This impromptu trip to Lake Garda to celebrate Karina’s birthday become an eye opener to the beauty and diversity of Italian landscape, with so many unique sights and explorations in and around the Lakes.
We only touched on a few destinations but there is so much more to see which we’ll save for another trip or two. Karina was working from Milan during the week so I met her there and we explored Milan together for an afternoon. We then headed out of the bustling city to explore the tranquillity of Lake Garda and the Dolomites with a fly by visit to Verona en route back to the airport – making the most of our 3 day weekend!
Day 1: Milan
Milan is a remarkable city and completely outdid any expectations we had. The plan was to first go and visit Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous work ‘The Last Supper’, which unfortunately we failed to do. A note on this; tickets are sold on the door but you need to make it your first point of call and arrive as early as possible to guarantee entry. We arrived at about 11am and were too late, having been distracted by the Castello SForzesco. Despite being hugely disappointed to miss the famous painting there were lots of other attractions to explore.
Castello SForzesco Gardens Bridge
Castello SForzesco and the surrounding grounds were picturesque even with the unfortunate weather we had. The castle itself is hidden with symbols and sneak peeks into its history and that of its former owners; Visconti Gian Galeazzo and of course SForza himself as well as others going back years. Tucked away in a small side room was another work of art which had brought us to the castle in the first place, Michelangelo’s Pieta Rondanini. His final incomplete piece of work describing death and the salvation of the soul was exhibited in a room that felt just as sombre as the sculpture itself. The exhibition was reasonably priced at around £5 so definitely worth a visit.
Duomo di Milano
After a quick walk around the grounds we proceeded to the next popular destination, Duomo di Milano. Be warned you will queue for a while to get a ticket, which in my opinion was expensive, but architecturally the Cathedral is stunning and the gem of Milan. Take the steps to the side of the building and go up to the roof to look over the city and see the business centre looming in the background. Walking is a great way to explore a city but the trams here go most places too, they are lovely and quaint. I would avoid the newer ones, they’re no fun!
Day 2: Lake Garda & The Dolomites
We drove to Lake Garda from Milan in about 2 hours, passing through Brescia and a lot of tolls. We would reconsider using the toll route again just because it’s a boring drive and the tolls are actually quite expensive, not to mention confusing when you don’t speak the language. Regardless, it was a straightforward drive and we arrived at our hotel Hotel Spiaggia d’Oro just in time for dinner.
Hotel Spiaggia d’Oro
The hotel was right on the waterfront and despite looking very unassuming and almost run down from the outside, the inside was discernibly more alluring. It had the feel of an old classic Italian style building and the room décor continued the theme. The key selling points were definitely the lake views from the bedroom and the buffet breakfast which sets you up for the day. We managed to catch a beautiful sunrise one morning so be sure to book a room with a view!
Limone Sul Garda, Lake Garda
The following day we were up bright and early to drive along the west side of Lake Garda up to the Dolomites beyond Bolzana to visit another smaller lake called Lake Carezza, a view we were drawn to from a friend’s picture and determined to go see. The lakeside roads had amazing views and we found ourselves pulling over every 5 minutes to take yet another picture, extremely boring to show the family but at the time the view just seemed to get better and better. There were a few tunnels along this road beautifully set into the rocks that were yet another picture opportunity. This was a really pretty drive, made even prettier with the sunshine we were blessed with that day.
Lago Di Toblino, Lake Garda
As we ascended to The Dolomites we started to see the snow and as we got higher and higher we realised that our little Fiat 500 (a cracking car) wasn’t as suitable for these road conditions even though it thought it was. We made it to Lake Carezza however, parked along a side road and ventured out towards the lake. It was quite remote with very few people with the same idea as us, which was nice. The lake was frozen (not as we had expected from our friend’s pictures) but was peaceful and picturesque, surrounded by the mountain pine trees covered in snow.
Lake Carezza
We then headed down the east side of Lake Garda towards Mount Baldo, our next destination. It was going up this mountain where we really noticed the limitations of the Fiat 500 as it struggled to get up the steep roads. Obviously for people looking to do more mountain road driving we would recommend a more advanced car.
The Dolomites
We made it to the bottom of the lake at the peninsula of Sirmione, one of the most popular sights on Lake Garda, before sunset. With a castle, fortress and roman ruins to explore it is probably the most historical part of the lake. With that said, it was quite touristy so not our cup of tea and the restaurant quality did seem to drop slightly.
Peninsula of Sirmione
Day 3: Verona
The next day we decided to visit Verona, only a 2 hour drive from where we were staying. We had already driven around most of Lake Garda and because there were no boats or activities on the lake at this time of the year (something to take note of if visiting at this time) we were limited in what we could do but nonetheless we were happy to move on.
Arena di Verona
Verona is a beautiful historic roman city, with elaborate architecture and monuments surrounding the famous ancient square. Also named the city of love, Verona is well known as the birthplace of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. As you can imagine thousands of visitors come to relive the magical story of the two star-crossed lovers but standing in front of Juliet’s balcony with a crowd of tourists didn’t feel so magical at the time. In comparison, sitting in the square having a spot of lunch was much more enjoyable, looking out to the Palazzo Maffei and Fountain Madonna Verona. The Duomo Santa Maria Matricolare is also an impressive building, highlighting Romanesque architecture at its best. Unfortunately we didn’t get time to see the famous amphitheatre as we had to catch our plane but suggest making time for that or if you time it right see a show as the arena is still in use.
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