Lake Garda? Yawn, isn’t that the area in northern Italy that my parents drove to for our holidays? Mediocre hotels and eating slices of pizza with your hand? That’s what you think! Between the olive trees and the idyllic village, between the past and the present, lies the region of Garda Trentino. It’s the first whiff of the South and the last sigh of the Alps.
The Mediterranean climate meets mountains and crystal-clear sea water here. It’s the perfect backdrop for an uberding photo story. Why did I choose the quiet and uneventful region of Garda Trentino for a weekend trip? Because deceleration is good. Because I re-learned how to savor the simple things in life and because we like regional food. You too?
Healthy & Active – holiday in Garda Trentino
Body & Soul are very high priorities on our „Where to Travel“ list and it looks like the Garda Trentino area is perfect for that. It offers fans of exercise a variety of fun possibilities including the following:
- Climbing
- Trekking
- Biking
- Water sports
The windsurfing schools really fascinated me. Like colorful butterflies, sails flutter about in the air above the blue lake – but now back to pleasure:
Visiting Milva Moresi
It doesn’t need to be much – just good! Local delicacies can be found in the fishing village of Torbole sul Garda. Strolling along the picturesque promenade, you’ll find the small shop from Milva Moresi (whose name is equally as quaint).
We were greeted by a middle-aged lady with a French dialect wearing Dr. Marten shoes. She exudes a tough but restrained attitude and wins our hearts by storm; not only with the fine cuisine she served us but also with her openness. „Come on in,“ she says in a mixture of Italian, English, and German language. „An aperitif, a compliment,“ she asks… That is exactly what the sweet life on Lake Garda is made of and it’s just what I was looking forward to.
We nibble on Parmesan, taste olive oil, snack on plum-sized olives, sample a variety of balsamic vinegars – up to a 35-year-old vintage, and we feel as though we’ve arrived and are welcome. It is Milva’s shy smile, her statement that she would like to show a photo of me to her hairdresser on her next visit, and her passion for these selected delicacies that makes me feel so welcomed.
The cosmopolitan and young at heart Italian (by choice) from Belgium/France has found her place in Garda Trentino and it does not surprise us. We take a piece of this satisfaction with us in the form of olives, vinegar, and pesto with varying degrees of spiciness. By the way, Milva’s shop is best found by using Google Maps.
Agrotourism Maso Bòtes
Somewhere between the olive trees on the Maso Botes property (a new agrotourism hotel and farm) the silence has broken out. Is everything really gone? Are there only bees, lemons, nature and olive trees remaining? Welcome. The stylish family-run hotel invites us in with the scent of fresh cakes and we taste cheese combined with fresh honey (Try that!). And of course, olive oil. Delicious!
Superfood Olive Oil – did you know?
Using olive oil for pain relief? It might work. American biologists have confirmed that olive oil acts as an anti-inflammatory, similar to the painkiller Ibuprofen. Oleocanthal, which is present in olive oil, speaks to the same receptor (TRPA 1) in the throat and thus inhibits the enzyme responsible for inflammation, cyclooxygenase (COX). Perhaps we were feeling the effects of Oleocanthal these past few days which is why the days were so dazzling?
Bye Bye Mindless Eat(d)ing
It’s no secret that in today’s world we are eating „on the go“ far too often and unconsciously shoveling our meals into our throats while watching TV, working, or excitedly chatting with friends.
Garda Trentino has taught me, once again, to change this behavior. From time to time, food should play the leading role. With food as the main focus, this allows us to not only taste more and produce more endorphins, but we are also satisfied earlier and are healthier in general – join us!
Pictures by Rüdiger Schestag, Make-Up by Daniela Berner.