london1967 | Lake Garda

Day 2 on Lake Garda was a very full day and was spent on the eastern shore, which is in Lombardia.

First port of call was the resort of Limone

Then we drove on a narrow road (the strada provinciale 38 or SP38) that links the 18 different hamlets which make up the comune of Tremosine. Some are high up on the mountains that flank the lake and in ratherforbidding positions. The road has many hairpin bends, and the first stretch was just large enough for one car to go past!

According to the guidebook, this road was christened the 'most beautiful road in the world' by the German newspaper 'Frankfurter Zeitung' when it opened in 1913. And apparently Churchill considered it the 8th wonder of the world. I wouldn't go that far although it's pretty. We could have certainly done with something a bit more powerful than our Fiat Punto to tackle it.
This road (and before that a stretch of the main road along the shore) features in the first half of the car chase in the opening sequence of 'Quantum of Solace' [the second half is in a marble quarry].

When you think you're past the worst bit you go through a gorge with a tiny tunnel!

We stopped at the hamlet of Pieve, visited the church and admired the view from the terrazza next to it

(You can find more info about the road here; and watch the 007 car chase here).

The rest of the drive on the SP38 wasn't as hairy but it took longer than anticipated to get back down to the shore, so we had to abandon the plan of visiting the town of Gargnano, since we had an appointment with a boat at 2 pm at Porto Torchio in the town of Manerba del Garda.

The boat took us and another 25/30 tourists to Isola del Garda (or Isola Borghese), a beautiful island on the lake.
The island belongs to the family Cavazza and has had a rather eventful history over the centuries. On the island there's a lovely villa in Venetian Gothic style built by a De Ferrari duke for his Russian wife.

The only English-speaking tourists on the boat were us two and a couple of Russians, and we had a lovely guide called Giulia who looked a bit like Cameron Diaz and a very bubbly personality.

We visited the gorgeous gardens

which have a touch of English style because the present head of the family is a daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury. She is 75 y.o. but apparently tends to the roses and other flowers herself, because she doesn't trust the gardeners.
(I know I'm naughty but I couldn't stop thinking about Lady Violet's line in Downton Abbey: "Well if she doesn’t, we’ll just have to take her abroad. In these moments you can normally find an Italian who isn’t too picky…" LOL!)

After the garden, we visited a few rooms in the house and then had a drink/snack on the loggia

I think that the island was Adrian's favourite place on Lake Garda!

Once back on the mainland, we drove to Gardone Riviera and visited an unusual garden, the Andrè Heller botanical garden previously know as the Hruska Botanical Garden.
The garden was created by Arturo Hruska, dentist to the last Tzar, but now belongs to Austrian artist Andrè Heller who has certainly put his stamp. There is art everywhere... At first we were not quite sure about it (it's really all down to personal taste) but it grew on us

I particularly enjoyed the section inspired by Indochina.

The 2 heads squirt jets of water at each other... we didn't venture on that bridge!

We then returned to Arco just in time for dinner at the restaurant opposite the B&B.