Gargnano - Our First Full Day (September 27, 2026)

 if you read my Blog post An Update and a Promise you already have an idea of how some of our time was spent in Verona. The long travel day with quite a few hours of waiting in two different airports before we even got to Verona did not have us in a good mood, but we finally got to our hotel. Well, dad‘s health was improving and Mom and I were ill. That’s why I would spend the next day sleeping. That would be when they discovered the great mall.

The second full day was a bit better and you can see some of how we spent that time in the previously mentioned Blog post as well as in the photos down below.

Then we had another travel day to get to the town of Gargnano on the western shore of Lake Garda. That turned out to be an over 2 hour Long drive which didn’t start anywhere close to on time since there was a problem with the car service not having the correct address for our location. Yes, these things do happen and you have to roll with it, but they should not happen and they put a damper on anyone’s mood. However, we got to the hotel - Gardenia al Lago - with just enough time to spare  for us to be able to have lunch. As we would come to learn the hotel serves all its meals on the patio right at the lake’s edge (I suppose they make exceptions if the weather is poor).

Photos

Photo taken Sep 25, 2026 at 2:24 PM

--September 25, 2026 at 2:24 PM.

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It may be touristy with shops selling all sorts of things including €900 pens but it was nice to walk towards Ponte Pietra. Getting small, just right really, warm sandwiches made with quality meats and cheese from a little cafe certainly improved our day.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:29 PM.

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The Adige Rivers flows below us as we stand on the Ponte Pietra.

--September 25, 2026 at 2:48 PM.

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This lovely duck ambled by us, perhaps 2 feet away, as we wait for lunch to arrive at our outdoor table right by the water’s edge of Lake Garda. I sample a collection of starters that we shared: fried potatoes, which were perhaps the best form of french fries we have had this entire trip; a warmed slightly wilted, perhaps spinach with garlic that was quite tasty, even if it’s not the most visually appealing item; grilled vegetables, a couple of which we never could figure out exactly what they were; and a mixed greens salad. It hit the spot for all of us.

--September 26, 2026 at 1:56 PM.

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My room is small and has character but has no view to speak of. Mom and Dad have a substantially larger room with character and a small balcony to gaze out upon Lake Garda. Photo by Jonathan.

--September 26, 2026 at 3:47 PM.

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I suspect I was having another day or two to get a better shot of this full moon, or nearly so if I’m not able to get a shot tonight, moon rising over Lake Garda. The hotel seems to serve all their meals outside but they do have what appears to be a lovely dining room . Perhaps they only use it during inclement or chilly weather. At the time I took this picture temperature was about 62°F and the sun had set about 27 minutes earlier.

--September 26, 2026 at 7:37 PM.

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