Ferragosto = Italy vacationing
One year ago, while I was still working in Baltimore, getting one day off for vacation was a careful balance of catching my boss in a good mood and making sure everything was covered in the office for my day off. Here the attitude is that everyone deserves vacation, sun, wine and fun in the summer and the 15th of August is Italy's biggest summer holiday, comparable to Christmas. Most Italians head to the beautiful Mediterranean Sea where the water is clear, salty and warm. However, since we live by the largest lake in Italy (Lake Garda) we decided to vacation at home and avoid the traffic of the highways. The lake is beautiful, after all.
The Garda Lake goes from the Alto Adige region in the north, where people still speak German since it was a part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire.
Lake Garda spans down from there to the Lombardia region where people speak Italian but the dialect has germanic intonation. The lake has the shape of a pear with the north part being the narrowest. Lake Garda is surrounded by 25 towns. The ones on the west side reflect old Fascist Italy, the majority of the homes on the west are large villas in the New Liberty Style.
This was the spot Benito Mussolini wanted to make his new Fascist republic near the end of World War 2. The area is still peppered with echos of Fascism. The west side lacks castles. Many old aristocratic families still live tucked away here. I don't blame them: it is far from the majority of tourists and has the best viw of the Alps and the food and wine of Italy.
The east side of the lake is more upper middle class....to be specific. It has an array of smaller villages in walled castle cites.
Here the best cities are Lazzise, Garda and Malcesine. Lazzise is a flat small city in a castle. They have the best creamiest gelato called La Cremeria di Lazzise and a great seafood restaurant called La Cozzeria featuring muscles for 10 euros.
I would go to Lazzise just for the gelato, it is that good. Bardolino has some sweet curves around the lake that are accessible for pedestrians. Here you can take your picnic blanket, basket full of snacks and a good book to the lake.
There are lots of tourists here and one should watch out for the naked ones. Today I saw lots of nudists exposing themselves openly (quite openly). My American mind was shocked. Wow, Borat looked attached to a Dutch man's crotch! I stared like a deer in headlights. My visual virginity was raped, then I got over it and enjoyed myself. (Side note: why is it that in the wintertime the small-towners scowl at young ladies who walk alone during lunch time when shops are closed or if they wear make-up? But in the summertime they are relaxed and welcome Booby Bürtha, and Jacques Jockstrapé to airate themselves on the beach?)
Regardless of my mind contemplating sartorial hypocrisy, I finally made it in Lake Garda today for a swim and enjoyed it. The water was cool and tasted like a bottle of water and not salty at all. I only went in a bit before I decided it was safer on the shore. Salt water makes me feel much more comfortable to swim in than the sweet lake water. However, the view here was priceless like swimming in a postcard.
Our Ferragosto ended with a drive up through Malcesine and to Riva del Garda. The most northern town is Riva del Garda and is a hop away from Austria. I was happy to see that next weekend there will be the festival of the Alpini (mountain soldiers that dress like Peter Pan). And a few weeks away will be the highlight of all festivals, for me and my appetite at least. It will be the prosciutto (ham) festival in Cremona, my favorite town. I will show up with a loaf of bread and a smile.
The Garda Lake goes from the Alto Adige region in the north, where people still speak German since it was a part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire.
A sign in both German and Italian in Alto Adige.
Lake Garda spans down from there to the Lombardia region where people speak Italian but the dialect has germanic intonation. The lake has the shape of a pear with the north part being the narrowest. Lake Garda is surrounded by 25 towns. The ones on the west side reflect old Fascist Italy, the majority of the homes on the west are large villas in the New Liberty Style.
This was the spot Benito Mussolini wanted to make his new Fascist republic near the end of World War 2. The area is still peppered with echos of Fascism. The west side lacks castles. Many old aristocratic families still live tucked away here. I don't blame them: it is far from the majority of tourists and has the best viw of the Alps and the food and wine of Italy.
The east side of the lake is more upper middle class....to be specific. It has an array of smaller villages in walled castle cites.
 |
| This is the Castle in Malcesine |
Here the best cities are Lazzise, Garda and Malcesine. Lazzise is a flat small city in a castle. They have the best creamiest gelato called La Cremeria di Lazzise and a great seafood restaurant called La Cozzeria featuring muscles for 10 euros.
La Cozzeria
There are lots of tourists here and one should watch out for the naked ones. Today I saw lots of nudists exposing themselves openly (quite openly). My American mind was shocked. Wow, Borat looked attached to a Dutch man's crotch! I stared like a deer in headlights. My visual virginity was raped, then I got over it and enjoyed myself. (Side note: why is it that in the wintertime the small-towners scowl at young ladies who walk alone during lunch time when shops are closed or if they wear make-up? But in the summertime they are relaxed and welcome Booby Bürtha, and Jacques Jockstrapé to airate themselves on the beach?)
Regardless of my mind contemplating sartorial hypocrisy, I finally made it in Lake Garda today for a swim and enjoyed it. The water was cool and tasted like a bottle of water and not salty at all. I only went in a bit before I decided it was safer on the shore. Salt water makes me feel much more comfortable to swim in than the sweet lake water. However, the view here was priceless like swimming in a postcard.
It felt great to dry out in the sun and look at the Alps, puffy clouds and soaring birds.
Our Ferragosto ended with a drive up through Malcesine and to Riva del Garda. The most northern town is Riva del Garda and is a hop away from Austria. I was happy to see that next weekend there will be the festival of the Alpini (mountain soldiers that dress like Peter Pan). And a few weeks away will be the highlight of all festivals, for me and my appetite at least. It will be the prosciutto (ham) festival in Cremona, my favorite town. I will show up with a loaf of bread and a smile.
The protagonists for the Prosciutto Festival to be continued (in a few weeks)
Comments
Post a Comment