Another fabulous breakfast on the Meta Suites terrace before packing the car for the drive down to Lago di Garda. Before we left Göteborg I looked for vineyards to visit and had a few lined up. Yesterday we decided not to go anywhere in the car so we ended up not being so ambitious. We bought wine at the wine bar instead. Today we drop in on the Elena Walch winery and buy some Lagrein, a local red wine that will get even better if we put it away for a few years. Just hoping it doesn’t get ruined by traveling in a hot car for a few days.
We stay off the autotstrada as we make our way down the valley to Lago di Garda for a more relaxed drive. The sheer cliffs on both sides are quite imposing. The valley is filled with vineyards and apple orchards and dotted with small villages and a lot of small industries.
In Trento the road veers off and snakes its way up a ravine up to a plateau and down into another valley. Small towns here also but more rural, less industry. We pass Riva del Garda, at the northern most end of the lake, and continue down the west bank where tunnels are cut for the road beneath the sheer cliffs dropping into the lake. It’s narrow, there is a lot of traffic, and every now and then there are bicycle riders that need to be passed carefully. At Limone Sul Garda we turn off to climb 380 m on the serpentine road to Pieve where we have booked our next stay. When we arrive it’s a little cooler and a few raindrops are falling.
The village is right at the edge of the cliff and our hotel is literally built on it. The Locanda al Castelletto Hotel host is a very hospitable and talkative lady doing her very best to speak English. She says to break the rules and drive the car into the small square next to the hotel so we can unload our luggage, but first she insists we sit down, catch our breath and have a glass of wine in the little dining room with an absolutely amazing view across and down the lake. The hotel is all stairs to different levels and we are offered a room with the least stairs on the lower floor. It has a back entrance leading down to the narrow alley between the buildings making it easy to bring our stuff to the room.
The village is small and the roads leading to and from are steep. We take a walk to let Cooper stretch his legs after the car trip. From up the road and over a crest we can see the Village Hotel Lucia where we stayed at last year. It was very nice with a pool and the room had a balcony overlooking the lake. This year it had no vacancies.
We have dinner at the hotel in the dining room overlooking the lake. We get a table right by the open balcony. Cooper lies on the ledge with a fence separating him, and us, from the 300 m sheer drop. There is a light cool breeze, the food and wine is excellent, and we feel we’ve hit the jackpot.
