Lake Garda, Italy

After a busy two days in Germany, Jordan and I hopped on a train to Sirmione, Italy.  Sirmione sits on a peninsula at the southern end of Lake Garda, which is in northern Italy between Milan and Verona.  We met up with Uncle Kelly & Aunt Michele at the train station, and then walked down to the harbor to catch a ferry over to where our hotel was located.  We spent the evening getting settled and planning our adventures for the next 3 days.

During our first full day in Italy, we hopped on a boat sailing east and got off in the quaint town of Bardolino.  From there we spent the day walking along an old stone path that connects the towns of Lazise, Cisano, Bardolino and Garda.  These towns are charming, and we enjoyed exploring amidst the fresh air and street markets.

 

There are groves of olive trees planted along the water, and we got to watch some of the trees being harvested. 

The cloud cover in the nearby mountains cleared up as the day went by, and we were treated to some beautiful views on the ferry ride home.  Such a satisfying end to a day in which we walked just shy of 11 miles!

On day 2, we opted to explore Sirmione a bit more.  There is an ancient ruin (1st century A.D.) at the far end of the peninsula, thought to be a summer home of a wealthy Veronese family that hosted the Roman poet Cattulus.  Seen from the water, the ruins are substantial:

This archeological site is even more impressive up close.  

 

After a lakeside lunch of brick oven pizza, we walked three blocks from our hotel to Scaligero Castle, which sits at a narrow point in the peninsula.  This castle was built in the 14th century and has guarded the town throughout its history.  There are several working draw bridges and a walled-in harbor filled with gigantic (5-6ft) fish.

 

The steep climb to the top of the tower was totally worth it with views like this!