Pizza, Castles & a Cable Car to the Clouds
Nine days in Northern Italy — from a long travel day to one of the most stunning lake we've ever seen
Some travel days are part of the adventure. Ours started on a ferry at 7am, wound through Split, a flight to London, a long layover, another flight to Verona, a rental car, and somewhere around 7pm — a table in a tiny Italian town with a pizza in front of us that tasted like the best thing we'd ever eaten. We made it. Northern Italy, here we come.
Gardens, gelato, and a castle town
We eased into Italy with a day at Parco Giardino Sigurtà — a sweeping, beautiful park where we wandered through gardens and mazes, kicked a ball around wide open fields, and explored the old castle town nearby. Fresh pasta for dinner back at our agriturismo. A perfect soft landing.
We got Nana
We spent a morning hiking the old walls around Verona — got wonderfully lost in lush forest, then somehow ended up right back at the car. We explored, played at a great playground, and killed time while quietly buzzing with anticipation. Then we got her. Nana was here. The stoke level went through the roof. We found a table outside Verona for our first meal together, then made the scenic drive north to our home away from home: Riva del Garda, on the northern tip of Lago di Garda.
"Nana was here. The stoke level went through the roof."
Lago di Garda
Hotel Louise was worth every bit of research. Breakfast alone set the tone — fresh pizza, made-to-order eggs, extraordinary pastries, piles of fruit and vegetables. The largest lake in Italy is genuinely otherworldly, and we wasted no time getting on it. A ferry to Limone took us to a gorgeous little town just up the shore, where we explored lemon orchards built right into the cliffside, drank lemonade and limoncello martinis, swam, and collected gelato. Everywhere you looked was a postcard. Evan and I couldn't resist: we stripped down and jumped in the lake. Zero regrets.
We filled our days with hikes to castles in Arco, a rainy walk to the little mountain lake Lago di Tenno (snail spotting very much included), and an afternoon warming up with wine at Comai Winery. Some days were sunny, some were rainy and gray — none of it mattered.
Bike day
The best day. We rented bikes and had the whole lake at our feet — incredible rides in every direction, with Boone pedaling the whole way on his own. We rode up to Cascata di Varone, a stunning waterfall tucked inside a gorge, then wound back around the lake to a place called Bike Farm — genuinely inspiring, great food, great atmosphere. The kind of day that makes you feel completely alive.
Malcesine and the cable car
Malcesine is something else entirely. A medieval walled city with a castle rising straight out of the water — we climbed hundreds of stairs to the top, looked out over the whole lake, and told each other stories about knights and what life must have felt like inside these walls centuries ago. Then we lined up for the Mount Baldo cable car.
At 1,760 meters, the world at the top felt like a completely different planet. Freezing wind, paragliders swooping off the ridge, jaw-dropping views in every direction — and wine. Obviously wine. By dinner we were wonderfully wiped out. And obviously: gelato.
Last day with Nana
We packed the final day full — a drive out to Ledro Land Art Walk, a joyful trail through outdoor sculpture and nature, then back into Riva del Garda to walk the town, eat pizza and pasta and gelatoooo, and soak up every last minute together. Cold and rainy and absolutely perfect. We had the best time with Nana. Full stop.