Tranquil Morning on Lake Garda

The last wisps of cloud and patches of mist from the night’s thunderstorms drift weightlessly in the first sunlight over the calm water surface and the massive backdrop of the steeply rising mountains on Lake Garda. The summit of Monte Baldo already reaches into the sunrise, while the western flanks and the northern end of the lake still rest in the dark shadow of the mountain. From this early and delicate twilight, a dazzling, hot summer’s day slowly develops. The popular holiday region awakens. The first isolated dog barks from the surrounding villages. Then comes the commuter traffic. Waste collection, farmers, and tradespeople provide the further soundscape. Everyday life.

I, on the other hand, sit by the church of San Siro in Crero at a viewpoint on the mountain slopes above the lake. From there, I observed the atmospheric start of another summer travel day on Lake Garda. Above the coastal towns, the mountain flanks are mainly covered with downy oaks, hornbeams, and manna ash, interspersed with olive groves, clearings, and pastures. In the backlight, the reflecting sun conjures up a thousand points of light in the morning dew on grasses and wild herbs.

With our journey, we once again followed in the footsteps of Goethe’s Italian Journey, which took him in September 1786 over the Brenner Pass, Lake Garda, and Verona, finally reaching Sicily. Below me, I look down on sections of his arduous travel route: by carriage from Rovereto over the pass to Torbole, the boat trip from Torbole to Bardolino, and the exciting, wind-enforced stay in Malcesine (where he was mistaken for a spy).

Returning from these reflections to our modern means of transport, the car, the freshly brewed coffee was already fragrant. A short time later, we were ready to go and set off from our overnight parking spot for Verona. The route followed Goethe along the eastern shore of the lake to San Vigilio, Bardolino, and through the Valpolicella region directly to Verona. There is a small, centrally located campsite, just a few minutes’ walk from Ponte Pietra.