Lago di Garda

Travel Diary – Lago Di Garda

Hello my loves, 

whilst writing this post, I’m sat at the pool with a big plate of fresh fruit and enjoying the sun at Lake Garda. 

This holiday didn’t come one day too early. After a couple of exciting, but at the same time exhausting weeks I can finally relax, recharge and explore the surroundings before I get back to working on new creative projects. 

So if you’re feeling like you’re in need of a holiday, too, I can really recommend the Lake Garda to you. 

In a landscape like this with amazingly friendly and caring hosts (watch this space for a blogpost on the hotels we stayed in) and my beloved Italian food you cannot help but instantly feel great! 

To help you make the most out of your trip here, I put together my favorite locations and activities around here. Have fun reading!  

Along the lake, you’ll find many villages and cities of which we tried to visit the most beautiful. 

Although many of the places are quite similar in terms of architecture and culture, each has their own spots that are worth stopping by! 

Desenzano del Garda 

With about 29.000 residents, Desenzano del Garda is the biggest city at Lake Garda. 

Its romantic townscape with colorful, painted houses, little alleys and inviting squares in the town center made me feel at home immediately (I mean: colorful houses, of course I felt at home). 

Although you can always plan a trip and visit every spot you saw in the travel guide, we just decided to simply wander around town and discovered beautiful places as we walked. 

However, if you decided to plan to visit one sight only, I would recommend Porto Vecchio. 

The most beautiful houses are located right by the water and frame the local harbor. The perfect location for a little walk on its seaside promenade! 

Peschiera del Garda 

I was immediately in love with the small town of Peschiera del Garda. Located in an old fort lies the historical city center that is crossed by many canals. The city is not very well known amongst tourists yet, which is why you can rather have a relaxed day here and simply enjoy the view and the historic atmosphere. The many local restaurants and cafés are great to enjoy your favorite Italian dishes or try some new dishes. 

At the harbor, you can rent a boat that doesn’t require a license and have little boat trip on the sea, which has incredibly blue water by the way. This is the perfect occasion to take holiday photos that are just as good (if not better) than the ones you can see on the postcards!

Brenzone sul Garda 

Brenzone sul Garda is an area that consists of 16 small villages that are all located at the foot of Monte Baldos. 

Although the Lake Garda attracts many travelers from around the world, most of the places are still very quiet and traditional. 

Whilst some of the are right by the lake side and have amazing beaches, others are further up on the mountain in unspoilt landscape and are the ideal place to enjoy the view on the lake in the middle of olive trees. 

A special highlight is a boat ride to the island Trimelone. The island, that is located by the village Assenza and originally got locked for visitors about 60 years ago due to old war weapons, has now developed into a real paradise that can only be observed from the boat. So if you are looking for a real piece of untouched nature, you should definitely go there! 

Verona 

I am sure that many of you know Verona as the scenery of Romeo and Juliet. Verona really has an amazing old theater in which Shakespeare’s drama is staged in an opulent opera. 

However, beside of that, there are many other beautiful spaces that are worth a visit. 

Let me start with Piazza delle Erbe, the central market place of Verona. 

Here, you’ll find houses with beautiful facades that frame a spacious square and are home to many cafés and restaurants. 

I literally could have stayed all day, sat there with an espresso and just letting the day go by, but of course, I needed to check out the Via Mazzini, the shopping hot spot in Verona. 

Here, you’ll find all your favorite Italian designers and luckily, there’s a Gelateria at every corner so with an ice cream in my hand, I had a little walk around and did a little window shopping.  

I especially liked the markets that actually take place every day somewhere in town. You can find fresh fruit and vegetables as well as many other groceries but also little souvenirs to bring home for your loved ones. I would, however, look out for the little markets that are not as touristy since you’ll experience a much more authentic atmosphere. 

If you eat vegetarian like me, or even vegan, Verona really does not let you down! 

With at least four exclusively vegan restaurants and many more that at least offer vegetarian options, you could actually spend the whole day trying all the dishes and experiencing the local food. 

The solely vegan restaurants that I found are the Dulcamara Vegan Bistrot, the Flora, the La Laterna and the Universo Vegano. 

Each of them also offers Mediterranean and Italian food so you don’t have to miss out on pizza, pasta and antipasti. 

As you can see, the Lake Garda and the area surrounding it offer many great options, especially for a relaxed, laid back holiday. So if you are looking for a place to recharge and relax in beautiful and quiet nature, I can only recommend coming here! 

What are your travel plans for summer? Have you been to Lake Garda and what did you like best? I would love to hear from you! 

 Monique xx