Italian Lakes Tour

Our second collaboration with Sempre Italiano was our Italian Lakes tour that ran from October 15-22, 2018. We began our tour in the lovely city of Verona. Our centrally located hotel was just off the Piazza Erbe in an old palazzo full of charm and a friendly and warm staff. The Piazza, one of the most unique settings in the city, is home to a large daily market as well as local festivals. The next day was an outing to Sirmione on the southern shores of Lake Garda that is home to the medieval castle Rocca Scaligera. After lunch we adjourned to Rubinelli Vajol winery to taste the Valpolicella, Amarone, and Recioto wines of the area.

The next day was another winery visit, with lunch and tasting at the Mazzi Family winery. We then had the afternoon to explore Verona and shop for more treasures. We left the next morning for our next accommodation in Varenna on Lake Como stopping at the lovely city of Bergamo on our way for lunch. We arrived at our agriturismo that is overlooked by an ancient castle with a splendid view of the lake.

The next day we took the ferry to Bellagio where we enjoyed wine tasting, lunch and free time to explore the town in the afternoon. We returned to Varenna at sunset in time to enjoy dinner in the town of Varenna before heading up to the agriturismo. The next day was a trip to the city of Como with a cooking demonstration at the agriturismo. The last day was a cruise on the lake and a visit to one of the estates on an island in the lake. The next morning saw us on our way to Milan and the end of the tour. Thank you to our tour members, Oscar, Anne, Valarie, David, Mark, Patti, Ralph, Thorey, Bridget, Carol, Eileen, Janet, Karyn, Jean, Jill, Erika, Connie, and of course our partners in crime Laura and Raff.