 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lake Ledro to Lake GardaDiscover Alpine & Mediterranean landscapes
Nights: 7
Starting point: Locanda le Tre Oche (3*), Molina. Owned and run by the Rizzardi family, who are keen walkers themselves, this is a fitting place to begin the holiday. The bedrooms are bright and spacious, with wooden ceilings and furniture, while the restaurant serves tasty northern fare such as polenta. Day 1: there are two possible walks from Molina. The first is the most rewarding, starting with a short transfer and then rising high into the mountains on the western side of the lake to reach a fantastic vantage point called the Cima d'Oro ('Golden Summit'). On a clear day you are rewarded with views that take in six other lakes as well as the Apennines and Dolomites. The return leg crosses a high meadow which is astonishingly rich in flowers in spring. Our second suggested walk leads around Lake Ledro (which measures just 3km in length and 1km in width), passing several small beaches at which you could pause for a dip in warm weather. (19km, 7hrs or 10km, 2.5hrs) Accommodation: Locanda le Tre Oche, as above. Day 2: for this superb walk across the mountains that separate Lake Ledro from Lake Garda, you must carry overnight clothes with you, a fact which only serves to heighten the sense of adventure that you feel. Your cobbled trail rises steadily through beech woods and a wide meadow to the Guil Pass (1,210 metres), where wonderful views open up of Lake Garda and the surrounding mountains. Enjoying the same inspirational vistas, you then follow an old military route to the refuge at the Nota Pass, one of the most important Italian frontline posts during WW1, before descending to Vesio, which sits on a green plateau. (22km, 7hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Sole & Fenice (3*), Vesio. At this friendly, family-run hotel, most rooms boast views over Lake Garda. There is a swimming pool and jacuzzi in which to relax. Day 3: starting with a short transfer, today's walk leads through remote-feeling woodland to the Sanctuary of Montecastello, which overlooks the lake from its spectacular cliff-top position. Your route then crosses sunny hillsides offering magical panoramas, passing through several villages and hamlets surrounded by olive groves and vineyards before descending to the shore of the lake. (20km, 6hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Baia d’Oro (3*), Gargnano. The position of the Terzi family’s lovely hotel is enviable, right on the shore of the lake. The terrace and many of the bedrooms look out over the water to the wooded slopes of the opposite shore. Our arrangements here only include breakfast, so you can choose to dine at the hotel or at one of the several restaurants in the village, one of which boasts a Michelin star (closed Tuesdays). Day 4: our recommended walk for your stay at Gargnano is a classic route. Catch the ferry across the lake to Malcesine, and then take the revolving cable car to the summit of Mount Baldo (1,780 metres; pay locally for all transport). You then enjoy a short but thrilling walk around the mountain's grassy saddle, admiring the 360-degree panorama of the lake and surrounding peaks. In spring, the slopes are covered with peonies, anemones and lilies. (7km, 2hrs) Accommodation: Hotel Baia d’Oro, as above. Day 5: to reach your last destination, the Belle Epoque village of Gardone, you follow trails uphill initially through olive groves and orchards, then through light woodland, before descending to a remote valley and a gorge which you explore along a narrow path above the water. (We also offer a 14-km lower route which avoids the gorge and is suitable for vertigo sufferers.) You enter a peaceful valley dotted with ruined mills and walk through this to Gardone. If you have time on arrival, it is well worth visiting Il Vittoriale, an Art Nouveau villa that was the last home of writer Gabriele d’Annunzio, or the village’s superb botanical gardens (pay locally in both cases). (16.5km, 6.5hrs) Accommodation: Locanda agli Angeli (2*), Gardone. Run by the charming Pellegrini sisters, this is a delightful small restaurant with rooms offering various lake fish dishes and other local specialities. Day 6: end your holiday with a lazy day pottering round Gardone or, if you are visiting later in the season (after May), ascend the slopes of Mount Pizzocolo, from where you can gaze one last time across this majestic lake. You can avoid the initial ascent by taking a bus for the first leg (pay locally). Whether or not you do this, you then ascend steadily to the Spino Pass through attractive light woodland that is home to a variety of birds. From the pass, you can continue to the summit, where a 360-degree panorama rewards your efforts, or return to Gardone through the valley of a peaceful mountain torrent. (18km, 6.5hrs or 26km, 9hrs) Accommodation: Locanda agli Angeli, as above. Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Recommendations for extra nights: Locanda le Tre Oche (Molina) or Hotel Baia d'Oro (Gargnano). Extensions: if you are flying via Verona, why not extend your holiday and stay at the beautifully restored 4-star Grand Hotel? Alternatively, if flying via Venice, you can stay at the 3-star Hotel Due Fanali. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Similar holidays: From Bologna to Florence (grade 2-3), From the Picos to the Sea (grade 2-3), Pyrenees to Atlantic (grade 2-3), Lake Iseo (grade 2) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airports: Brescia (take airport bus to Verona,
0h45 - pay locally), Venice & Verona Extra night prices 2008 (extra nights can be booked at any hotel):
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The scenery surrounding Italy’s largest lake
and its tiny neighbour, Ledro, astonishes
with its variety. More than just a walk from
one lake to the south-western shores
of another, this is a marvellous
discovery of Mediterranean and
Alpine landscapes on which no two
days are the same: our routes – largely in the Alto Garda
Regional Park – vary in altitude, revealing lemon and
olive groves, alpine meadows, woodland, gorges, grassy
plateaux, high passes and constantly changing views. As
the scenery evolves, so too do the culture and cuisine – you will notice subtle differences as you leave the region
of Trentino behind and enter Lombardy. One element that does not change is the sense of tradition in the hotels, and your welcoming hosts will be pleased to share their local knowledge with you. 
Shimmering Lake Garda 
