Wednesday September 28
Riva del Garda is another spot where you don't necessarily have anyting to do, but you don't need anything either. It's such a beautiful setting that you could just walk along the lungolago for miles. I didn't realize that it was a windsurfing mecca, but the sails were out in force. I would have enjoyed sitting on a bench looking out over the lake and typing this up, but our schedule prohibits that. Bolzano is a bit of a trek from the lake, so we had to get on the road. Pulling away from Garda was the official end of our tour of the lakes district.
The road going north cuts right through the middle of towering mountains on either side, which seem all the bigger on the Vespa.
It is interesting to watch the architecture change as you head up north. Up in this part of Italy it is so German that the cities actually have two names. And the houses start to look like Heidi will walk out of the door instead of Giuseppe.
Bolzano or Bozen has a nice Alpine village feel to it, and the architecture in town is completely different from Verona. Shopping appears to be first rate, but the prices are nothign to write home about. There are a couple of nice squares, and pedestrian streets, but the best part is Soprabolzano. The views from here are incredible, and the ride up to it is exactly the way I picutured this trip in my head. A curving road that rises sharply through one little family vineyard after another. It was a beautiful sunny day today, and I would have gladly taken that road back and forth all afternoon.
From Bolzano it's a short ride to Merano. The signs here are in German first, and then Italian rather thant the other way around as you would expect. If that didn't make you feel like you were already in Austria, then the Wurstel carts on every corner certainly should. The Kurhaus was one of the most beautiful buildings that we've seen so far, adn the Passer Promenade was lined with strolling families. The small town feel was prominent, as was the smell of good ol' meant and potatoes! We arrived to the ticket counter of the chair lift up to the castle that overlooks the town just in time to see the curtain roll down. I'm sure that the views from there were stellar, but I'll leave that to you to tell me when you come here. There are many many more towns to go, but so far Merano is one of my favorites.