Jenny McBain and her son enjoy a sunny break in Lake Garda
There is a statue in the Italian town of Salo, of a man who is credited by some with the invention of the violin.
My son and I stumbled upon it one hot afternoon in the middle of June.
We were enjoying a week long stay by the shores of Lake Garda.
It is a part of the world where lush vegetation fringes the shimmering shoreline and where historical buildings sit side by side with modern ones, creating an harmonious collage of ancient and modern.
Gasparo Berlotti, who was otherwise known as Gasparo da Salo, was born in Salo in 1542. Whether he actually did make the very first violin is for musical scholars to debate. However, around 80 of his instruments are still in existence and, had we had the time, we could have visited the local museum to find out more about him but Ruairidh and I had other plans.
Thirteen-year-olds require a bit of activity on holiday and are not generally speaking, terribly excited by times past.
Lake Garda is a perfect place to engage in water sports. Warm, gentle breezes propel windsurfers and yachts but there is scope for fun on a stand up paddle board or a simple pedalo. We had wanted to try kite surfing but could not bring ourselves to negotiate the somewhat infrequent bus service. So we settled for a boat trip to the Isola del Garda (The Island of Lake Garda)
It is a private island, just a mile off shore and is inhabited by Contessa Cavvaza, four of her seven children and four of her grandchildren. En route, with around forty fellow passengers, we were followed by buzzing jet skiers who played with the wake of the motor boat and performed acrobatic feats, like a pod of leaping dolphins.
There was no getting away from tales of yesteryear but our island guide Anja- a composed and erudite- multi linguist- set out the island’s history by telling us about a timeline of artefacts. Roman tombstones were found on the island and it was once home to Franciscan monks whose cloisters set the template for the grand Neo-Gothic Venetian Villa, we saw rendered bright yellow in morning sunshine.
The villa has been added to by a succession of owners but it is the current Contessa who can be credited with laying out the beautiful gardens. These are set out into different styles, each of which is nurtured by a micro climate. There is an Italian one and an English one amongst them. When a fellow visitor told me the villa’s grounds are listed in the top gardens of the world, it was easy to see why.
During the second world war, the fascists took possession of the island and the family was banished. However, the servants were allowed to remain and such was their loyalty that they tended to the grounds and buried valuables in secret locations thus smoothing the path to the owners’ return when Mussolini eventually decreed they might be allowed their home back.
After the boat trip it was time to return to base. We were staying at Inghams’ Hotel Galeazzi which is just down the road from Salo Town. It is run along the same lines as a winter ski chalet and manager Mikaela guides her young staff with motherly warmth. The family feeling this engenders, spills over to the guests and we felt relaxed and at ease.
Our fellow guests were mostly comprised of older couples, many of whom enjoy walking. They spent their days wending along stony tracks on the verdant hillsides, where abandoned farmsteads and uncultivated fields hint at an intriguing story of desertion and relocation. In fact, those who are prepared to put in some effort and gain altitude find it possible to pass an entire day in those parts, without encountering many people. But the fierceness of a sudden heat wave suspended us in a pleasant, lethargic haze.
Being a keen swimmer, I regularly plunged into the lake where I enjoyed splashing about in its unfamiliar freshness alongside a mother duck and her hectic brood. Ruairidh, meanwhile, had other things on his mind. He ordered up successive, authentic Italian ice-creams, beginning with a conservative, two- scoop portion of fruity flavours and progressing, later in the week, to cones that were so enormous they almost eclipsed his face and drew the attention of passers by.
When Ruairidh and I decided to go horse riding together, the assistant hotel manager Jessica was tireless in her efforts on our behalf. She researched all possible modes of transport that could take us to the Scuderia Castello, stables. So we caught a bus and got as far as Maderno when our luck ran out.There was not a single taxi for hire in the whole of the town that hot afternoon. We decided to take a leaf out of the Italian’s book and calmly headed to a local hotel where we ordered drinks and rang the stables’ owner Giovani. He promptly agreed to pick us up in his truck.
We met our mounts and embarked on a sedate trek alongside bounteous orchards and across cobbled lanes. It was such a pleasant experience that we spontaneously made plans to return to Giovanni’s neighbouring farm in the autumn for a longer stay. All too soon it was time to catch the fast ferry back to base for another hearty evening meal in the company of those doughty walkers.
As a final holiday treat, Ruairidh and I headed back to Salo town to sample the food at the Lepanto restaurant which had been recommended to us by a local. I derived great pleasure from seeing my son discover the delights of home-made ravioli which bore little resemblance to the stuff that comes in tins.
Of course, sunshine has the potential to elevate any experience and to render the everyday sublime. For whatever reason, we are now confirmed in our love for Italy and our intention to return whenever possible and Lake Garda itself is certainly worth further exploration. It’s a special place where epochs overlap.
info
Inghams is offering seven nights, chalet catering at the four diamond Chalet Hotel Galeazzi, Lake Garda, Italy from £629. Price includes return flights from London Gatwick toVerona and resort transfers. For more information visitwww.inghams.co.uk/lakes-mountains-holidays or call 01483 791 116.
A trip to Lake Garda Island costs 70 Euros for adults and 30 Euros for children under 13. www.isoladelgarda.com
Horse-riding is 25 Euros per person per hour www.scuderiacastello.it/
