Lake Garda: Wonderful Walls, Walks, and Waterfowl

After our time in Portovenere, we took a drive to Lake Garda for the next leg of our trip. What I noticed first when we drove into this region was the mountains surrounding the lake. These weren’t ordinary hills; they were a giant set of towering granite monoliths rimming the lake like a set of giant stone shields. Next, I noticed the lake, which gleamed like a massive sapphire, light refracting off the beautiful azure surface like a pane of stained glass. As we continued to drive, it just got more and more impressive, with the, rolling, forested hills, and the lakeside towns with their colorful buildings and church steeples spearing into the sky above the sloping rooftops. By the time we got to our hotel, it seemed like the place couldn’t get any more spectacular, but the moment we went into the hotel, we were proven wrong again by the sprawling balcony and the incredible view of the lake. After looking around the hotel, we went up to our room on the top floor. We went inside, and immediately, I was amazed by the red and gold furniture and antique wooden rafters. I saw another door in our room that caught my eye, though. Once I went through, I immediately found my favorite place in the room. After a few more stairs, I reached the top and found out that our room came with a tower! On the top floor, there was a jacuzzi with views overlooking the lake, and a balcony patio with a nearly 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. It was only the first day, but I already knew I loved this place.

While our hotel allowed us to live like royalty, oddly enough, it wasn’t even the most impressive property around. That property fits into the boat tour, though, so let’s start with that. Since Lake Garda is, well, a lake, it shouldn’t surprise you that the best way to explore it is by boat. Actually, scratch that, it definitely shouldn’t’ve surprised you, as I seem to find an excuse to go on boat tours everywhere I can. Aside from that, which I can simply explain as a natural enjoyment of watercraft in all their many forms, though, there are still plenty of reasons besides just liking boats to go on boat tour of Lake Garda. Chief among those reasons is the fact that there are several places on the lake that are either unfeasible to reach without a boat, or entirely impossible, unless you plan to somehow swim all the way there from the nearest town. The biggest item on this list, both figuratively and literally, is Isola Del Garda. This place is the dream of most homeowners, it is a manor home, situated on its own island, only accessible by boat. While not only an introvert’s dream, it’s also situated on a private island, full of carefully manicured gardens stuffed with every remotely interesting variety of plants the owners could find, and the mansion on the island has so many rooms that if you went in without a map, you could actually get lost in there. It was that large, and the view is nothing to sneeze at, either, being centered on an island with a view of multiple picturesque lake towns that seem like they were pulled off the pages of a fairy tale. When you get a perfect view, complete with the shining cerulean lake and the mountains towering into the background and a little lake town complimenting the view with its spires pointing to the sky, it’s so beautiful that time seems to stop mattering for a little bit. There were just so many wonderful things to be found here, from this island to the little wooden poles sticking up from the lake bottom with cormorants on them, it was amazing. Additionally, there was plenty there for people if they don’t like looking at little lake towns. For example, they can look at old bricks! This area has one of the coolest castles I have seen in a long time, a giant, imposing design in shockingly good condition for where it is. The castle is built in part as a fortified dock, and, therefore, instead of a courtyard, has a pool of water inside it, with a gate leading in from the waterfront. This is certainly an impressive example of inventive castle use, and I am all for it. To whoever made that castle, I know you aren’t still alive, but good job with thinking outside the box. Additionally, while the lake is quite cold, if you really need to wake up, if you just cannot feel temperature, or if you just are too stubborn not to, feel free to go for a swim! I fell into the last bucket, and I did enjoy it a lot. There’s something wonderful about just taking a peaceful swim in an alpine lake, and after a brief cold shock, I loved it! After that, we cruised along the scenic coastline, then came back to the town, but first, we got to check out something else. More old bricks, this time repurposed and historically significant. On the way back, the boat briefly stopped at what was formerly a tower made by Mussolini for his mistress but was now converted into a dance club that is still used today. It was, for all intents and purposes, though, a very cool tower, and the repurposing work was done very well, they were able to keep the tower’s design while changing it from a depressing historical relic into something people today (other than middle-aged history professors) can enjoy.

Now, while boat tours certainly are great, it’s not like you can see everything on one day of boating, so, if you go to Lake Garda for multiple days (which you by all means should), it’s probably advantageous to do some self-guided exploring, as well. For this, there are three towns in particular that you should know about and try to visit. First among these is Limone Sul Garda. Yes, in case you were wondering, it means Lemon On Lake Garda (or at least that’s what the translator told me, but it very well could be wrong, although I know Limone means lemon), and their specialty is, you guessed it, lemons. Not a bad thing to be known for, if you ask me. And the lemons we had were amazing. It was a really hot day, so as we walked through the town, we decided to pick up some fresh lemonade from a small storefront. We figured it would be only slightly better than normal lemonade, but boy were we wrong. That stuff was truly remarkable. So much so that I would’ve been entirely willing to bring home a waterproof suitcase filled with the stuff. It was perfect for a hot day, and I honestly regret not filling one of the water bladders we got for the Dolomites (more on those in later posts) and saving it. In addition to having what was probably the best lemonade we ever had, the town also boasted a lake view of similarly impressive status. The town was just the right size, not too large that it didn’t feel like it was crowding the landscape, but large enough that the winding cobblestone streets allowed you to just wander and take it all in. The lake view probably made up a large portion of this impression, and there was truly nothing like standing on the cobbled streets at the waterfront, sipping fresh lemonade, and seeing the town unfolding around you as the sun glistened off the water of the lake. Safe to say, Limone Sul Garda is a wonderful place, and if you have the time, I recommend you make sure to go, and not just for the lemons.

