N.Italy mini-break: getting to Garda

My sister came to visit me in Munich at the weekend and so we decided to do a little Italian mini-break. You can drive to Lake Garda in only a few hours from Germany so we headed off one Friday afternoon.

Stopping for a little car picnic on the way…

Passing through Austria before arriving into Italy.

We were staying at the south of the lake (the more ‘Italian’ part) and decided to take the more scenic route where the road goes alongside the water.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and a popular holiday destination, particularly with the neighbouring Germans. It’s located between Venice and Milan.

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side! Though we could still appreciate the impressiveness of the massive blue lake surrounded by the mountains.

Thunderstorms and flooding later, we arrived at our hotel - Hotel Acquaviva. 

Luckily the sun came out - cue picture (and selfie) time!

We enjoyed our lake view and the setting sun with a bottle of prosecco.  Adding some leftover strawberries from our lunchtime picnic.

 

Our hotel booking included a four-course meal so we changed and headed down to enjoy a feast.


We chose a bottle of sparkling rose from the Garda area whilst we perused the menu (and listened to the thunderstorms outside).

Fortunately my sister is also a foodie, so we tactically ordered so that we could both try as much as possible.

Our ‘antipasti’ selection were “Mint tea marinated and seared tuna with salad and mango sauce” plus “steamed octopus with buckwheat flower pancake, salad and cherry tomatoes confit”.

Our ‘prima’ choices were “black tagliolini pasta with clams ragout and chanterelles mushrooms” and “trofie pasta with squid, cherry tomatoes confit, black olives and thyme” - delicious, although the trofie pasta was a little too ‘al dente’ for us.

For ‘secondi’ we both chose the roasted umbrine fish with borage (a herb, also called ‘starflower’), chamomile sauce and candied cedar. Delicious and beautifully presented, but perhaps a little too salty.

And finally, with just a little space left, it was time for dessert - we tucked into a “pistacchio semifreddo with chocolate sauce” alongside a “selection of ice cream and sorbet”.

Four courses and a couple of bottles later, we realised we were the only ones left in the restaurant and that the staff were setting breakfast up around us.

Bed Time!

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