Lago di Garda - South and West
First morning view from our hotel room terrace. We are in the village of Sirmione, on the tip of a penninsula jutting into the Lago at the extreme south of the lake. Lago di Garda is a giant lake, covering 370 square kilometers and nearly 1000 ft deep in the middle. The northern end of the lake is a fiord in the mountains in the far distance.
Breakfast at our hotel before launching out for sightseeing.
The local castle.
It is August, the busiest time of year for tourists. Shopping areas are clogged, but there are some escapes...
...Like this waterside garden...
And this magnificent private estate.
But, soon we are ready to move out of the tourist zone. We drive clockwise around the southern end of the lake and find an area we really like - the Gardone Riveria.
And, now over to Toscolano-Maderno to catch a ferry for the ride across the lake.
Nice example of an Art Nouveau home. This is called Liberty Style architecture in Italy.
The ferry landing is to the left in the bay of Toscolano-Moderno
On the ferry. Toscolano-Moderno is on the coast to the left. The lake streches far to the north between the mountains, and actually becomes a fiord between the mountains.
A wider view shows our destination, Torri del Benaco on the right.
Torre del Benaco
The ancient port of Torri del Benaco. But wait a minute, this is the East side of the lake - so to learn more about Torre del Benaco and the East side, go to Lago di Garda - East and North.
We take a late ferry back across the lake, and drive back to our comfortable hotel in Gardone Riveria.
Evening thunderstorm from our balcony. Ready to stroll out for a great dinner. Tomorrow we say goodbye to this beautiful place. We shall return.
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