Today’s Schedule
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: Today we depart early morning for the splendid village of Lazise and the crenellated walls and towers of the medieval Scala Castle. Stop at a local Olive Oil mill to see the olive groves and taste the oil - an essential ingredient in every Italian recipe. Later discover the secrets of viticulture as we tour a local vineyard and taste some of the products of the region (children may taste the grape juice). Transfer to the charming lakeside town of Garda for some free time.
http://www.casapopi.com/eng/the_scaligero_castle_malcesine_garda_lake.html
Lunch: On your own.
Afternoon: After a short walking tour of Garda, we board a pleasure boat to the town of Sirmione, from where you can enjoy the city surrounded by the waters of the lake.
Dinner: At a local restaurant.
My Observations
We had a nice scenic ride via bus to Lake Garda. The largest freshwater lake in Italy. Our new location special guide tells us of many interesting things. One question – why the square holes about 6 by 6 inches in various parts of the wall? This is where beams were installed for temporary use to support scaffolds as the walls were built higher (-:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/lombardy-and-the-lakes/lago-di-garda
As we went to the town of Sirmione, we went directly to the south edge of Lake Garda. Yes, it was BIG. We could not really see the north end. But, were able to see the closer peaks of the Dolomite mountains.
http://www.sirmioneitaly.com/
Valentina, our guide at the olive garden, is part of the family that has been working this area for 4 generations. We got to learn about the variety of olive trees that have different textures and flavors. After sampling a few, learned that some have a “bite” you can feel in the back of the throat. I prefer not tasting the olive oil like we did. I prefer the wine after getting to the vineyard. Both places were enjoyed by our group – young and old.
We boarded the bus and went a little farther along the lake coast that would be closer to the ferry we would ride later. This area had many restaurants to try for our lunch “on our own.” I was sniffing the air for a place for fried fish. Once, I got the scent of fish, asked to see a menu. Sure enough – it showed “fritta pesce.” Which for me in Spanish, would have meant – fried fish. I asked the waiter – fried fish. He nodded yes. I ordered and was surprised – no fish – but did have calamari, shrimp and other “fruits of the sea.” All was good tasting with minimum amount of oil.
From there, met with the group and took the ferry about an hour ride where we met with our bus that took us back to Sirmione. After visiting some sites we had not seen earlier, met for dinner in Ristorante Modi. Again, fantastic food, good aroma from the spices and flavorful. The gelato dessert made all the tasting better.
http://www.modi-sirmione.com/restaurant-modi-sirmione-lake-garda.html
From there, back to hotel in Verona. Time for some shut-eye. All full day, much of it on or near the water.
Photo 1 - See. Here 3 photos with some Photoshop “magic.” Our group. The guides and final arrangement.
Photo 2 - Do. Went to visit both olive garden and vineyard with tasting at both places.
Photo 3 - Eat. We got to sample various breads with olive oil. They are not all the same.
Click here for today's online photo album.
