Veneto Region, Italy – Day 4 – Malcesine and Lake Garda

One of the leaflets we had picked up at our accommodation was about a 360 degree spinning cable car from the banks of Lake Garda up to 1600m on Monte Baldo. With the temperature forecast to be over 35C we thought heading up would be at least a bit cooler.

We followed our sat nav’s guidance which as usual took us up winding roads with hairpin bends. The views of Lake Garda were stunning.

On more than a couple of occasions we met cyclists cycling up the steep roads towards us on the wrong side of the road. We couldn’t figure out at all why that was a good idea, particularly with the tight bends and poor visibility.

On arrival at Malcesine, it seemed everyone else had had the same idea and finding a parking space was very difficult. On our second drive round we saw that there were three spaces in the multi storey ‘central 1’ car park and we hoped this was correct. We finally found a space on the roof.

As it was so hot we decided to get our windscreen cover out to stop the steering wheel and front seats from getting too hot. We had backed right up to the wall so this was the only way to get it out of the boot!

We walked to the cable car building only to find that waiting time after buying tickets was around an hour and a half. We decided not to bother as it would be 2pm before we would even be on our way up. Instead we decided to wander round the town of Malcesine itself.

We were pleasantly surprised with the narrow cobbled streets, small castle and numerous small shops, bars and restaurants.

We even walked down to the lake edge and managed a quick paddle.

We passed a cafe / pub offering everything the Brit abroad could want, including ‘tea made with boiling water’.

We stopped for late lunch at a restaurant with a deck which reached out over the lake. It was lovely sitting enjoying the view and listening to the water lapping underneath our table.

Bethany ordered what appeared to be a small ice cream after her cheese and ham toastie.

Michael was happy to help out 🍨

After lunch we went back to the car and headed for Negrar. We took the route all the way along the lake edge back to Garda and were treated to beautiful ever-changing views.

At every point where the lake was accessible, people were swimming and sunbathing. Definitely what we should have been doing.

After arriving back at the agriturismo we were changed for the pool in record time. It was lovely being able to cool down in the water and then dry off while reading my book.

We asked the owner of the agriturismo for a recommendation for dinner and she managed to book us a table in a neighbouring village.

On arrival at the restaurant we were shown to a table in a room that was otherwise empty and we couldn’t decide if they thought we were going to be noisy or if they were segregating the English speakers. By the end of the evening there were five tables of non-English speakers and one of Italian.

The restaurant had an extensive wine list but no written menu. They recommended as tasting menu but knowing how picky Bethany can be and my aversion to red meat we decided it would be safer to order ourselves. The waiter explained what was on the menu and we chose two courses each. Bethany and Michael went for tomato passata with mozzarella and I went for ricotta stuffed courgette flowers with basil sauce. Both went down very well.

The sommelier came to help me with my wine choice – the wine list was actually a ring bound folder with around 50 pages – and I decided to go for a Soave from a small local vineyard. It was an excellent choice as it was light, fruity and a perfect match for my food.

For the next course Bethany and I went for pasta. Bethany chose lasagnetta with ragu and I chose wild spinach ravioli. Michael went for a meat course with steak on the bone with vegetables.