I occasionally do a piece about somewhere I found interesting on a past holiday. A few years back Judith and I took a holiday at Garda, Lake Garda, Italy. There was plenty to do with lots of swimming, some enjoyable walking, several inexpensive day outings on the local service bus to fabulous Verona (about an hour and a quarter away) and a few boat journeys to different towns sited along the lake. We were tired when we arrived as I recall, and unusually for us slept a lot for the first few days, took only the gentlest strolls, a few daily swims in the lake and read our books between periods of dozing off. Slowly we were restored to our normal state of acute interest in the world around us. Occasionally it must be confessed, our enthusiasm has contributed to the evident
annoyance of an occasional couple, who might define 'daily exercise' as a gentle amble to the local patisserie, unfortunate enough to find themselves on the breakfast table alongside us.
annoyance of an occasional couple, who might define 'daily exercise' as a gentle amble to the local patisserie, unfortunate enough to find themselves on the breakfast table alongside us.
One of the many enjoyable days of the holiday as I recall was spent cruising along the lake. By doing so we were following in the watery footsteps of nineteenth-century writers and thinkers like Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka when the spa towns of the lake were amongst the most acclaimed in central Europe. Our destination that day, at the northernmost point of the lake, was the town of Riva Del Garda. Before the end of the 1914-1918 World War, Riva Del Garda was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and something about the look and feel of the town
and its people, suggested to us its Austrian pedigree.
As soon as we got off the boat we immediately corrected the fact that we had missed our morning coffee. The coffee (a locally roasted brand previously not heard of), was excellent and we subsequently bought half a kilo to bring home. We bought lunch from the delicatessen counter of a superb local supermarket and dined al fresco in a local park.
and its people, suggested to us its Austrian pedigree.
As soon as we got off the boat we immediately corrected the fact that we had missed our morning coffee. The coffee (a locally roasted brand previously not heard of), was excellent and we subsequently bought half a kilo to bring home. We bought lunch from the delicatessen counter of a superb local supermarket and dined al fresco in a local park.
The afternoon was spent in the pleasant informative surroundings of the Museo Riva Del Garda. The lake has enjoyed a rich and varied human association, the very oldest split flint artefacts dating back to the mid Palaeolithic period (120,000 - 33,000 BC). There is a very good reconstruction of a lakeside stilt house from the Bronze Age (2,200 - 1,000 BC) which demonstrates the skill and competence of their carpenters, along with an interesting selection of everyday objects made in clay and metal. There was, of course, a large collection of Roman archaeological finds (unfortunately the Romans left us so much to see, I'm ashamed to say we always feel a little blasé in this area! Shame on us!), and some artwork dated between the 15th and 19th centuries that was worth looking at.
However, the exhibits that excited us most of all were a series of stone statues from around 4000 - 3000 BC. These were discovered at the nearby town of Arco and represent human-like figures, making clear references to clothing that was worn at the time, ornaments and weaponry. It is speculated that the statues may have represented high-ranking people who actually existed at the time, ancestors, or divinities to be worshipped.
We returned to our hotel in the town of Garda on the service bus in time for a quick shower before dinner, after a long but satisfying day.
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