Ultimate European Road Trip Series – Part Nine – Lago Di Garda, Italy
We start this adventure by buying a Porsche Macan S and picking up the car at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen Germany… the road trip is now “official”.
This segment of the series is dedicated to our adventures while touring the Lago di Garda area in the Northern Italian Lake Country.
The trip from Bolzano to Lago di Garda
We leave Bolzano for a direct two and a half hour drive to Lago di Garda. About an hour later we approached a major decision point and crossroads.
The autostrada became a sort of spaghetti bowl interchange providing routes to Milan, Verona, Trento, Bologna, and Venice, as well as dozens of other smaller cities.
As we approached this junction our main GPS just turned on and off so we pull over to the side of the road and go to Plan B…our backup GPS which was provided by Porsche.
OK… who knows how to turn it on or better yet how to program it?
Let’s get to Plan C… the backup map pages we originally used to prepare for the trip months ago back home. What do you mean the page we need is missing?
Let’s go to Plan D… Google Maps on the cell phone. That? No cellular connectivity?
We both looked at each other and quoted a famous line from a movie… something like… “What should we do now? PANIC.”
After a good laugh, we continue south. And, while we were driving, the main GPS miraculously came back to life and we really were on the right track! Our traveling angels had enough fun that they gave us a break.
lake garda
Lago di Garda is the largest lake in Italy and is approximately 31 miles long and 12 miles wide. The 99-mile shoreline surrounds a lake that has a surface area of approximately 143 square miles…huge is an understatement.
Special moments in a tunnel
As we navigated the narrow roads through tunnel after tunnel along the shoreline of Lago di Garda, we noticed that the little space we had caused us some stress. This stress was coming to a head when a large square-roofed truck was heading towards us in a round-roofed tunnel. Hey…now he’s straddling the center strip and driving on our side of the road!
This is going to be close… how do you fold the mirrors to gain some space? What button do you press? Where is the owner’s manual? We moved as far to the right as possible and braced for the possible impact…bye nice new car! Maybe just a mirror?
We took a deep breath and gritted our teeth…once again, the invisible force field surrounding this car, and our travel angels appeared as the truck passed inches, seriously, just inches away.
Benito Mussolini and Lake Garda
One of the most famous Garda residents was the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who lived near the town of Gargnano. Mussolini’s personal residence and headquarters were established in the confiscated Villa Feltrinelli, which is situated directly on the lake shore with a wide view of the lake and mountains.
The villa was returned to the Feltrinelli family after World War II and eventually changed hands and in the 1990s became the Grand Hotel Villa Feltrinelli. You too can stay there for the starting price of $1500 per night.
The Hotel Dimora Bolsone
We opted for a wonderful hillside Bed & Breakfast overlooking the Gardone Riviera town. This 15th century guest house is situated in a 20 acre park with stunning lake views. We even had covered parking next to a vintage Morgan.
The Hotel Dimora Bolsone is owned and managed by a lovely gentleman named Raffael. He was assisted by the very attentive and kind Jessica and the lovely Sabrina. They represent the true essence of Italian hospitality and provided us with a wealth of local knowledge.
We really got lucky… when we made our reservation we didn’t realize that the B&B was an “agriturismo” property.
As such, they are required to produce at least 40% of everything they serve their guests from their land…we enjoy their vegetables, herbs, eggs, wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chickens, rabbits, pigs. .. adding real meaning to the words “farm fresh”.
Exceptional meals with Chef Marko
All meals were perfectly prepared and the presentation was excellent. And you could split any of the starters allowing us the opportunity to taste new delicacies and not spend.
Gardone Riviera and Gabriele D’Annunzio
When we planned this trip we had no idea who Gabriele D’Annunzio was or his connection to Gardone Riviera. But all that changed after our visit to his residence-turned-museum that he called “Vittoriale degli Italiani (The Sanctuary of Italian Victories).”
This hillside estate was the home of the famous Italian politician, war hero and charismatic leader. As a true “Renaissance Man”, he was an artist, poet, journalist, playwright and one of the most popular and controversial Italian writers of the 20th century.
Another part of his lore was the result of his many legendary affairs with high-profile women. It may have been attributed to his extravagant lifestyle or the possibility that his famous erotic literature caught his eye.
As a warrior he became a legend due to his daring and daring actions. When he returned from the war he was an international hero and had been awarded one gold, five silver, one bronze and an officer’s cross of the Military Order of Savoy. He even earned the Military Cross of Great Britain. They are all on display in the museum and the tour was fantastic.
In summary
We are now in a totally relaxed mode and the travel induced stress has melted away…or is it the wine?
We want to introduce a series format change to focus on special side trips in one destination.
Follow us in the next article…
Exit Ahead — Exploring the Roman Ruins of Lago di Garda.
After all, what’s the rush… get inspired.
© 2016 Inspired Travel Itineraries with Bob and Janice Kollar