Breakfast in Riva di Solto on Lake Iseo

The sun has just emerged from behind the mountain ranges and shines milky through the haze onto Lake Iseo. The morning on the promenade in the small village of Riva di Solto is windless and still quiet, but already very warm – a hot and humid summer day is on the cards. Therefore, I choose a shady spot under a parasol at one of the Caffé del Porto’s tables for breakfast.

The cappuccino is, of course, excellent, as is the brioche con crema. I get both for an incredibly reasonable price; in Munich, you wouldn’t even get the cappuccino alone for that. The magnificent panorama is also thrown in for free. While today, on a weekday, there are still few visitors about, the lakeside road through the picturesque village, with its many medieval buildings, is closed at weekends due to the large number of day-trippers.

Opposite, the steep, rocky flanks of Corna Trentapassi (1,248 m) rise about 1,000 metres from the lake, while to the south, Monte Isola with its church Santuario della Madonna della Ceriola rises about 400 m from the lake. Both mountains offer excellent viewpoints and can be reached via enjoyable hikes. The entire area around Lake Iseo offers both short and challenging hiking tours, depending on your requirements.

Through narrow gorges and rocky tunnels around Lake Iseo

Riva di Solto is best reached via narrow, winding roads along the rocky coastline. The road passes through numerous unlit tunnels, which were driven directly into the rock. There, you always have to pay particular attention to road cyclists, many of whom are out and about on this fantastic lakeside road around Lake Iseo – cycling is, as is well known, a national sport in Italy.

Lake Iseo is located in Upper Italy in the Lombardy province, roughly halfway between Lake Garda and Lake Como, at the foot of the Bergamasque Alps and the Adamello-Presanella Alps. The nearest larger city, Brescia, is about 20 km away, Bergamo about 25 km.