Our first stop on Lake Garda is the town of Garda itself for lunch. Being quite hungry by this point we opt for pretty much the first restaurant we pass on the lake front. This turns out to be a bit of a mistake – Beck’s spaghetti carbonara is more scrambled egg than delicious creamy dish. It’s fine, but not the rustic Italian fare we are craving. A wander around Garda leaves us with the impression that this place caters to mass tourism. The approach to the town, which is lined with adverts for Gardaland & Movieworld theme parks, do nothing to improve on this perception. Its not really what we’ve come all this way for.
Onward to check out Lazise, which we passed on the way in, which is altogether more tranquil and pretty – recommended for a pleasant wander. The small harbour is a great spot to stop for cafe con gelato and people watching.
Our final stop for the day is Sirmione, our base for a couple of nights inside the town walls. We have permission to drive into the normally pedestrianised town to drop off our bags but we start to wonder whether it was a good idea as the medieval streets start to narrow around us. In the end its actually quite good fun driving through the winding streets and we decide to drive back in on checkout day to collect the bags rather than carry them out. We later hear a Brit complaining that it shouldn’t be allowed! We Brits just love to ban things!
Highlights of Sirmione are the crystal clear waters of the Lake which see us diving in to cool off from the heat and the Roman villa complex at the end of the promontory (handily located next to one of the public beach areas on the Lake for post sightseeing dip). The site is nothing in comparison with the ruins of Rome or Ephesus, but is interesting nonetheless.