More Germans visit Italy than do tourists from any other country. This seems hard to believe when you're deep in the heart of "Chiantishire", aka Tuscany, where every other table rings with English accents, or on the streets of Rome and Florence, where juggernauts of American group tours block your progress. But at almost 13 million visitors a year, the Germans arrive at just over double the rate of Americans, and more than triple the French (3rd place) or Brits (4th). If you want to see this in action, just go to Lake Garda.
I suspect you hear more linguistic variety in Berlin or Munich than you do on the shores of this wildly picturesque lake. The villages may be out of the background of a Raphael painting. The food and wine may be robustly Northern Italian. But the linguistic landscape here will have you defaulting to "ein bier, bitte" before you know it.
There's no problem with that. In fact, despite their reserve-the-deck-chairs-early reputation, I generally find Germans to be wonderfully genial, polite and culturally respectful travelling companions. We have one of them … the writer Goethe … to thank for much of our modern fascination with Italian tourists. The German dominance is just the most surprising quirk of this region. Everything else, from the fabulous landscapes to the great food and the abundant crowds is as you'd expect.
Verona is less than 20 miles as the crow flies from the southern tip of Lake Garda, but you won't get a comprehensive view of the lake on a day trip. It's best thought of as a whole holiday region: the lake is 32 miles long, just under 143 square miles on its surface, bordered by three different Italian regions and with 26 comuni, or townships, on its shores. At the northern tip the scene is Alpine, while down south gentle slopes of vines level out to plains of rice and wheat. (And, these days, the industrial/business heartland of the Italian economy.)
One of the most picturesque spots within easy striking distance of Verona is Sirmione, but the best way to approach that narrow, tourist-packed finger of land is by boat. So we drove a bit further than strictly necessary (though not more than an hour) to Bardolino, from which we took a ferry to and from.
Bardolino is a pretty little town with lanes of pastel-coloured buildings leading down to its waterfront. It's obvious that tourism is the main industry, as it's packed with shops spilling onto the pavements with local crafts, holiday clothing, jewelry and accessories. The percentage of restaurants, especially those with vast al fresco dining areas, is far higher than standard. There's a small enclosed harbour for sailboats and a long, lovely promenade along the lakeshore. Most critically, it has an enormous car park for visitors not too far from the main tourism area, and is a frequent ferry stop.
There’s a small kiosk for buying ferry tickets just behind the lakeside war memorial. Keep in mind that there are different types of boats on the route that travel at different speeds. We went for the totally enclosed fast option, about 20 minutes and direct, outbound and took a slower trip back with an open observation deck. The journey is beautiful and as much of a highlight as anything you’ll see on shore.
Taking a boat to Sirmione drops you inside the fortified area of the old town, saving you from the turmoil of parking and fighting your way through the crowds jamming the entry gate. This is one of the most popular spots on the Italian lakes, so being clever about avoiding jams is important.
First, it’s an unusually long and narrow peninsula sticking straight up into the lake. The views per square foot are, therefore, enormous. Second, it’s been a hot spot for the rich and famous for more than 2000 years. Tourists can scramble through the ruins of Roman poet Catullus’ home on the tip of the peninsula, or pay to stay in slightly more modern spreads that have been converted to hotels. Third, in the Middle Ages the peninsula was fortified by the Scagliere family (we already met them at their tombs in Verona) who built a showy castle and enclosed harbour. Even though this is where you’ll encounter the worst crowds, it’s worth going out the gate to look back at the fairy-tale scene.
From there, we set out on a counter-clockwise stroll around the tip of the peninsula. Skirting the edges offers the best combination of views of buildings, gardens, shore and lake. Not far after the church, and the view over a beautiful, private shoreline garden, steps turn down towards a beach area, with the path continuing along a historic promenade between the lake and the walls of the Villa Cortine hotel. (This is clearly where to stay if you’ve won the lottery.) If you’re concentrating on the route you may not look back and see the atmospheric beach bar next to the steps, below an old Medieval tower. The Bar La Torre has great atmosphere, prompt service, ann impressive cocktail list and surprisingly tasty local snacks considering there’s not much room for a kitchen. Our smoked trout crostini were a real treat, and the hamburgers coming to the table beside us made us wish we hadn’t had such a big breakfast.
You can continue all the way to the Roman ruins on that panoramic path, but we took a flight of stairs at the end of the Villa Cortine’s wall. The climb takes you to a long, wooded park running along the opposite side of the luxury hotel. It’s strange, given how narrow Sirmione is, to find this completely enclosed area from which there’s no view of water. But as you start downhill the lake views return, now on your right rather than your left. The stroll now takes you down a street balancing tourist shops, restaurants and holiday villas.
You’ll also pass the Terme di Sirmione, a spa complex that beckons for a longer visit or a girls’ trip. The hot springs on the edge of the lake were what first attracted the Romans, and they’re still working their magic.
Before too long you’ve returned to the cheerful square lined with multi-coloured buildings from which the ferries come and go. This, and the little lanes around it, are dotted with restaurants. Lengthy queues spill out of gelaterias. They sport the usual broad range of flavour but one dominates here: Lemon. The groves around the Southern part of the lake have been famous for centuries, having originally been introduced by the Venetians who wanted to develop their own source of something they had been getting through trade with Arabs. Chefs favour Garda lemons for their sharp and sweet taste and a flavourful but thin rind.
This is the home of limoncello. You’ll see it everywhere, and incorporated into cocktails and dishes in interesting ways. Our friends warned us off the limoncello spritz, however, which they assured us was like drinking cough syrup. I’ll leave the limoncello to the German visitors. I followed local preference and opted for a Cinzano spritz, like the now-ubiquitous Aperol but with a touch more bitterness. A perfect drink to nurse while watching the parade of tourists meandering through the packed streets.
And then, rather than fighting the crowds back through the castle gates, we climbed onto the ferry’s open top and started our journey back to the car. If you don’t want to hike all the way out to the ruins, this sail by is the best way to get a look at Catullus’ house. Its impressive foundations still tower over the Northern tip of the peninsula.
A stately glide across the lake, and the fact that the sun was now sinking so the earlier glare had gone, allowed us to appreciate the vast sweep of water before the mountains rose up to the North. This slow ferry puts in first at Cisano, yet another pretty little village of multi-coloured buildings around a venerable old castle, and then continued along the coast back to Bardolino.
Clusters of villas in the hills attest to the fact that, after 2,000 years, we’re still following Catullus’ advice and heading to the Italian lakes to soothe our souls. And if most of the residents of those villas are what the ancient poet would consider “barbarians” from Germania … their holidays are just a signal of their good taste. Whether you’re raising your spritz to “cin cin” or “Prost” there are few better places to do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment