The last stop on our 2023 winter/spring trip was Riva del Garda, at the very northern tip of Lake Garda. What a beautiful place! Riva has an enchanting Old Town that is mostly pedestrian, and many good restaurants mixing Italian, German, and Austrian cuisine. It is surrounded by the Dolomite mountains, giving it a "nestled in" feeling. The roads along the lake pass through quaint villages, and offer stunning views.
We stayed at Holiday IV Gardan hotel, just a couple blocks from the pedestrian center. The hotel is a bit funky, and mostly geared to families, but it served its purpose of letting us wind down after a very hectic ten weeks in Italy.
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| Hotel Holiday IV Gardan... |
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| Outdoor sitting and play area... |
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| One of our favorite things, a Nutella pump! |
Here are random photos of the pedestrian old town, quaint buildings, the ferry dock, etc...
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| Flowers everywhere... |
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| Stunning old buildings... |
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| Surrounded by the Dolomites... |
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| Ferry dock at the edge of town... |
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| Snow-capped mountains and motorboats... |
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| Pedestrian areas... |
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| The imposing Dolomites... |
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| An Ape that was used to deliver veggies... |
On a sunny Sunday we took the ferry to Limone sul Garda and Malcesine, two of the most beautiful (and touristy) villages on the northern end of the lake. The ferry made a stop at Torbole, not far from Riva. We didn't get off, but were able to take a photo of the town.
Next stop... Limone sul Garda. Known as the farthest north in Italy where lemons are grown. Pulling into Limone you could see the lemon groves...
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| Approaching Limone sul Garda... |
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| Port of Limone... |
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| The ferry at Limone... |
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One of many shops selling lemon
related gifts... |
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| View of Limone and the lake... |
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| Another great view... |
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| Buildings seems more German than Italian.. |
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| Small harbor in Limone... |
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A pack of sugar with a coffee bean
Venetian gondolier...? |
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| This duck joined us for coffee... |
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| Seemed like a good place for a selfie... |
We're boarding the ferry for the next stop, Malcesine...
Pulling into the port of Malcesine...
Lake Garda is the largest lake and Italy. Water sports are very popular there. We saw many different types from the ferry...
On our last day in Riva we discovered the beautiful community garden, which is right on the waterfront...
That wraps up our ten week trip to Sicily and Italy. It was amazing, the most recent "best trip ever"! From your incredibly grateful and totally worn out travelers Joe and Chris, Ciao for now!
Click on any photo to enlarge.
