We had an amazing week in Italy at the Grand Hotel, Gardone Riviera on the NW shores of Lake Garda. We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, Antony and Claudia's 20th anniversary, Pam's 75th birthday, Claire's 50th, Hannah's 25th and Luke's 23rd (the previous week). The Grand Hotel is the oldest large hotel on the lake and our rooms opened onto balconies with lakeside views. The service and food was excellent, we managed to behave ourselves impeccably, dressing smart for dinner and casual for lounging about. On arrival, after pre-supper prosecco we immediately felt that we could get used to this sort of living.
The whole area is immaculate, with well-tended gardens, patterned tiles for pavements, lush vegetation and mountain backdrops. Everything seems to look over Lago Di Garda, with impressive villas since Roman times. Mussolini lived nearby and The Third Reich also knew a nice place to hang out when they saw one! The quickest way to get about is via boats, which crisscross the lake, whisking you to pretty towns for coffee and icecreams.
We had a day in Venice which is an absolutely unique city, with EVERYTHING relying on boats. The skyline is pierced by the roofs of wonderful buildings, with a myriad of waterways running off The Grand Canal, the main transport artery. From Piazza San Marco, we took a gondola ride under The Bridge of Sighs and around this labyrinth. We walked to the Rialto Bridge where we had lunch watching the boats and the people.
Having never been to Italy, we left delighted to have discovered such an amazing country (video) and wanting to see and experience more. We'll definitely be back. Arrivederci.
