verona once again

Like the cherry on top of the ice cream, the last destination of our Italy trip was Verona, where we briefly spent a couple of hours and stopped for lunch on our way to the airport. We had first visited here back in 2006 and it was love at first sight, and this second time round just confirmed that impression.

lake garda

We decided to spend a day driving around Lake Garda, which although not as impressive as Lake Maggiore, or as charming as Lake Como or my favorite Lake Orta, it's still worth a visit. The road from Riva del Garda down to Malcesine and Garda seemed to be the most touristy, and not so pretty with all the construction, hotels and camping places along the way. I'd read that the tiny village of Sirmione at the southernmost point was a must visit, so we decided to head down that way and have lunch there. The reviews were right, it's a very picturesque village, with its walled center and the castle entrance. Also, it had amazing ice cream shops, as you can see below ... Sara had her first taste of Italian ice cream and I think it's safe to say it won't be her last :)

riva del garda

A's conference was held in Riva del Garda, located at the northern point of Lake Garda. It's a small charming village, with a nice pedestrian area and lovely gardens by the lake. Not really a place I'd go out of my way to visit, but enjoyable for a quick visit if you're in the neighborhood. We spent a day just strolling around, and S. went wild when we found the children's park near the centre.

the hotel uhrerhof

Back in March we stayed one night in this beautiful and utterly charming hotel (Hotel Uhrerhof, in Ortisei, Selva Gardena) and we all wished we could've stayed so much longer. Lovely rooms, breathtaking scenery, delicious food, impeccable service and reception and a nice garden with amazing views where Sara spent most of the time playing. Not much more we could've asked for, really ...
More photos of the dolomites here