-taking Piazza Brà which is dominated by the Roman amphitheatre and awash with cafes and restaurants. It's the only place to start a tour of Verona.

Piazza Brà, Verona, Italy

We bought Verona day cards from the tourist information centre which came good at the first point of asking to get entry and beat the queues at the Verona Arena, which is still used for concerts to this day.

From the central square a short walk down the main shopping street will bring you to the beautiful Piazza delle Erbe, home to the Torre dei Lamberti. Nearby is the tourist rugby scrum of Juliet's house. We braved it long enough to grab a photo of the famous balcony (thanks William!) and then retreated to the river Adige to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Parrocchia di San Giorgio in Braida on the  River Adige Verona

Everything we had seen in Verona in a short space of time was incredibly beautiful. There was also a welcoming atmosphere to the city strolling through the different neighbourhoods from the train station to the centre. By the time we crossed the river at Ponte Pietra our minds were well and truly blown with views of the Parrocchia di San Giorgio in Braida and capped off with the views of the cityscape from the top of the funicular at Castel San Pietro. We were both in full agreement we needed to come back to Verona for a longer stay.

The view of Verona from Castel San Pietro

And that is what we will take away from of our time in Bologna, Florence and Lake Garda. We have to return......soon!

Lake Garda, Italy