A Trip Between an Aperitif and an Ice Cream!!

Hello, fellow travelers of this community,

Yesterday, which was a public holiday, I had in mind to go for a nice bike ride. You all know how much I enjoy long rides, but unfortunately, the weather was quite uncertain, and I wouldn't have liked to get caught in a storm—it happened to me once, and it was quite a traumatic experience, one I don't recommend to anyone.

So I opted for a cultural tour instead. Many people had told me about a beautiful village located in the upper Mantua area, so I thought, why not take a trip there? At worst, I could take shelter in a café or a restaurant if it rained. So I left early in the morning from Milan, and after driving some kilometers on the highway, I took some country roads and arrived at Castellaro Lagusello. I must say that from the moment I arrived, I was quite impressed with the place. It's a group of houses within a walled perimeter. There's not a real castle per se, but there's a villa that was probably once a castle.

But you might ask, what can you do in this place?

Well, I took a walk, leisurely observing both the locals and the houses. There weren't many people around, probably because the bad weather scared them off.

After walking for about an hour—more or less the time it takes to stroll through this small village—I got quite hungry, and unfortunately, I'm not one to withstand hunger. So the first trattoria I found, I went in, and since it was still pretty early, I decided to have an aperitif with some local cold cuts and a good glass of wine.

I must say that the cost was quite high because I spent almost €15, and while it's much less than you'd pay in Milan, I never expected that in such a small and somewhat rural place I'd spend so much. It shows the direction Italy is heading.

After eating, I returned to the parking lot where I had left the car, but I wasn't quite satisfied with my tour yet, and more importantly, my stomach wasn't fully satisfied either. So I thought about going to Peschiera del Garda, which is nearby, a pretty famous tourist spot since it's on the largest lake in Italy.

There, I walked near the Officer's Pavilion. You should know that Peschiera del Garda used to be filled with barracks built by the Austrians when they dominated this area. One of these barracks has been completely renovated, and shops, as well as bars, restaurants, and ice cream parlors, have been created inside it.

And indeed, I went looking for an ice cream parlor that I already knew, so I was sure the ice cream would be good. I must say, as you can see from the photos, it's a beautiful spot to eat ice cream because it has a great view—there's a canal that connects the Mincio River to the lake, so you could say it's also a pretty romantic place.

In the end, that's how my Labor Day wrapped up, and by leaving ahead of the traffic, I set off back to Milan, just in time to go to dinner with friends.

And I must say I was very satisfied with this little trip, and sometimes I think about how lucky I am to be able to visit these beautiful places and also enjoy the delicacies they have to offer.

See you in my next post, and I wish you all a good day, friends!