Take an winter weekend, a car, a military bag, take a trusted friend or some member of your family ( two-or four-legged ), load the car with costumes , slippers and sweatshirts : here we are. A weekend to discover the mysteries of Lake Garda is served!
The soft scent of Sirmione
It is very easy to understand , already at the exit of Milan – Venice road, in Sirmione, the atmosphere of this pleasant place.
The smell of the lake, in the fall, confuses the senses. Far away from the noise of the summer period, in autumn you can enjoy the quintessential Lake, its true nature. Welcome to Sirmione, the thermal city par excellence, the first step of the tour.
A tiny town , wrapped in a strip of land that is reflected on the lake to the east and west. The main way to reach the center (Via XXV Aprile) creeps just behind the two sides.
Before arriving at the spa, you will be covered up by the delicious smell of sulfur and minerals.
Once you get to the historic tanks , then a relaxing landscape of cypress trees, directly on the lake, celebrating the perfect combination of senses and emotions.
After rebuilding body and spirit immersed in the cobalt blue of the sulphurous waters take your time to enjoy the local products: wine and olive oil are the masters, together with fish from the lake and sea, all in the frame of the typical tasty Garda cuisine.
Discover the green lake: Toscolano Maderno
Pick up again your car, the compass is oriented to the north, towards Riva del Garda, the road is easy and flowing, cross Salo and you will find enchanting path , very close to the lake. Here, after twenty kilometers, peeps a small village between strong and green spots: Toscolano.
The small harbor is lovely and the reflections of the lake become emerald, almost crystalline . Not only those who have the lake in the blood can enjoy amazed these corners of paradise that the Garda reserves, any visitor opens his eyes to a land full of history, water and endless beauty. Toscolano is remembered , in particular, because in the 1st century AD the noble Roman family of Nonii built a beautiful villa of which, near the entrance to the paper mill, you can still see the ruins and mosaic floors came to light in 1967 as a result of some excavation work .
Here you can stop for the first night in a charming complex of two houses in the middle of green, the B&B Cervano. Three separate suites furnished with nineteenth century furniture and a large common room and modern ensure the utmost hospitality in an atmosphere of refined simplicity. You can also choose Cà dei Casai, an eco-friendly B&B in a charming old farmhouse, surrounded by a lush olive grove with a wonderful view of Lake Garda . Here you can look at the beautiful sunsets over the lake. Both private and quiet accommodation will accompany you in the night, that we suggest you to spend through the notes of a Chopin nocturne.
Surfing in Garda Lake: Campione
After a good breakfast you can move to Campione del Garda. Crossroads of windsurfers from every corner of Europe, this beautiful city is attached to a rocky mountain. Access to the village is opened by a natural cave (we suggest to open your eyes, because the information in the gallery will come behind the curve), as a prelude to the uniqueness of the place . The tunnel will open to your view the mountains of Verona.
Famous for its beautiful landscapes , Campione is a popular spot among sportsmen for the winds that blow.
The shape of the Lake from the large Lower Lake narrows the funnel to the north , close to the east by Baldo and to the west by the mountains of Trentino – axis Brescia, creates a lot of air currents, winds and breezes sometimes unpredictable that allow people to play windsurfing or kitesurfing.
The elders of the place will talk to you about the winds: two are the most famous, the Ora, whose name derives from the Latin word “aura” that is “breath”, it comes from Pianura Padana and blows from the south, and the Peler, they keep on blowing from one o’clock until late afternoon.
It is a wind that assumes some importance right here in the high Garda where, thanks to the shape of a funnel , choking on the sides by mountain ranges, reaches significant speeds .
This is the ideal condition to enjoy the true charm of a mountain lake!
Limone and the Elixir of Life
Find out the next and final stage, the village of Limone. Limone is set near the high cliffs in the north of Garda. In the past it was only reachable by mountains or on boat, but today is one of the most popular tourist centers and equipped del Garda . The village , however, has been able to maintain its original charm with a picturesque old town made of old houses, narrow lanes and harbors framed by lush vegetation which offers countless possibilities for a pleasant and relaxing walks both inland and at the lake.
The more surprising curiosity: some inhabitants of Limone seem to have the gift of ” Elixir of Life “. In fact, in 1979 in the blood of a native it was discovered a protein miraculous , the apolipoprotein A- 1 milano, that preserves the heart and arteries even in the presence of high values of cholesterol and triglycerides, sweeping the fats of the arteries. An effective weapon against arteriosclerosis and stroke. The matter was studied by Steven Nissen , with a study published in Jama at the end of 2003.
This study Nissen is the basis of ‘ HDL Therapy ‘ , an attitude of care – for the moment still at an experimental level – that could not only be able to restore health in patients. The peculiarity of the residents could have genetic origins environmental and food , attributable to the unique climatic conditions and a healthy Mediterranean diet, based on fish from the lake, citrus and extra virgin olive oil.
Due to the geographical isolation, the protein has been able to pass on from generation to generation to the inhabitants, from the first pair of carriers in 1700, to the actual number, around 40 .
What can I say … it is worth a visit in the middle of the mountains in Brescia, in the beauty of a lake that takes care of the eyes and gives life… almost eternal.
