"I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians." – Elton John
Italian lifestyle
Sunshine
Lots of pasta and wine
Come for at least 4 days
Bring all the summer essentials
Come here in the off season - fall preferably
Oh Bella Italia! After a few crazy months this year we really needed a little different get away this summer. Sunny weather, good food, a glass of wine or two and some Aperol - what more does one need? And what better place for a weekend trip than Lago di Garda - surrounded by mountains but still La Dolce Vita of Italy.
Pro tip: Always come here during the off season!
We started our trip off right - getting to Italy in a pretty heavy thunderstorm with water flooding the streets. Our first stop was Verona - on the search of Romeo and Juliets little balcony. But before that breakfast was very necessary - and we weren‘t to motivated to get soaked either. We had found a great little cafe where we spend the first - probably three - hours of our vacation and had several cappuccini and went from toast over pancakes to yummy juices. When we decided that it was time to brave the weather and explore the city anyway, we realized it had stopped raining.
After exploring Verona for a day, eating the best ice cream ever, taking a silly selfie in front of that oh so famous balcony and finishing it off with some pasta, we headed to Lago di Garda. There we had decided to place ourselves in a hotel with lake view just a few miles outside of Limone. The views on the west side just cannot be beaten! We got to our room and the first thing we did was check out the balcony and lake view of course. Looking out there we couldn’t believe quite how lucky we were - let me tell you this was the place to watch sunset and sunrise every day!
The next days we spent by the pool - which was also by the lake - tanning, taking a dip in the pool or the freezing cold lago while enjoying one too many Aperol. For dinner we explored some promising looking trattorias and bistrots. The best night we probably spent with a five course menu, a bottle of white wine on the sweeter little balcony at Casa Bistrot L'Andrunèl - sitting up tall we could even see the lake. It felt just like a scene out of some romantic movie.
This had been the first time we really went through Limone and since it was so pretty we decided to use the next day to explore this cute little town some more. Even though you’re only a two and a half hour drive from Germany this makes you feel like you are deep in the Mediterranean part of Italy - palm trees, lemon trees, orange trees, sunshine and the easy going attitude of the people. Lucky enough we were already in the off season and it wasn’t too crowded with tourists.
"I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians." – Elton John
"I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians." – Elton John
We strolled through the tiny streets, came back to the lakeside probably 10 times - all streets seemed to be leading there, when we saw a sign directing towards a beach. We followed along on the lakeside and eventually reached a little beach area. As pretty much everyday since we got here, it was a perfect day for a beach day and so we stayed there for a bit. This spot right here offered a different view than the one we knew from our hotel - maybe even more breathtaking.
Looking at all the wind and kite surfers, we said that we wanted to try that out sometime too. But sadly this time we only had one more day left and learning how to surf would only make sense having a little more time. So instead we went for a few swims and just enjoyed the so needed sunshine on our faces so that we could return home looking as if we've been much further in the south.
Pro tip: Don't forget your bikini, sunglasses and to have a few Aperol Spritz by the lake!
I hope you found this post helpful and enjoyed this little get away to Bella Italia and oh so much sunshine as much as I did! I would love to hear your travel adventures and if you have been to Lago Di Garda - feel free to leave a comment below or contact me via email!
