Turning 60, Italian Style

Buon Compleanno

Well, for those of you who haven't heard, I celebrated a big birthday this year--the big 6-0. 

As a general rule, we don't make a big fuss about birthdays and holidays. I thought it was gift enough that Ira could finally stop chastising me for rounding up to 60, now that I actually am 60. But he wasn't having it. 

So I said, absolutely no party. But a little weekend trip might be nice. 

When he suggested an opera at the Roman arena in Verona, I couldn't resist. That sounded pretty cool. So he got to planning. Elena suggested that we pair it with a visit to Lago di Garda, and that's exactly what we did. 

Ira planned the whole thing. All I had to do was pack. 

He decided we should stay in Sirmione on Lago di Garda. His thought was to book a hotel that included parking so he wouldn't have to worry about what to do with the car. The hotel had requested our license plate in advance, so when we arrived at the gate to the ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) the arm lifted immediately.

Fantastic! 

Unfortunately, it was three in the afternoon--peak tourist time. 

Navigating through narrow, crowd-filled streets felt less like checking into a hotel and more like becoming a slow-moving float in a parade, parting a colorful sea of linen shirts and monstrous cones of melting gelato. 

I broke my rule and snapped a photo during what I knew was a high-stress situation, although I'm not sure it really captures just how tight the space was. People stared at us with mild annoyance as they reluctantly made way. Ira figured his best chance was to keep moving, albeit very slowly.

To stop was to surrender.

The Streets of Sirmione

Like a champ, Ira made his way to our hotel. Once we arrived and parked near the front door, we checked in and he gladly handed over the keys for the staff to deal with until the next day. It was all worth it though, because this was the view from our balcony. 

Nice job, Ira! 

For me, a room with a view isn't worth much unless you actually get to enjoy it. I know some people feel guilty sitting around their hotel when there are sights to see, but it was my birthday and I had no such guilt. 

We enjoyed some downtime with the view and a couple of cool beverages. 

It was heaven.

Balcony View

Eventually, I was ready to get moving and see a little something before we lost the daylight. Ira had booked a sunset boat tour, so we needed to find something to eat first. 

Here are some of the sights we saw along the way.

Bougainvillea-Covered House

Sirmione

Sirmione is a medieval town located on a long, narrow peninsula that juts out into Lake Garda. The Ponte Levatoio di Sirmione, shown below, is the only pedestrian and vehicle access point to the historic center.

And yes, Ira drove over that narrow bridge to get to our hotel.

Built alongside the 13th-century Scaliger Castle, the bridge crosses a man-made moat. The  ditch was excavated across the narrowest point of the peninsula to isolate the village and turn the tip into an artificial island for defense.

Castello Scaligero

Since our boat tour was scheduled during Italian dinner time, we opted for apericena instead. 

We walked a little way onto the mainland to a restaurant recommended by the hotel. They were fully booked, but when we explained that we had a boat tour and wouldn't be staying long, they agreed to give us a table. 

And it was a pretty nice table.

A nice spot for an apericena (happy hour/dinner)

Sunset Boat Tour

After a relaxing light meal and cocktail, we walked along the water toward the harbor to find our boat. 

As the first group climbed aboard, we left the pier to the soothing sounds of Mark Anthony. Once upon a time I listened to this song over and over, trying to understand the lyrics. 

If you're interested here's the link to the official video Vivir Mi Vida.

Start of the boat tour

As we toured around the peninsula, our guide told us that Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. Lake Como is deeper, but Garda's surface area is about 2.5 times larger.

He also pointed out the yellow building in the center of the photo as Villa Callas. Strangely, Ira and I were the only people on the boat who knew who Maria Callas was. 

She is arguably the greatest soprano of the 20th century. Born in New York City to Greek immigrants, she eventually became an Italian citizen after marrying her Italian husband in Verona. As a wedding gift, he gave her the yellow mansion which became known as Villa Callas. 

She lived there from 1950 and 1959 before leaving him for Aristotle Onassis. Ten years later, he left her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy. 

Often, a simple life is so much simpler, right?

Villa Callas

As we cruised around the tip of the peninsula, our guide pointed out the ruins directly overlooking Jamaica Beach. These are the Grotte di Catullo, the remains of one of the largest and most luxurious Roman residential villas in Northern Italy. 

Constructed in the late 1st century BC and early 1st century AD, the colossal foundational arches supported the cliffs and provided the foundation for the villa above.

Grotte di Catullo (Grottoes of Catullus)

Mock-up of the 20,000+ square meter villa

We continued around the tip of the peninsula when our guide suddenly slowed down and then drove in a sharp circle. 

I later learned that this maneuver creates a strong wake that pushes away the choppy surface waves and floating lake debris, leaving a temporary patch of perfectly smooth, glassy water inside the ring. 

This allowed us to see the bubbles travelling up from the bottom of the lake--the thermal waters that Sirmione is famous for.

Finally, we made our way back toward the castle, only this time from the water. 

It was pretty cool boating through the moat right next to the castle. We even went directly under the same bridge that Ira had driven over earlier.

What's interesting is at the time the Scaliger family began building the fortress in the 13th century the Roman villa had already been abandoned. So, rather than using all-new materials, the medieval builders used a practice called spolia--the salvaging and repurposing of ancient stones for new construction. 

View of the Castle from the water

Water View of The Bridge to Sirmione

It felt like the tour was coming to an end as we approached the dock, where the other boats were already unloading. 

We'd had a thoroughly great time. The guide was fantastic, I recognized all the music on his playlist, and he kept the prosecco flowing. 

But then the music changed.

We went from '80s, '90s, and Latin pop to AC/DC.

I knew our guide wasn't done. 

Hold onto your hats guys!

AC/DC Finale

And then it really was over. 

He got us safely back to the dock, and we made our way ashore. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a boat tour that much. 

Kudos! 

We'll remember the tour--and Lago di Garda--for a long time.

On our way back to the hotel, we realized it was golden hour and the castle was showing off its best features. It was difficult for Ira to stop taking photos. 

We made it back to our hotel happy and a little tired, but in time to enjoy the sunset.

Castello Scaligero di Sirmione

Sunset in Sirmione

The next morning, we took advantage of the breakfast buffet that was included with our room--and, of course, the view. 

They had someone on staff who made everything in-house, including the pastries and cookies.

And yes, I had cookies for breakfast. 

Italian style. 

Everything was delicious. I would highly recommend both the buffet and the property, Hotel Marconi. Everything was on point.

Lake Access by the breakfast buffet

While I was enjoying my cookies, I watched a couple finish their breakfast (I'm pretty sure they didn't have any cookies) and then jump into the lake for a post-breakfast swim. 

Is that a European thing? 

Is having to wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming an American thing? 

Vabbé.

After our lovely breakfast, we were eager to pack up and get off the peninsula before the hordes of tourists returned. Ira was anxious to avoid a repeat of yesterday's parting of the seas.

Luckily, the earlier hour made things much easier.

Even better, we found ourselves behind another vehicle. 

I said to Ira "Stay on him! He'll make the room and we can follow in his wake." 

And slowly but surely, our little convoy weaved its way through the streets, over the bridge, and back onto the mainland.

Next stop: Verona!

Ciao, ciao!