A Dream Came True!

In 2003, when I was travelling in Europe with my friend, Kim, I knew I wanted to explore more of the northern Italian lakes.  I had been to Lago Maggiore a couple of times but had never seen Lago di Garda.  So, 21 years ago was the first time I had been to this beautiful part of Italy.  Since then, I have been back here at least 6 or 7 times.  Each of those times, like the first, I stayed just a bit south of Malchesine in a suburb called Val di Sogno.  It is within walking distance of this pretty little town.  The walk from there is along the lakeshore on a route called Lungolago.  All along the way, there are hotels fronting the lake.  One, Hotel du Lac, is a beautiful hotel and, since that first time, I have dreamt of staying there.  Today, that dream came true.  When we were booking hotels for this trip, I decided to stay here and treat myself to a lakefront room with a balcony at this 4 star hotel.  

As we drove south from the Dolomiti, the architecture became less Alpine and more Italian - as did the signage.  No more German to be seen anywhere.  It took about 2 hours to get here via Bolzano, avoiding the autostrada as I always think the regional highways are more scenic.  Our first stop was a place I had seen on YouTube called Parco Grotta Cascata Varone.  It is sort of a canyon/grotto made by a waterfall and, when I saw the video, it looked interesting.  It is located at the northern end of Lago di Garda in a village called Varone, not far from Riva del Garda, the most northern city on the lake.  So, we paid our 7 euros and took a look.  Many people had bought the plastic capes to stay dry - not us.  So, we got a bit soaked when we walked into the grotto.  However, I thought it was so worth it  It was a bit difficult to get photos because the lighting in the grotto kept changing colour.  However, you will get an idea from the following photos although they seriously don't do it justice!








From there, it was an easy drive to Malcesine (one of my "happy places") and to check into our hotel, Hotel du Lac, the place where I had dreamed about staying for so many years.  My room is on the 4th floor and I could honestly sit here for hours just watching the water on the lake and the changing sky.  The hotel offers complementary "tea or coffee plus cake" in the afternoon for guests.  We arrived just in time to have a light lunch and then lingered until it was time for cake.  However, wine seemed to be the preferred beverage as far as I was concerned.  Besides, Soave, one of my favourite wines, is from this region, so the decision to sit on the terrace watching the pedestrians, dogs, and cyclists go by seemed like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.  

I have to admit when I first stepped onto the hotel's terrace and took in the view, I teared up a little bit.  I had waited to savour this moment for 21 years - and I am so happy to have experienced it.  Later, we had dinner on the terrace and chatted with a German couple from Dortmund.  How ironic is it that I have been in Italy since last Tuesday and the language I have spoken most, other than English, is German!  I love the unexpected surprises when you travel!

So, here are some of the views I've enjoyed on my first day back in this part of Lago di Garda from afternoon, through dinner and into the evening.















 

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