Spring Break #2: Lago di Garda

The bridge in Bassano del Grappa
is being repaired.

Easter started off quietly for us. I had been picking up small things for the boys' baskets during our travels. The Easter Bunny brought larger chocolate eggs with toys inside them for the boys- that's apparently what happens here. Dave hard boiled some eggs and helped the boys hunt for them in the garden, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

As for Italian traditions, aside from the Easter Bunny's chocolate eggs, there are few. Holidays, in general, are much less commercialized here. Valentine's Day, for example, is only for romantic love. There were no parties or treats passed out at school. Ben did make an Easter craft at school, and the boys both brought home cards for us. Religious holidays are celebrated in church and with family here.

Another good brother
moment.

We got on the road toward Bassano del Grappa in time to stop there for lunch. Dave had heard from three people recently that it is a beautiful city. Our first stop was a park with a fun playground for the boys. We are trying to get them some unstructured time here and there, but they are really missing the freedom of being at home. They more or less have the run of the neighborhood, and our house has more options for them to self-select activities to occupy their time with.

The city itself was much like many others. Not that it wasn't beautiful, but I can tell that I'm 'ooh'ing and 'ahhh'ing less as time goes on. I was even quoted as saying, "We've seen enough castles," so we skipped going inside this one and walked the grounds instead. Now that the vistas here are so normal to me, I'm interested to see to what extent I notice the surroundings and the differences at home.



We had a yummy lunch that included a lot of asparagus, which is in season. I had pasticchio, which is the Veneto's version of lasagna. Bassano del Grappa lies at the foot of the mountains. I think these were called the 'Pre-Alps'. While I'm used to castles and cute, walkable downtown areas, the mountains were still a show-stopper. Everything is very green at this time of year- Dave described the mountains as 'lush'. We waited to make this trip to the lake district until now because we wanted to do some hiking. I envisioned us taking some hikes through areas with flowers in bloom...

The trajectory of the trip changed the minute we reached Lago di Garda. When we could see the lake, there were windsurfers, kite surfers, catamarans, and sailboats on the water. Dave stopped the car pretty much as quickly as he could to check the area out. Walking around, I felt very at home. Everyone looked outdoorsy and sporty. I felt much more at home with this crowd than I have walking around the normal Italian cities. The boys immediately started playing near the waves (the lake is big enough to have them), and Dave was drooling over all of the water sport activities.

I cannot overstate the beauty of the area. The water was often still and glassy, the mountains were deep green with cliffs running along the water in different places, etc., etc., etc. Riva di Garda was pretty crowded. It was a holiday, after all. We had to wait in some traffic to head south along the road around the lake. We drove through Malcesine, one of the bigger lake towns, before reaching our rental in Cassone. Finding a place here was a good choice. We could walk to the water quickly, and it wasn't crowded at all. All of the boys spent time skipping rocks, and a mama duck and her babies were hanging out at the shoreline. I had hoped that the hot tub on the property would be working- I'm craving the feeling of being on vacation (I know, I know), and had searched for a place with a pool for the boys, but none are open until after May 1.

We had lunch at a restaurant right on
the water.

I'm hoping that Dave will find time for some blogging. I think he would do a good job of explaining how excited he was during these few days! He has always wanted to learn how to sail, so Monday morning we got up on a mission to find somewhere that would take us. I get seasick, and pretty much dread any time on a boat. I was hopeful that being on a small-ish lake for a short period of time would go ok. If I want to spend any time with Dave during retirement, it is probably a necessity for me to acclimate to boats. So I hesitantly agreed that this would be a family activity.

A view from one of the restaurants
in Cassone.

We made an appointment to sail at 2:00, which left us a chunk of the day to use before then. Dave's idea about our time at Lago di Garda (before the boating discovery), was that we would mountain bike. Biking around with the boys was on my list of things to do while we were in Europe, and we hadn't made it happen yet. So we found a bike store and took a trip up and down the bike path next to the lake. Biking along the lake will be one of my highlights of the trip because it was outdoors, active, and gorgeous. Everyone was also in a great mood. We had the bikes to use all day, so we found a good lunch spot and biked up to our sailing spot.

I survived, and I even enjoyed the sailing trip! We went out on a small boat, and the captain put Dave to work. I did sit in the middle of the boat for most of the trip, which helped me stay warm. Having mountains to look at may have helped me feel less seasick as well. At any rate, we spent two hours on the water and I would do it again. Dave's retirement dreams are still alive.

The hardest minigolf
course ever.

One thing we've noticed in the past couple of weeks is that the boys benefit from making an effort to speak Italian. We had dinner at a lakeside restaurant (yes, a trend), and somehow ended up with french fries that we didn't order. It could have been a mistake, but they appeared shortly after the owner complimented the boys for ordering themselves.

Tuesday was rainy and dreary. Our initial plans had been to travel to Verona for the day, but since Dave liked the area so much, he wanted to maximize time there. The boys also spent most of Monday evening begging to play minigolf on Tuesday. Unfortunately the weather wasn't super cooperative. After a slow morning, we went back to Riva di Garda to find the minigolf place the boys had spotted on Sunday. The course was open, and we found a break in the rain to play. There was no artificial turf, so we were golfing on cement. Despite it being a really challenging course, Ethan managed three hole-in-ones on three consecutive holes.

I can't remember when this happened, but we had stopped for groceries and Dave walked back to get the car, giving the boys a few minutes to play at the playground. I really, really enjoyed watching them have pretend battles on the play structures. They were completely immersed in their imaginations. Ben is growing up really quickly, but every once in a while he still acts like a younger boy. After all of the stress and headaches involved with getting these boys get along, listen to us, and do homework during this adventure, that was a relief to see.

In the courtyard of the
castle in Verona.

So we were left with Wednesday for Verona. After stopping at a winery on the way into town, we had about two and a half hours to spend there. The boys had a make-up soccer practice to be at by 4:00, and we've tried hard to honor the fact that it's been their only activity while we've been here. At some point, we were bound to have a less-than-ideal day- despite rushing through the day, we still enjoyed ourselves.

I was grateful to have spent a few hours in Verona with Cheryl a couple of weeks prior to this, because it helped us navigate the city quickly. It was probably what saved the day, honestly. While we made it to the major sights and managed to eat lunch, we just didn't have enough time. I would have liked to explore the museum at the castle- there was a lot of neat art in the entrance courtyard. We were speed-walking through the main piazzas in the city, without stopping to take many pictures or enjoy them. The boys absolutely devoured the pesto pasta they had for lunch, though we were at a bar, so it was reheated. So we've seen Verona... but hopefully Dave and I can visit again sometime in the future.

Where's Ethan?

Giardina Giusta

The Arena in Verona