Limoncello on the Patio

Sunday, July 24, 2016--Bergamo to Desenzano del Garda

We had to set the alarm and get up early this morning because the only direct train to Desenzano was scheduled for 8:23.  We went for breakfast at 7:00 when it opened, and we checked out and were at the station by 8:05.

Garda Lake is a huge lake on the edge of the Alps.  The villages around it are very popular with vacationers from Germany, Denmark, and elsewhere.  Arne's sister and brother-in-law used to come here every year for 2-3 weeks and then show us wonderful photos of the towns they visited.  Desenzano is a large town on the southern end of the lake which has train connections going both east and west.

We are staying at the Hotel Giardinetto for three nights.  It's a small hotel located about 3/4 of the way between the train station and the harbor.  It wa an easy walk downhill from the station.  A French woman runs the hotel which is in an old building with 4 floors that looks like a large villa.  The front veranda is covered with huge grape vines, and there are patios on each side of the veranda with tables.

With so much time here, we rested for about 2 hours after arriving to make up for the early alarm.  Then we headed downtown.  Desenzano has an old harbor with small plazas.  Walking into the harbor area gave me the immediate thought that it looked like a movie set with the multi-colored, quaint old buildings.  But they are all authentic--not really a Disney-like creation for a natural one that a movie director or Disney would love to be able to reproduce to look as nice.

We stopped off and on to watch people as we walked both directions on the promenade along the waterfront.  We passed a Sunday market with farmers selling fresh cheeses, wines, honeys, etc.  We found three beach areas filled with people sunbathing on the small rounded stones and swimming in the water of the lake.  Three harbor areas were filled with boats (two with motor boats and one with sailboats).  Sidewalk cafes around the oldest harbor and one of the piazzas were filled with people enjoying food and drinks.

By 17:00, we returned to the room to research places to eat.  We decided to go to Vesuvio Pizza based on reviews on TripAdvisor.  It as just a few blocks from our hotel.  Across the street was a small park where young teenagers were playing soccer and other games while families were letting their children play on swings and a large jungle gym.  We waited there, because the pizza place didn't open until 18:00.

When we walked into the pizza place at 18:03, there were already about 6 people waiting for pizzas.  It is so good that it is that poplar.  We ordered one with cheese, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and salami.  It came out of the brick oven in just 8-10 minutes super hot with a beautiful crust with just a hint of charring in places on the edge.  We carried it across the street to the park and ate it there, since this place has only a bar with a few bar stools for eating which were already filled with other customers waiting for their orders.  UMMM!  The reviews were right.  It was really a good pizza--hot, tasty, messy, just wonderful.

From there, we walked to a supermarket where we bought a bottle of limoncello--a locally made liqueur that had been recommended by friends in Denmark.  The owner of the hotel put it in th freezer to chill, and we went back downstairs at 21:00, took it out to one of the tables on the patio, and relaxed and enjoyed the nice, fresh lemony flavor.