A lovely life on the lakeside

Apr 19 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Nichola Kavanagh visits the Italian destination that is still proving popular with tourists

IN ANY list of lakes and mountains destinations the prospective holidaymaker might consider, the name of Italy’s largest body of water will never be far from the top.

Stretching some 35 miles from the narrow, almost fjord-like, landscape of its mountain-fringed north to the sun-blessed, rolling plain at its southern shore, Lake Garda is home to several handsome settlements, most of which, despite the attentions of an increasing number of tourists over the years, happily remain more “towns” than “resorts”.

That’s not to say that the modern tourist is not catered for – far from it, since along Garda’s more-than-pleasant, 90-mile shoreline there are any number of places that might easily vie for a high finish in a competition of the most perfect holiday destinations.

Bustling Malcesine, on the lake’s eastern shore, has a colourful little port, overlooked by a turreted castle, and brimming with small craft, windsurfers and the occasional lake steamer.

The harbour is backed by a promenade that in turn gives way to narrow cobbled streets of crafts shops and eating establishments where – the further you wander from the harbour itself – the emphasis is on slow, leisurely lunches, usually washed down with wines produced on the opposite shoreline.

The pace of life is distinctly slow, even during the height of summer when you might feel the need to escape the town’s clutches.

Perhaps you’ll head out on the lake – several steamers ply their trade between the various settlements, but you a just as enjoyable trip is to heights of Monte Baldo, which towers 6,000 feet above the town.

A cable car takes the strain out of the climb, though many who come to walk in the hills might frown upon such indolence. Garda’s fjord-like northern reaches are hemmed in between steep cliffs, which rise in turn towards the craggy Dolomiti – the perfect mountains to complement the lake and just one of several reasons to choose one of the other towns and villages, Limone, Riva del Garda or Torbole, that line the narrow strip of shore.

There are many reasons to take a trip to Lake Garda.

For most visitors, the sight of the colourful craft on the water will be satisfaction enough as they while away a lazy afternoon in a lakeside gelateria or stroll along a promenade.

But for the more energetic there are walks in the hills or watersports, with two varying winds – the morning, northerly sover and afternoon southerly ova – to test the mettle of the keenest sailor or windsurfer.

This is the perfect destination too if you are seeking a genuine alternative to the gaudier Mediterranean “hotspots”, without having to sacrifice warm sun and blue skies for the most of the Lombardy summer.

Whichever town you choose to stay it will feel more like a base for you to explore other areas, rather than a single destination, as there is simply so much to see and do.

And once you have had your fill of Lake Garda, if this is possible, then you might want to venture a little further away.

Not since the first travellers were able to circumnavigate the lake with the completion of the road around its shore in the early 20th century, has a visitor been able to resist the lure of the two great cities of Verona – home to Shakespeare’s “star-crossed lovers” as well as the world-famous Opera festival – and incomparable Venice.

Countless Garda holidaymakers make the pilgrimage to these wonderful places.

Verona’s glories are almost digestible in a single day’s outing – “must-sees” include the remarkable Roman Arena, which is home to the opera productions, the bustling Piazza dell’ Erbe and, on the east bank of the winding River Adige, the restored Roman Theatre.

As far as Venice, La Serenissima, is concerned, a lifetime would barely suffice in order to fully get to know this extraordinary city of innumerable canals and countless bridges, but this fact shouldn’t deter anyone from leaving Garda’s relaxing shores to join the throng in St Marks and at the Rialto, or from enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of a ride in a gondola on the fabled Canale Grande.

FOR further details about the Lake Garda area visit www.gardalake.it and www.gardainforma.com.

Suggestions of accommodation are available at www.italyheaven.co.uk/lakegarda.html and www.lakegarda.com. Most travel operators offer package deals during the summer months.