The next day there were whitecaps on the lake. Our gin game stood at 582 to 345 when we packed up and headed to Como to catch a train to Munich and a flight home. The sun shone all the way along our route through the Alps. The scenery was so mesmerizing I didn't even think about evening up the score.
Susan Harb last wrote for Travel about Guatemala.
Lake Garda, Italy's largest lake, is dotted with more than two dozen villages, like the picturesque Malcesine.
() Johnathan Smith, Cordaiy Photo Library Ltd./corbis)
|
|
Details: Italian Lake Drive
GETTING AROUND: We began our lake crawl in Vicenza, about 45 miles west of Venice, where we rented a mid-size car with manual transmission for about $65 per day. We traveled the autostradas: A8 to Maggiore, A9 to Como and A4 to Garda. The only snag of the entire trip was trying to pump gas at self-service stations on a Sunday morning when there were no attendants on duty. We left $20 at one pit stop, unable to activate the pump or retrieve our bills.
Our best investment was a $10 road map. We finished our 595-mile drive at Lake Como, where we returned by train to Milan and then continued on to Germany.
LAKE GARDA
WHERE TO STAY: Hotel Olivi (5 Via San Pietro, 011-39-030-990-5365, www.hotelolivi.it) in Sirmione has 64 rooms in three price ranges, and some rooms have balconies. An abundant breakfast buffet (included) is served outside in summer. Doubles run about $75 to $157.
LAKE TRIPS: It takes about 2 1/2 hours to go from one end of the lake to the other on diesel-powered ordinarios; the rapido or hydrofoil doubles the price and more than cuts the time in half. Tariff ranges from a couple of bucks to go to the next town to $20 for faster, farther trips.
WHERE TO EAT: It's hard to top fresh lake fish and rucola (arugula) salad. We tended to eat what was caught locally and drink what was grown locally. Trattoria La Fiasca (Via S. Maria Maggiore 11, Sirmione) has a loyal clientele, and dinner for two with wine runs about $70.
WHAT TO DO: The Malcesine-Monte Baldo funicular ($12) offers views of Lake Garda, Po Valley and the Dolomites; bikes are permitted for those who want a thrill on the trip down.
The Museo dell'Olio (Cissano di Bardolino, www.museodellolio.com; free), or Olive Oil Museum, has a historical exhibition and tasting shop. I left with olive oil moisturizer, rejuvenating cream, a bottle of local Bardolino wine and two heavenly vinegars. The wine cost $3, the moisturizer three times that.
