Day tripping on a boat is something I haven’t really done since my teens and never really away from the UK canals. Visiting Italy on holiday last month lead us to places we left a little piece of our hearts with.
Bardolino is one of them.
Of all the locations we visited and passed through Bardolino is by far my most favourite.
After travelling by boat to the Bardolino port where is history is evident within minutes.
The first thing you walk by after getting off the boat is the war memorial at the very start of the Bardolino Old Town’s main street is there to commemorate all the fallen at both the first and second world wars and it’s striking and thought-provoking in equal measure.
All through Bardolino there are traces of old pre-Roman and Roman settlements and the mixed age architecture in the builds only makes it all the more stunning.
For me there was a totally different feel to Bardolino than Verona or Simione. The streets in Bardolino are wider in the most part with an airy and specious feel to them.
Walking down the pedestrian main street in old town the shops line the way and are packed with little gems of souvenirs and leather goods. At the top there is the most stunning church of Saint Nicolo é Severo which was built in the late 19th century. Outside it asks you not to sit on its steps and if venturing in you must be covered. Having no sleeves and shorts on I felt a little too uncovered to perhaps venture in but my in-laws did along with Joshua and they loved it.
We ambled around the town with no set agenda taking in is old stone walls and ruins dotted around and decided to go for lunch somewhere over looking Lake Garda. We found a lovely place with seating on the front with full views of the lake and a quiet more secluded place just behind the gates that gave us the views and the space for the kids to play too.
Having my 4th lot of lasagne in 11 days I can say that Italian food is my favourite and I don’t think I will ever tire of it. Although eating it in the sunshine in Italy itself certainly makes it all the more tasty!
After a second wonder and a pit stop for some Gelateria (ice cream) we headed for a stone bench to take in the lake views before heading back on the boat back to Peschiera del Garda.
Leave a Reply