Summer Breeze

Location: Riva Del Garda, Italy

Introduction:

We’ve dropped down to the southern edge of the Italian Alps and the northern tip of Lake Garda. This is a summer tourist destination and there are lots of people out and about. It was pretty warm at the start of Summer but a constant breeze kept us from overheating. The first few days were rather hazy reducing visibility taking some luster off of the scenery. Then voila, a few showers came through and cleared things up exposing the true beauty of the area. There were fewer attractions of the type that would appeal to our daughter here. Fortunately, the property we stayed at helped to make up for it and kept her entertained. So, we took it easy for a few days. For us adults, we prefer other destinations in Italy.

Sights Visited:

Parco Grotto Cascada Varone was a refreshing place to see on a hot day. The gardens were beautiful and the water spray falling through the gorge felt like a cooling rain. You only need allocate an hour to take it all in. Maybe more if you include finding a parking spot, which are free but limited.

We went swimming in Lake Garda. The water was comfortable enough. There was a lifeguard. What surprised us was how rocky the lake bottom is. Water shoes sure would have been helpful.

We drove back up north to Trento to see the MUSE science museum. It was impressive. They had lots of hands-on exhibits to engage children of all ages. There were also lots of natural history exhibits mixed in. Signs were in Italian, German & English.

Elias Adventure Park was about 20 minutes north of us and it was exciting. They have levels that vary by age. There’s a ropes course and some zip lines. Adelaide didn’t weigh enough to do the Big Zip. So, one of the staff members tagged along with her so that she could experience it. Definitely worth a visit.

Play:

There were a couple of playgrounds in town. One in the city center and one by the beach. The one in the city center was best.

We also found an expansive playground in Trento that included a zipline.

Accommodations:

We used Booking.com for a four-night stay at Residence Filanda where we enjoyed a two-story apartment with two bedrooms, two full baths and a decent kitchen. The property appeals to kids with two pools, a large splash pad and a playground. It included a washer and a drying rack. The best part was that they had A/C and it worked well.

Food & Drink:

We enjoyed a white table cloth dinner at Agritur Madonna delle Vittorie restaurant, which is attached to their winery. They had a playground but surprisingly no kids menu. The food, wine and home grown olive oil were all very good. We also took in the main plaza by the water’s edge at Hotel Centrale where no kids menu was necessary since they had pizza. Of course, it’s Italy where they rarely slice it for you.

Transportation System:

It was less than a two-hour drive down from Merano. We continue to encounter numerous one-lane local roads, which require the driver to be extra alert at all times. One of the features of the Citroën C5-X we’re driving that we really like is that it displays the speed limit and current speed onto the lower portion of the windshield making it easier for the driver to concentrate on the road.

For Your Amusement:

We never expected to see this well-manicured garden in Italy and we wish we had this back home as we always have to cut the crust off of bread for our daughter