September 08, 2010
Summer's nearly over and autumn is just around the corner...hard to believe! The summer has just flown by! This month I'm going to talk about the wonderful Italian city of Venice; for two reasons.
1. It is particularly special for us, as we were engaged there; 9 years ago this month in fact!
and 2. It is a great place to go for an excursion from Lake Garda, especially in the autumn and winter, as it is very busy with tourists between the months of April to September.
So why should you visit Venice? Well, Venice is just as romantic and beautiful as it looks on the travelogues and movies, so you won't be disappointed. We certainly weren't! Nestling in a blue lagoon, it is a facinating city; so unique! Elegant Venetian buildings and palaces peer over the ancient maze of narrow streets and labyrinth of canals and singing gondoliers that contrive to its charm.
Here's a little bit more about the city: Venice stretches across a series of 118 islands distributed throughout the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. As the wealth of the city increased and its population grew, the composition of the city grew ever more dense and today only a handful of the islets that constitute the historic centre are not entirely developed.
The historic centre is divided into six quarters (sestieri). These are: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello. The city's main thoroughfare is the Grand Canal that intersects each district as it meanders through the length of Venice from the railway station to San Marco. An alternative to walking the bewildering streets of Venice is to cruise the waterways onboard the motorboat buses known as vaporetti. These are the less romantic but also less expensive substitutes for the famous gondolas.
Venice extends beyond its six sestieri to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. These are known for glass and lace-making respectively and Torcello is noted for the magnificent Byzantine Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta that rests on its soil. Trips by boat to the islands provide a pleasant diversion from the busier historic quarters.
So now that I've talked you into going there for a day trip, you're probably wondering how to get there from Lake Garda. The easiest way is to just hop on the train from either Desenzano or Peschiera, and it'll take you directly there. It takes around 90 minutes. Also, tourist buses often run from Garda town to Venice.
Take a look at our page on excursions to find out a bit more about Venice and other
exciting places near Lake Garda
that you can travel to for the day!
Main Events
Here are the main events going on in the Lake Garda area this month. There are also loads of smaller things happening in each town everyday, from art exhibitions to sporting events. Please contact us if you want to know what's going on in any particular town during this month and we'll do our best to help you.
Centomiglia in Gargnano on September 11th and 12th:
The "Centomiglia“ takes place for the 60th time. It is one of the biggest sailing regattas in inland water, of international standing and each year attracts participants and spectators from all over the world to the harbour of Bogliaco – a small village which forms part of Gargnano on the western shore of Lake Garda.
Fiera del Riso in Isola della Scala from September 14th to October 7th, 2010:
If you are fond of the delicacy rice, you should schedule in a trip to Bassa Veronese, the flat countryside south of Verona, this autumn. Every year in the small town of Isola della Scala the rice trade fair "Fiera del Riso“ is held. This means the most exquisite rice specialties for almost four weeks!
Tocatì – Festival of traditional games in the centre of Verona from September 25th to 26th:
Do not forget old traditions – for the 7th time this is the motto of the festival of traditional games in the centre of Verona. An area of 200.000m2 in the city centre, which is traffic free, is dedicated to traditional games played in the streets – this year’s guest country is Switzerland.
There are, of course, all the usual markets that are definitely worth going to. To find out more about when and where they are,
click here.
This Month's Featured Hotel
Every month we research and then feature a hotel or apartment at Lake Garda to give you an idea of the accommodation there. We always make sure the hotel has a guest rating of 8 or more (out of 10), so you know it's a decent place to stay!
Europa Hotel Facing a charming little harbour near Peschiera del Garda, 2 star Hotel Fornaci offers an outstanding location just a few steps from the Lake Garda and within 2 km/1.2 miles to Peschiera city centre.
Thanks to its good value for money accommodations and familiar atmosphere, this lake Garda hotel is the best choice non only to spend a relaxing holiday, but also to explore the outstanding surroundings and nearby cities including Verona and Venice.
Fornaci Hotel facilities include a nice garden with outdoor swimming pool, sun-umbrellas and sun-beds, a restaurant, a bar and a professional staff at your complete disposal for any kind of need or request in order to spend a memorable stay in Veneto.
To see more photos and info about this hotel, just click on the link under the photo below.
Your Stories
We really want to hear about your Lake Garda experiences and stories, even if it's just a sentence or two. Get your story in a future newsletter and share your experiences with others!
Whether you want to share your favourite
hotel,
town,
family outing,
or sport
you've experienced at Lake Garda, we'd love to
hear all about it.
To Conclude...
During your next visit to Lake Garda make sure that you take a day to visit the amazing and romantic city of Venice. It'll be an outing you'll never forget!
See you next month!
Marcus and Sylvia