Lake Garda and Verona

Lake Garda is the first of two lakes that we will be living by in the next week. Our hotel is situated at the top of a big hill, right on the lake, reached by driving on a tiny road with multiple hairpin turns. It is a rather new hotel and spa that is oh, so environmentally correct. The setting is idyllic and the views are spectacular.

We're enjoying this special oasis for a couple of days before we go on. Meanwhile, we spent yesterday being driven by a charming man on an all day trip that included lunch and sightseeing in Verona and a visit to a Valpolicella winery.

Verona is a town that was not on our itinerary, but the more we heard about it, the more we knew we had to fit it in. There are three concentric walls, the first Roman, the second Medieval, and the third Renaissance.  Like all other medieval Italian cities and towns, it is a warren of small charming streets that wind around historical sights, cafes, and shops.  There is a classic Roman coliseum that they call the arena which is still used for summer operas because of its excellent acoustics.

Just wandering down one little street, we saw a sign that said Romeo's house. Further on, we saw another little sign declaring Juliette's house. Upon entering the dooryard, we were looking up at Juliette's balcony! What fun.

Next our driver took us through Valpolicella country.  We stopped at Mazzi, a small family run winery that produces 50,000 bottles a year, 80% of which are exported. We were treated to a tour by one of the sons and then sat with him to leisurely sample five of their wines, learning about the intricacies of the different varieties. Fascinating. Like the apricots in Wachau Valley, we had to take some with us to enjoy on the rest of the trip.

One little note on the drive back to our hotel...this is marble country. The hillsides in one particular area are quarries for the many different colors and designs of marble. All along the road are hugh squares of the marble and slabs already cut for export. They go on ad on. Other than Carrera, this is the largest marble producing area in Italy.