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| View of Lake Garda from the Scaligero Castle |
Our Italian vacation started in Trento and Molveno, where Jaycob competed in the XTERRA off-road triathlon World Championships. Molveno was exquisitely beautiful, welcoming, and clean. Read more about our adventures in Italy with Kids Part 1. Following the race we took a day trip to Lake Garda, one of Italy's best-loved tourist destinations that offers plenty of adventure and leisure for adults and kids of all ages. I spoke to a local Italian who explained that when Italian's go on vacation, they ask each other, "Are you going to the mountains or to the water?" With its close proximity to the mountains, hiking, and panoramic views, Lake Garda offers a little bit of both. At 50 km long and 346 meters deep in the middle, Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and could be an entire weeklong vacation in itself complete with tourist destinations, cultural exploration, beaches, hiking, shopping, and family fun. Our very short day trip won't even do justice to the incredible opportunities that the lake offers for travels and families, but I'll provide some highlights from our experience.
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Lush groves and vineyards around the lake
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| Scenic drive to Lake Garda |
The drive from Molveno to Lake Garda took about 2 1/2 hours. The trip was beautiful and scenic, but also mountainous with winding roads and hairpin turns. (Pro tip: bring trash bags in the car and an extra change of clothes if your kids are prone to car sickness! Our 2-year-old barfed twice, and in a classic mom move I caught the second one in my bare hands to save the carseat and the rental car!) We drove past lush fields, rolling hills with castles and fortresses on the hilltops, vineyards and groves of fruit trees. Because of the lush, fertile landscape around Lake Garda, humans have lived in this region since prehistoric times. I don't think I truly grasped how enormous the lake was or how far apart the towns are until we were actually there, driving along the winding road east of the lake. Planning a trip to Lake Garda can be overwhelming. If you have several days you can hit up an amusement, a castle, beaches and shopping. If you only have one day, just pick two towns to focus your attention and enjoy a few tourist attractions and some leisure time.
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| Walking through Sirmione along the lake shore |
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| The quaint town of Sirmione with cobblestone streets and restaurant patios |
We started our Lake Garda day in Sirmione, on the southern edge of the lake, where we visited the Scaligero Castle. Latin poet Catullus once sang of Sirmione, "Paene insularum, Sirmio, insularumque ocelle." It is the jewel of peninsulas and islands, both. Sirmione was originally a Roman resort town for royalty to vacation, then served as a center of defense under the dukes of Verona and Venice, and now it is once again a vacation spot for local Italians and tourists alike. It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday, so there was quite a bit of traffic getting there, but there are no cars allowed over the draw bridge in to the town. We parked in a lot about 1.5 miles from the castle. This is the one part of the trip when a stroller would have been handy, but Ady was a good sport with the long walk and we had our Osprey Poco hiking carrier for Meredith. The Scaligero Castle is free on the first Sunday of the month but it closes at 1:30 or 2:00, so we got there just in time to be in the last group admitted for the day. If you go on other days you can book tickets in advance.
The Scaligero Castle was built in the 13th century by the della Scala family from Verona. It served as an important center of defense and fortification in the region until the 16th century, and it was also a port with docks for Scaliger and Venetian fleets. When walking around the perimeter of the castle, you can imagine armed soldiers standing guard to ward off intruders. The castle was restored after WWI and is now a museum. When you enter the walls of the fortress, you walk up the stairs and can walk around the entire perimeter to admire the view of the town and the lake. There are a few rooms to explore and even a dungeon where prisoners were once held. Both castles we visited on this trip were fascinating historical sites, but I think our kids were somewhat disappointed because they were picturing gold and grandeur, kings and queens, and the kind of castles they see in Disney movies. I would suggest showing your kids pictures of the castle in advance and letting them know what to expect so they're not disappointed to not see living quarters or fancy ball rooms. The kids' cameras came in handy here because it got the kids looking at the details of the castle walls, the windows, and the view of the lake to keep them engaged in the experience.
