Nervous of getting stuck in the carpark we were on our way by 7:30am and left Verona as the sun rose. Ideally we would have spent a bit longer in this lovely city.
However we were rewarded for the early start with breathtaking views above the clouds as we made our way to the cliff edge church Santuario della Madonna della Corona.
A long weaving walk down, past alpaca and sculptures telling the story of christ suddenly reveals this magical church in the most tranquil of settings. We had the place to ourselves as we had arrived long before it opened at 10:30am.
We took the steep steps back up to the carpark and had breakfast before heading onto a second religious site, the Ossuary Chapel of St. Martin. Here in this peaceful setting lie the bones of lives lost in the second war of independence. It has a slightly creepy but respectful charm to it.
Sadly the associated tower and museum were closed (lots of museums around Europe close on a Monday), but this meant the carpark was empty so we tried to tire the pups out with a game of frisbee fetch. Ernests shuffle nose is too short to pick it up bless him.
We need to drove to the peninsula town Sirmione, which being out of season meant free parking right on the lakeside with stunning views of Lake Garda and the snow capped mountains beyond.
Mark was smitten with our camp spot view and didn’t want to leave so we had a lovely afternoon pottering around this affluent town (4 porsches in a row in the car park and €6 for a slice of cake).
The castle links the two islands and if you walk to the tip, there are the ruins of a huge roman villa and Jamaica beach. This was well worth the €8 entry free, and a lovely walk with the pups.
Having decided to stay the night, we popped out for coffee, and having baulked at the cake price, I came home and went on a cooking frenzy trying out new vegan recipes ( fluffy pancakes, turmeric chai pudding, morrocan pumpkin soup that ended up being more of a dahl as I added too many lentils). Despite only having the hob I’m much more creative, try more recipes and really enjoy cooking. Though it doesn’t always go to plan, the end result is always edible.
SofaWolves 