MAKE FOR THE LAKE
TAKES A SHORT BREAK IN THE LAKE DISTRICT ... ITALIAN-STYLE
THE moment I step off the coach at Punta San Vigilio, my jaw drops to the floor.
Our tour guide said the area was one of the most beautiful in Lake Garda, but I did not expect it to be this breathtaking.
The royal blue lake stretches in front of me, surrounded by conifer trees, while the Italian Alps can be seen in the distance.
I breathe in the mountain air and feel far away from the hubbub of life back home.
Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and is located to the north of the country, halfway between Brescia and Verona.
It is less than a 30-minute journey from Verona Airport to Hotel Corte Valier where I am staying for this trip.
The four-star hotel is in the commune of Lazise and offers stunning views of the lake in glamorous settings.
My comfort room has a king-size bed, a LCD TV and a large balcony to make the most of the view over the lake.
A selection of delicious meals is on offer in the hotel’s Dome restaurant.
You can eat cheese, cured meats, bread and olives to your heart’s content at the buffet bar – but don’t fill up too much because you’ll want to save room for the main courses.
We’re served delicious red coloured risotto and crumbed beef, while the attentive staff make sure my wine glass is never empty.
For more fabulous views of the lake I take a boat trip along the waterways surrounding the area of Peschiera Del Garda.
A 16th century city wall surrounds this little Venetian town, which is made up of canals, bridges and squares.
Foodies should head to Valeggio sul Mincio to see how tortellini is made, and even better, taste it. We head to the tortellini laboratory, which is actually the back room of a small pasta deli, where around seven women are making the pasta from scratch.
I’m mesmerised as the women manipulate the dough into tiny parcels with their hands, which are then filled with beef, vegetables or fish.
I’m lucky to taste it fresh in a nearby restaurant as a lunchtime treat.
Tortellini the Italian way is not served with a tomato sauce but with a drizzle of olive oil, perhaps some parmesan and a bit of pancetta. The little parcels almost melt inside your mouth, with the highlight being a seasonal pumpkin-filled tortellini.
Another food highlight is tucking into chestnuts at the Restaurant Bellavisita, which is up in the mountainous area of San Zeno.
It’s autumn and chestnuts are in abundance in northern Italy. We’re served a variety of chestnut based dishes, including sweet chestnuts soaked in grappa, polenta topped with chestnuts and mouthwatering ice-cream filled with a chestnut filling.
There’s even a chestnut festival in San Zeno during early November.
Lake Garda is also a popular destination with cyclists. I’m able to rent a bike from the hotel and enjoy a short 5m ride around the lake.
Those feeling more adventurous could check in at the Enjoy Garda Hotel, which caters well for cycling enthusiasts.
The hotel even has its own cycling shop and routes mapped out for anyone wanting to see the lake on two wheels.
The mild climate in Lake Garda makes it ideal for growing olives and producing olive oil. We learn about the history of olive oil and how it is made at the olive oil museum.
At the end of the tour I experience my first ever olive oil tasting, and take a bottle home from the deli attached to the museum.
Lake Garda is also famous for its many wine vineyards and where better to learn all about it than the Museo del Vino. The museum is set inside the Zeni winery and we are given a guided tour by the amiable Frederica Zeni, whose family own the winery.
Visitors can learn all about the family history of the vineyard, view ancient wine-making tools and sneak a glimpse of how it is made. The highlight, of course, was the wine-tasting in the magnificent cellar of the museum.
My favourite wine had to be the red Bardolino wine, created from grapes located in the east of the region. It’s elegant and smooth, but with a freshness about it, something you could get used to.
Just like Lake Garda, in fact.