Ciao from Italy! Lisa and I have spent our first week in the small village of Gargnano along the west shores of Lago di Garda” (Lake Garda). We are lodging in an old villa modified into comfortable apartments and enjoying the seclusion of being the only guests during the off season. There is a good sized balcony just off our sitting and kitchen area and we overlook persimmon, lemon and olive trees; gazing up you see the rugged steep mountain range scattered with fall colors and stone villas. Absolutely beautiful!
Along the enormous lake, small villages and villas stretch along the shoreline, protected by thick rock walls. At night you can see the entire perimeter of the lake lit with what seems like a never ending string of Christmas lights.
I took a jog along the 2km Riviera and the sites were just breathtaking. Gargnano is known for lemon tree agriculture using the“Limonaie”, greenhouses with pillars inside specifically designed for growing lemon trees. The remnants of these greenhouses are all along the village road and hillsides.
The village center of Gargnano is nestled down by the water front and only accessible through tiny narrow streets barely wide enough to fit a car. Tall stone buildings with brightly painted shutters tower above the cobbled roads. There are tiny shops and cafes tucked all along the streets. It isn’t hard to go back in time and imagine life not much different than it is today.
Our first couple days were spent exploring the lake and the small towns along the way. We passed through very tight tunnels and once or twice coming upon large semi-trucks taking up their lane plus part of ours. Talk about a very tight fit!! I now understand why Europeans have such tiny cars; it’s out of sheer necessity! But I must also say, “love, love, love driving here.”
Since our apartment has a convenient kitchen, we’ve had the pleasure of preparing our evening meals using the local products. We have thoroughly enjoyed sampling the wines, fresh made pastas, locally grown produce, sweet rich milk and cheeses, dried/cured meats and not to mention the caffe…Heaven!!! One day we happened onto a farmers market where Lisa bought a small truffle for only about $2.50 US and shaved it onto our pasta that night. Did I ask how could it get any better?!
Friday we visited 4 wineries; we only had time to touch a small swath of the region but what a wonderful experience. The first 2 wineries were just south of Salo’ about 14km down from Gargnano. The local grapes are Gropello, Sangiovese, Barbara and Marzemino. They produce a lovely blend of dark fruit, leather and bramble flavors.
The other 2 wineries were located in Valpolicella along the eastern side of Lake Garda and north of Verona. Here we were able to taste the Amarone style wines they are so famous for producing. Amarone is a wine made with the corivina grape (and some other small portions of local grapes). The grapes are partly dried prior to pressing. It makes a rich intense wine that pairs well with red sauces and red meats. Yummy!! I’m grilling a thick sirloin tonight with fresh green beans, which will be lovely!
We’ve found a wonderful café in Gargnano located down a narrow alley near the water front. Several times we have ventured out for an after dinner cappuccino and liqueur. Last night on our way back from coffee we heard shouting and the sound of whistles. I knew immediately what it was…the local men playing soccer! We stopped in and enjoyed the last part of the game, which was a lot of fun. Ladies, nothing like a fenced in field with gorgeous Italian men running around in shorts!!! ”L’italia è un paese meraviglioso!” and mind you they were playing on a dirt field, talk about tough men.
Our time here is winding down and on Sunday (tomorrow) we head towards Tuscany to spend another full week of emersion. It will be a full 5 hours drive but hopefully we have time to stop in Parma and Reggiano to sample the regions famous cheeses and ham…can it get any better?! Think I’m repeating myself again…
Until next week, stay safe and don’t forget to enjoy each day – slowly!
Arrivederci!
Nancy
So I was surfing the internet like I usually do and suddenly Google Chrome shuts down. Now this program called “Antivirus Live” appears to have installed itself. Now as a limited user on this computer, I have no idea this program got in since I can’t download anything anyway. I have gotten its counterpart, Antivirus 2008 before and successfully removed it as a limited user but this one is proving to be a challenge. And I do have security, Mcafee, but it falls short when removing malware. Would any of you happen to know how to get rid of this foul program using a limiter user account?
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