Post Cards From Desenzano | Why You Need To Visit Italy’s Post Card Cute Towns On Lake Garda

In my last post; 48 hours in Milan,  I mentioned that I wasn’t too impressed with Milan. Beautiful spots with friendly locals and yet it just didn’t impress me. You might have visited Milan are now asking yourself if I am totally blind to all that beautiful architecture, the great food at that lovely little restaurant that you are dying to keep secret but will tell me anyway(leave the name and location in the comments below). Anyway, as I was saying, in my defence I started with Desenzano before heading to Milan. Perhaps I will do Milan first then Desenazno on my next venture to the Lombardy region of Italy. It was a bit like heading back into London’s hustle and bustle after a relaxing holiday.

If you want to discover another part of Italy, other than the obvious cities such as Rome, Venice and Milan, let it be Desenzano. When I saw the pictures I just knew I had to see this place. Its located on the edge of Lake Garda, the largest of the Italian Lakes. Very popular with Italian vacationers, sitting in Northern Italy, halfway between Brescia and Verona and between Venice and Milan. Lake Garda has numerous towns around the lake.

 

 

We based ourselves in Desenzano, making it easy to visit the other towns around the lake. You will be sure to experience a taste of excellent food, beautiful scenery, terraced cafes, tree-lined promenades and little benches on the edge of the lake to watch the day go by. Pretty little streets with cobbled stones and narrow alleyways filled with Italy’s most delicious gelato ice cream shops.

 

 

Charming locals, in this relaxed setting, plenty of Italian boutiques for some retail therapy, including a designer outlet with Italy’s finest goods. Getting round the town is easy as everything is in walking distance, but if you want to go for a boat ride, you can rent a speedboat or go on a ferry trip. All this is located in the center of the town. The water around the town was too inviting to ignore so we took to the waters for exploring around the lake.

There is something peaceful about the vast expanse of water in Lake Garda, its smoothness, the stillness, particularly when the sun was sparkling on it or when it was dark and the moon shone on it. You completely surrender yourself to this beauty. It’s amazing how the colour of the lake would change with the turning of the weather or as we moved around the towns on the lake.

 

 

For spectacular views of  Lake Garda we traveled to Malcesine in the North, we rode the cable car to Monte Baldo, which rises 1600m in just 10 minutes. Suddenly the lake was misty and the boats all looked as small as paper boats, morphing into a painting-like scenery it was hypnotizing.

 

 

You are just drawn into this calming scenery. We hiked in the mountains gazing at the little towns spread across the lake before taking the cable car back to Malcesine central town for more exploring.  Malcesine also turns into a ski resort in winter when the mountains are covered in snow.

 

We also traveled around to Salo, Sirmione, Garda but there are more towns around the lake. There are fleets of ferries operating around the lake so getting the timetable is a must, to help you plan your visits to the towns. There are a large number of historical buildings dating back centuries, beautiful churches and cathedrals waiting to be explored. There are also many activities available around the towns, windsurfing, paragliding, kayaking, climbing, hiking, mountain biking or just leisurely walking the towns with just the most amazing scenery. I have been back twice now and cannot wait for yet another visit around the lake, I can almost hear Italy calling my name again.

 

Lake Garda is huge so looking for a place to stay means first having to look at where you are going to base yourself and your plans for what other surrounding towns you will be visiting. For example, we stayed in Desenzano but visited  Sirmione, Malcesine and another town that was a quick stop. For a full list of hotel options in Lake Garda here is a list covering all budgets from frugal to luxury budget accommodation in Lake Garda.