Malcesine to Verona

The port at Malcesine

Looking north on Lake Garda

Malcesine is a fabulous little town on Lake Garda. For many years, the only access was by boat, since the overland routes go through some pretty substantial mountains. This is, after all, the beginning of the Italian Alps.

Malcesine from the castle

In town is a castello that dates from 590 AD, the Castello Scaligero. It was destroyed and rebuilt and went through the control of many families, viscounts and republics. Goethe made a trip into this area and stayed at the castle in 1786.  He used it as a refuge to write and do some heavy thinking, even though he was arrested as an Austrian spy.

An old musket

While we were at the top of the bell tower amongst a group of people, someone set off the bell (which dates from 1442). It was exceedingly loud. We all laughed, and one of the Germans made a comment about the “dinger-donger”. That is now our official name for our doorbell.

The dinger-donger

Apparently Malcesine is a popular spot to get married. We can see why, with it’s character and setting. We found a venue and a place to stay if anyone wants to get married.

From Malcesine, we headed south. We hadn’t given up on seeing the ruins of Grotte di Catullo on Sirmione. When we stopped to pick up picnic supplies, it was at this roadside store. The silos are full of wine. You can bring your own containers, or use theirs. A tasty Pinot Grigio was about 1,70 euro per liter.

Got wine?

BYOB

Back at Sirmione, we made it into the ruins at Grotte di Catullo. The original villa complex dates from aournd 70 BC, and was possibly the villa of the Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus. It had it’s own baths and running water. It got the name "grottos" in the Middle Ages, when the ruins looked more like caves. Impressive.

Verona was nearby and seemed like a good overnight stop. They were having a concert (some teen band by the looks of the crowd) in the arena that dates from the Romans. 

Juliet's balcony

We stopped by to see Juliet’s balcony and had yet another fabulous Italian dinner on the piazza.

I don’t know what it is about the way Europeans eat. We’ve violated every trendy diet rule. We split a ficelle or demi-baguette every day. We eat lots of cheese. We eat dinner at 8 or 9 in the evening, frequently pasta. We have gelato almost every day. And we’ve lost weight. Yes, we get some exercise, but many days are 5 or 6 hours riding the motorcycle. Must not be much to the trendy diets. Reasonable portions and the chef isn’t offended if you leave something on the plate. And everyone takes their time enjoying the meal. The ratio of real food to fast food is at least 10:1. While McDonalds and Starbucks (especially McDonalds) are present in Europe, by far most of the fast food is pizza and kebabs.