September 01, 2008
Summer's nearly over and autumn is just around the corner...hard to believe! The summer has just flown by! This month I'm going to talk about the wonderful Italian city of Venice; for two reasons. 1. It is particularly special for us, as we were engaged there; 7 years ago this month in fact! and 2. It is a great place to go for an excursion from Lake Garda, especially in the autumn and winter, as it is very busy with tourists between the months of April to September.
So Why should you visit Venice? Well, Venice is just as romantic and beautiful as it looks on the travelogues and movies, so you won't be disappointed. We certainly weren't! Nestling in a blue lagoon, it is a facinating city; so unique! Elegant Venetian buildings and palaces peer over the ancient maze of narrow streets and labyrinth of canals and singing gondoliers that contrive to its charm.
Here's a little bit more about the city: Venice stretches across a series of 118 islands distributed throughout the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. As the wealth of the city increased and its population grew, the composition of the city grew ever more dense and today only a handful of the islets that constitute the historic centre are not entirely developed.
The historic centre is divided into six quarters (sestieri). These are: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello. The city's main thoroughfare is the Grand Canal that intersects each district as it meanders through the length of Venice from the railway station to San Marco. An alternative to walking the bewildering streets of Venice is to cruise the waterways onboard the motorboat buses known as vaporetti. These are the less romantic but also less expensive substitutes for the famous gondolas.
Venice extends beyond its six sestieri to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. These are known for glass and lace-making respectively and Torcello is noted for the magnificent Byzantine Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta that rests on its soil. Trips by boat to the islands provide a pleasant diversion from the busier historic quarters.
So now that I've talked you into going there for a day trip, you're probably wondering how to get there from Lake Garda. The easiest way is to just hop on the train from either Desenzano or Peschiera, and it'll take you directly there. It takes around 90 minutes. Also, tourist buses often run from Garda town to Venice.
Take a look at our page on excursions to find out a bit more about Venice and other places you can
travel to for the day.
Main Events
In most towns around the Lake, you'll find many things going on throughout the year, including art exhibitions, festivals, wine and food tastings, theatre events and sports events.
If you'd like to know about any of these events in particular for this month, then please contact us, as we only cover the main events each month.
Here are the main Events going on in September...
Rock Master - Free-Climbing: International competition
Arco, 06-07/09/2008
Centomiglia del Garda -
The most important regatta on internal European waters
Gargnano, 06-07/09/2008
Surfestival -
The world's biggest windsurf event
Torbole, 12-14/09/2008
Traubenkur -
The grape-cure
Garda trentino, 13-28/09/2008
ADAC Trentino Classic -
Oldtimer excursion with historical and classical cars
Riva del Garda, 17-21/9/2008
International Lake Garda Marathon -
Marathon: Km 42,195
Limone, Riva, Arco, Torbole, Malcesine, 28/09/2008
There are, of
course, all the usual markets that are definitely worth going to. To find out more about when and where they are,
click here.
Your Stories
I'm afraid we don't have any stories for this month. We really need you to send them in!
We really want to hear about your Lake Garda experiences and stories, even if it's just a sentence or two. Get your story in a future newsletter and share your experiences with others!
Whether you want to share your favourite
hotel,
town,
family outing,
or sport
you've experienced at Lake Garda, we'd love to
hear all about it.
To Conclude...
We hope that you've now been convinced to visit Venice for the day while you're at Lake Garda. You'll simply fall in love with it!
See you next month,
Marcus and Sylvia