Malcesine
I figured I'd start this blog off by talking about one of my favorite, if not my favorite, place in the world. Malcesine is a little town located on Lake Garda in the Province of Verona, in the Veneto region of Italy. I've been to this amazing place twice in my life, and at some point in the future, I'm without a doubt going again.
My first time coming here was back in April of 2014, on my high school Italian club trip. We had just spent time in Verona and the next stop on our tour was Malcesine. The main road is located right on the edge of the lake so you get an amazing view the entire way.
When we got off the bus, one of our first stops was to take the gondola lift (not to be confused with the boats in Venice) to the top of Monte Baldo. The lift would slowly spin 360°, giving you a panoramic view of all the surrounding towns, as well as amazing views of the lake and mountains in the distance. When it finally got to the top, I was astonished to see that it was covered in snow. It was maybe a 10-minute ride up the mountain, in the same exact town where it was literally just 70° down below, and here I am walking into snow. In Italy. In April. Mind you, I’m an 18-year-old American, who’s never been to Europe, dressed in a t-shirt and khaki shorts, so this was a bit of an adjustment. Yet, strangely enough, it felt perfect. Even in shorts, it wasn’t necessarily too cold, and it was easy to stay up there. The view was absolutely incredible.
You can see snow covered mountains in every direction, sunny weather in the town below, and watch brave souls gear up to paraglide off the mountain and over the lake. I felt at home. I spent a couple hours walking around and taking in the sights from every angle possible. As cliché as it sounds, the air literally felt cleaner and so fresh up there. I can close my eyes and still envision it all.
We took the gondala back down and had a few hours to explore the town. I grabbed some pizza and gelato (1 of many in Italy), and went walking around. All the streets and shops are so close together that it made it easy to explore. I stumbled upon a few shops that had so many trinkets and antiques, from little statues of historical figures, such as St. Michael the Archangel, and David vs. Goliath, to knives and other articles that claimed to be from the various World Wars. A lot of people would have thought it looked like nothing more than a store full of junk, but if I had a few more suitcases (and more €), I would’ve left with a lot. I spent the rest of our time on this dock that was between two buildings and led right out to the lake. Obviously with another gelato in hand. I knew I had to come back.
Fast forward to October 2017, as I was on my solo backpacking trip through Europe, I specifically mapped out my route to make sure that I was going to be able to visit Malcesine again. So, after spending the night at an Airbnb in Verona, I got the bus station an hour early to make sure there was no chance of me missing the bus.
Going down the road on the edge of the lake again instantly took me back. I stepped off the bus and felt at home again. Back when I came here in high school, I didn’t get the chance to visit or go into the castle (first picture in the slide), however this time I was lucky enough to be able to. The views from up top were incredible. It was a bird’s eye over the beautiful lake in front of you, and a view of the entire town. It was perfect timing as well, I got there while the morning fog was still settled over the town and mountain side (see 3rd picture).
After soaking up all the views, I headed over to the gondola to take me back up to the top of Monte Baldo. If you remember last time I was here, I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt surround by snow. So this time, I made sure I came prepared in pants and even a backup jacket just in case. Well, I need to do a better job of viewing the forecast in places from now on, because I got up there and it was like 65°, sunny, and absolutely zero snow. Though I was hot and overdressed, I was hot and overdressed in my favorite place in the world. So with no real complaints, I sat on the grass and inhaled the crisp, fresh air (I promise there’s just something different about it here), surrounded by all the beauty in the world.
After spending a few hours up there, watching paragliders and trying to capture any photo that could TRULY do this place justice for how amazing it is, I went back down to the town to explore some more. Eventually ending up at the dock that I had mentioned earlier. There, I had a nice dinner, enjoying the view of the lake with wine in hand. I will definitely visit again. I hope you will too.