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| Scaligero Castle |
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| Taking photos of the details helped the kids stay interested |
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| Walking around the perimeter of the fortress |
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| Looking down on Sirmione from the windows of the castle |
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| The hiking carrier came in handy for today! |
After our castle tour we explored the town of Sirmione. There's so much to do in this quaint and friendly tourist town: shop for souvenirs, sample gelato flavors, enjoy a Aperol Spritz along the shore, savor some ravioli or gnocchi on a patio, or dip your toes in the lake. The restaurants were crowded during the peak lunch hour on a sunny Sunday afternoon, but we found a spot off the beaten path and the food was incredible. After lunch we had giant scoops of gelato at Gelateria Romeo & Juliet near the castle before making our way back to the car. It was a long walk for the kids who desperately needed a nap but it was a beautiful day to be outside and we made the best of it!
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| Absolutely in heaven |
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| Gelateria Romeo & Juliet |
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| This kid's favorite part of Italy is the mango gelato |
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| Wading in Lake Garda |
Our next stop on our Lake Garda itinerary was Bardolino, a town along the eastern shore of the lake best known for its vineyards and wine-making. The local wine is a light, dry red Bardolino DOC wine made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes. I discovered that the town was having their big annual wine festival (Cura dell'Uva, Grape Cure Festival) on the day we were there. There was a lot of traffic coming into town but we found a parking spot and made our way to the lakeshore for wine-tasting and people-watching. There was no entry fee to get into the wine festival, just pay-as-you-taste, so it was perfect for either sampling one or two wines or partaking in a full day of tasting. We walked up and down the shore line with our wine samples, watching the ferries come in and out of the dock and enjoying the sunshine. There is a fair with a ferris wheel (ruota panoramica) and giant balloons for the kiddos. There are lots of other things to do along the shore in Bardolino if you have more time, like going to the beach or renting a boat. We had other ideas for the day including a honey festival in the "picturesque lakeshore village" of Lazise and a dinner reservation at Porta Lion Ristorante, but it was such a nice afternoon in Bardolino that we decided to stay and have dinner on the patio overlooking the bay. There was live music and great people-watching as we enjoyed the sunset over the shore.
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| The shore of Bardolino, Italy, on Lake Garda |
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| Wine tasting! (And water tasting in fancy glasses.) I'm obsessed with these little carrying pouches. |
We skipped the amusement park on this trip because our kids are probably still too small to get a lot out of it and might be disappointed if they can't go on all the rides, but if your kids are slightly older (and over 100 cm tall), consider Gardaland and Canevaworld, or watch knights joust in a castle with a Medieval Times dinner. If you go in the summer there are many beaches to enjoy along the shores of Lake Garda. Gardaland tickets must be bought in advance for a specific date, and if you go during the summer then it might be worth buying VIP tickets to skip the lines. Gardaland also has a LEGOLAND and Sea Life Aquarium. Cavevaworld features an Aquapark and Movieland with Hollywood blockbuster themes.
Like many parts of our Italy itinerary, there is so much more to do here if you have more time. Lake Garda could be an entire vacation in itself, or if you have an extra day take a trip to Italy's beloved city of Verona. A short drive away is the Castle Beseno, one of the best preserved castles in northern Italy. Kids might also enjoy a trip to Ledro Art Land, a sculpture museum at Lake Ledro. Some other ideas I read about when designing our itinerary: the cable care in Malcesine with panoramic views, Riva Del Garda on the northwest shore, Varone waterfalls, ride horses or alpacas at Barlot Ranch, rent a boat to go out on the lake, or visit the Duomo in Salo. I guess we will have to come back someday!
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| Sunset in Bardolino |
The Bankier book was an absolute gem for planning this part of our vacation. It features ideas for itineraries and day trips for families based on the age of your children.
Stay tuned for part three of our trip... Venice!
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