"Cycling holidays in sunny Italy". Following this motto, this year I have chosen one of our tours in the neighbouring country of Italy. As I have personally noticed in the last two years, our centre-based tours are becoming more and more popular. That's why I chose the tour "Lake Garda - based in one hotel" and I will take a closer look at this tour in the coming days.
Together with two friends, we start our way to the cycling hotel Lido International early in the morning for our cycling holiday in Italy. We leave foggy Obertrum behind us and arrive in Desenzano, where we spend the night, a few hours later. Pleasant autumn sun and enjoyable temperatures accompany us for the next few days.
The journey goes smoothly and without traffic problems, the hotel colleagues on site welcome us warmly and show us around the whole area. Especially the view from the hotel directly onto Lake Garda amazes us and makes us want to start our cycle tour on Lake Garda. The hotel pool invites you to cool down after a strenuous and eventful day on the bike.
From the hotel, it only takes a few minutes on foot before we reach the small but beautiful city centre.
Whether in broad daylight or in the evening, the city always has something to offer. Especially the city centre amazes with its charm and nocturnal flair. Small village shops offer delicacies such as bacon and cheese as well as the famous Limoncello liqueur. The products made from pistachios invite you to take a culinary break.
Around Lake Garda there are countless different restaurants offering delicacies such as particularly well-known fish dishes, not to mention the especially tasty pizzas. Whether a modern restaurant with a view directly onto Lake Garda, or a restaurant in the interior, which impresses with its rustic décor - you are spoilt for choice.
The classic among Lake Garda wines is Bardolino. This light drop is produced in the wine-growing region around the lake and is a very well-known and popular red wine beyond the borders of Italy. It is also recommended to us, so of course we don't miss it!
And of course, we don't miss out on a dessert of tiramisu and espresso during our visit to Bella Italia.
Early in the morning, after a wonderful and balanced breakfast on the hotel terrace overlooking Lake Garda, we start our first day of cycling. Station manager Ricardo transports us to the drop-off point where we start our cycling tour.
We take our first cycling break in the town of Mori, more precisely at the Gelateria Bologna. An ice cream tasting awaits us here with the included voucher. My personal recommendation: the pistachio ice cream.
After a short break and fortified with delicious ice cream, we continue along beautiful vineyards towards Riva, the second largest town on Lake Garda. The romantic town lies directly on the shore of the lake and is surrounded by high mountain ranges.
The heavenly return trip by boat back to Desenzano is a great attraction. Relaxed with a Limoncello Spritz, we can enjoy the boat trip with a magnificent view.
Our special highlight of this tour is the excursion to the beautiful historic city of Verona. Verona is known for its countless attractions, including the Arena di Verona and the Casa Giulietta with the famous balcony from Romeo and Juliet. There are countless gorgeous buildings and streets to explore and visit. Verona also offers many shopping streets that invite you to stroll and shop.
Along the Adige River we cycle leisurely back to Desenzano, where we take a nice walk along Lake Garda in the evening.
In glorious weather, we cycle to the city of Mantua as well as to the city of Brescia the next day. Special highlights here are the various palaces and buildings from past decades and centuries. Compared to Verona or Riva, these towns are somewhat smaller and less frequented, but they also have that certain something, and it is very worthwhile to explore them.
Lake Garda is the perfect starting point for a centre-based tour. With the various great towns as well as the special features of Italy's nature, culture and cuisine, there is a lot to experience. A wonderful cycling tour that we can recommend to everyone to discover and get to know the dreamlike Lake Garda!
