32
more ideas for Instant Weekends
Why should I go?
To be shaken and stirred. Moodily magnificent Lake Garda recently gave 007 a
bit of a scare: its heart-stopping, helter-skelter roads, framed by the
snowcapped Dolomites, are the backdrop for the all-important opening car
chase in Bond’s latest caper, Quantum of Solace, but filming on the lake’s
infamous hairpins has proved trickier than a night in with Pussy Galore.
One accident left a £134,000 Aston Martin DBS rather soggy after an
unscheduled close-up with Garda’s mist-kissed deep-blue waters.
Garda is craggier than Como, more macho than Maggiore – and bigger than both
of them. Vineyards trickle down to the water, where crenellated medieval
castles, terracotta-topped villas and jauntily painted rowing boats vie for
the title of most impossibly romantic Italian photo opportunity.
What should I do?
Zigzag your way around the pretty, pastel-coloured lakeside towns on Gestione
Navigazione Laghi’s ferries and catamarans (00 39-030 914 9511, www.navigazionelaghi.it;
one-day pass from £20). In the northeast, Malcesine’s marzipan rows of
houses are extremely cute and the port has a 20-minute cable-car link to
Monte Baldo, which, at 5,900ft, is the perch for stunning panoramas.
A short chug across the lake takes you to Limone, which seduced DH Lawrence
and Ibsen. A microclimate has transformed this corner of northern Italy into
a mini-Mediterranean, with scented lemon and knobbly olive groves. Bob back
to the other side and towards the halfway mark to Garda, where waterfront
cafes serve lazy-day espressos and delicious wafer-thin pizzas. Gargnano, on
the opposite bank, has fine sun decks for slow-paced sundowners.
At the southern end, Sirmione juts out spectacularly from a thin peninsula and
has thermal baths whose warm waters are drawn from 60ft down in the lake.
For some northern exposure, strip for windsurfing at Torbole, Lake Garda
being the windsurfing capital of ... central Europe. Nothing like damning
with faint praise, is there?
If you can tear yourself away from those mesmeric waters, Garda is surrounded
by wine-growing regions such as Valpolicella. Splendid Verona is an easy day
trip.
Where should I stay?
The art-nouveau classic Villa Feltrinelli (0365 79 800, www.villafeltrinelli.it;
doubles from £634, B&B, including drinks), outside medieval
Gargnano, is the top address for the lake. In the 1990s, it was bought by
the hotelier Bob Burns. He intended to retire here but, after the budget
passed the £15m mark, he realised he’d have to turn it into a hotel.
The result is utterly beautiful and quintessentially Italian, the Sophia Loren
of lodgings. Every way you turn, you are greeted by the most sumptuous
vistas – even the door handles are works of art. A sunset trip on its
custom-built mahogany boat, watching the mists out-tempt even Salome’s best
efforts, is magical.
Nearby, the family-run Villa Giulia (0365 71022, www.villagiulia.it;
doubles from £170, B&B) has beautifully landscaped gardens, with
bougainvillea strewn like Christmas decorations over every stairway and door
frame. It has an old-fashioned elegance, with a lovely lakeside swimming
pool and a quaint terrace for alfresco eating. There’s even a little private
beach, with views of imperious Monte Baldo.
In Malcesine, Hotel Castello (39 0457 400 233, www.h-c.it;
doubles from £63, half-board) isn’t going to win any architectural or style
prizes, but it is lakeside and just a short cobblestoned walk into town,
with friendly service and pretty good grub.
Where should I eat?
La Tortuga (036 571251), on a backstreet in Gargnano, appears to be a
bog-standard trattoria, but the homemade pasta and lavarello (lake
fish served with capers and baby tomatoes) are mouthwatering – and, although
it has a Michelin star, it’s a bargain, with mains from £16. The place is
tiny, so book ahead.
Another Michelin-starred option is Vecchia Malcesine (045 740 0469), in
Malcesine. Here, Leandro Luppi conjures up a more tricksy modern menu:
dishes such as aubergine millefeuille and foie gras with glazed pears,
served with to-die-for views over the rooftops and on to the lake. The
four-course menu costs £55.
For something simpler and cheaper, Pino Due (045 725 5694), in Garda, doesn’t
mess around too much with that day’s catch. It could be the freshest fish
you ever eat. Expect to pay just £15 for two courses with wine.
Getting there
Rail Europe (0844 848 4070, www.raileurope.co.uk)
has returns from London St Pancras to Brescia from £119, including overnight
accommodation in a six-berth couchette. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com)
flies to Brescia from Stansted; British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com)
flies from Gatwick to Verona. Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, www.holidayautos.co.uk)
has three nights’ car hire, picking up in Brescia or Verona, from £86. Villa
Feltrinelli can arrange private transfers from Brescia (1hr; £126, one-way)
and Verona (75min; from £174, one-way). Villa Giulia offers private
transfers from Brescia (from £91) and Verona (£106). Hotel Castello can
organise coach transfers from Brescia or Verona (from £25 return).
— Susan d’Arcy was a guest of Villa Feltrinelli and Rail Europe
The accommodation you mention is simply staggering in price.
Fine, the £634 may be a novelty mention, but then you quote £ 170 and finish up with a more reasonable £ 63.
Isn't it a bit much to push such an expensive hotel just because the writer was ( presumably ) able to swing a freebee ?
DA, London,