18-20 July 2026 We arrive at our hotel near Desinzano on the banks of Lake Garda. Villa Garuti, a faux castle complete with battlements, will be our home for the next three nights. Since our rooms are ready when we arrive, we have the afternoon to explore. We take the free shuttle into Desinzano and explore the lakeside resort town. The town itself dates from the Bronze Age. When the Venetians controlled this area of Italy, they rebuilt the old port in 1454 to make this a com

17 July 2026 It rained overnight giving us the idea that perhaps it will be a little cooler today. We have a very early start today and we are bleary-eyed as we hop on the bus on the dot of 7:30 AM. We travel along the side of Lake Iseo for a few kilometres before branching off onto a narrow road. Susanna, our guide tells us that her decision to leave early is to avoid the expected heavy holiday traffic on the narrow roads between our hotel on lake Iseo and Tirano, which is o

16 July 2026 It’s time to say goodbye to Baveno and move onto our next lake. Como will not be our final destination today, more an interlude for now. The Italian weather does not fail and we have yet another hot day ahead of us as we pack ourselves into the bus, adjust the air-conditioning and wait for the bus to chug up the hill, leaving Baveno behind. Susanna, our guide fills us in on the history and geography of this region as we first travel south, then to the north towar

15 July 2026 At breakfast, someone announced that a thunderstorm had been forecast for last this afternoon. Although the sun is shining, the air is close, cloying even, and there is a haze over the mountains and the lakes. It is already 32C when we leave the hotel at about 10:00 AM. We need to leave early-ish because we are going to visit a museum. I think the heat has fried my brain because despite me looking for a sign of some sort, we just kept walking along the promenade: