Italy

I was invited to  Malcesine, Lake Garda, for my nieces wedding. 

ummmm .... did I have to think more than a couple of minutes before making my decision??  

         No way !!! .... 

I was RSVPing before the ink was dry on the invite. 

Having never been to this area of Italy before, but knowing it was going to be something special from what everyone 

was telling me I was looking forward to it immensely. 

Walking the cobbled streets was just fabulous. Malcesine is very stunning traditional Italian town with winding back streets, stepped back from the shores 

of the enormous lake, edged by restaurants and some of the smallest beaches I have ever seen. 

This picturesque town is overlooked by a majestic castle standing proud and prominent. 

Set back a little further at the top of the town a cable-car heads up the Monte Baldo mountain and gives the most awesome views I have seen in a long long time. Clouds swept over us and cleared to present a birds-eye view of Lake Garda and the little towns in clusters around the shore.

While we were in this part of Italy, it would have been madness not to take a trip to Venice. 

One and half hours on a bus to Verona and then another hour on the fast train to Venice; but WOW !!!! I am so glad I made that trip. 

     Tips:

     *Get your ticket for the cable-car from the Information centre, and then go to the cable-car launch. 

      You can then jump the first queue and join it again directly after the cable-cars ticket office. 1st queue can be about an hour - 2nd queue about 40mins. 

     * Make sure you pop into my little friend Luciano Bonacini - an old school phenomenal film photographer. 

      His shop is by the castle entrance, and don't forget to say you know me :) 

     Venice

     *Check the times of the fast buses and trains to Venice - its saves a lot of time.

     *Don't jump in the first Gondela you see. The older ones in the back streets take you off the beaten track and don't waste all your time on the main rivers. 

      They do deals...and they give you longer. 

 Venice