Another fun thing to do in Lake Garda if you’re driving around is traveling to Riva Del Garda, another town on the lake. This town is in a narrow inlet, that situates it between two giant, imposing hills and is the watersports capital of Lake Garda. We didn’t do any watersports, but we did stop here to walk around and have lunch (the lunch will be mentioned in my Lake Garda food post, hopefully coming soon). The unique location allowed for some amazing views, and the cobbled streets along the waterfront were not to be missed. Interestingly, there were also a lot of birds here, which I did not expect, including several varieties that are less common. Highest on the list of exciting species were Great Crested Grebes! These wonderful birds not only have a rockstar hairdo, but also are generally very energetic, making them super fun to watch. Their babies are also cute (I’ve seen them other places), but in general, we were there before they hatched, which was a little sad. The adults are great at fishing, though, and how often do you get to see a red waterbird? Other fun birds included several different species of ducks, including Buffleheads, and even a swan (I’m not even remotely under the impression that these are ducks, but it is without a doubt an example of interesting waterfowl). The swan was especially fun, because you really don’t get to see them that much, and it swam right up to me. It’s like it was asking for a portrait! Yes, I know they are mean, and no, I didn’t get bitten by it. The other fun part about the town was the buildings. While some sections were taken up by more modern shops with glass storefronts, the majority of the waterfront was made up of old, picturesque buildings, meaning that it was breathtaking to walk along the water and the multicolored buildings make the town look like it was pulled from a story, though the next town, which we visited by ferry is even better for that.

First, though, I need to tell you something funny that happened. When we were waiting for the ferry to cross to Malcesine, we were called over by someone who saw a Great Crested Grebe. When we went over, though, we spotted something that was weird, out of place, and downright hilarious. There wasn’t just a grebe. There were two, and they had a nest. The weird part, though? We were in a boat dock. I bet you can’t guess where it built its nest. Yup, directly on the back platform of someone’s boat. It was certainly quite odd to see a grebe just sitting there on a boat, and the other one kept coming back with lake reeds it used to reinforce the nest further. The interesting part is that grebes are perfectly capable of building floating nests themselves, meaning this couple were just lazy and found something that already floated to cut down on work. What’s even funnier is that the grebes are a protected species, so disturbing its nest would be illegal. Therefore, the grebe technically stole someone’s boat, which has to be quite a story to tell. I just hope the person who owns the boat has a good sense of humor and likes birds. Eventually, the ferry showed up, and we had to drive onto it and leave, but those grebes certainly got us a good laugh.

After we got off the ferry, it was just a short drive to Malcesine. The first thing we noticed when we drove into town was the castle. Where the other towns were structured in clusters going up the walls near the lake, with spires poking up from the rooftops, the town of Malcesine was built more like a pinecone. The red tile roofs of the houses slanted upwards as they got farther back, covering the streets, and the town’s walls stretched through it, with a castle at the center. The castle in the center of Malcesine was unique, though, as it was not the traditional design. It was made too late for that. The castle’s interior contained a lift connected to a pulley system, although I’m not sure if that was added later, and the castle’s defense armaments were much more advanced than usual. No ballistae or catapults, the tower at the center contained one large weapon. A giant gun, mounted on a rotating platform, which I believe was a retroactive upgrade during one war or another, but I don’t entirely remember. The gun had some nice detailing, with gold embedded into the stock, but it was quite old. It was basically a giant musket, which was odd, as I’m pretty sure I read that the primary purpose for it was to sink inbound ships. It’s certainly a strange choice to use a giant rifle instead of the more conventional, if shorter-ranged, cannons of the time, but I suppose to each their own, and I’m not a fortress designer. Now, how a ship capable of being a threat would’ve ended up in Lake Garda, I don’t know, but I guess there must’ve been a threat on the other side of the lake at some point. The castle was more than just one tower, though, it had courtyards filled with flowers and trees, as well as wonderful cobblestone paths. Another great thing about the castle was the birds. The castle, especially the tower portion, was home to a ton of birds. Mostly, Barn Swallows, which I personally think are quite wonderful little birds. As you may know, they often nest in the cavities in old buildings, and the castle’s masonry was packed full of little holes. It was basically an apartment for them, and they loved the place. The result was a spinning gyre of swallows that flocked around the top of the castle like a living, chirping hurricane. They were right to be up there, too, the view from the top of the castle was to die for, and gave you a wonderful panorama across the town, with the red roofs spreading outward like scales. Additionally, if you look the other way, the view of the lake and the castle gardens was simply wonderful, with picturesque waters split between spires of cleanly cut green leaves and cobblestone walls overgrown with vines. I spent a long time just standing there, taking it all in. After climbing back down from the castle, we explored the ancient cobblestone streets for a while, marveling at the twisting alleys and wooden signposts that made up the town, then went back to the car and rode the ferry home. Interestingly, this was the town out of all of them in the lakes region that I was the saddest to leave.

All in all, Lake Garda was certainly a remarkable destination. The thin spires, cobblestone streets, and fortified towers definitely gave the place an air of stepping into the past, and I love being able to just immerse myself in the more beautiful parts of history. Additionally, the food was very good, but I’ll save that for my next post. Lake Garda was the kind of place I could just go back to over and over and be happy. I’m not entirely sure what it was about it, but it certainly was an incredible place, and I would go back in a heartbeat.