Italy, my dream destination and it only took me 46 years to get there! But boy was it worth the wait!
In my mind Italy always conjured up images of stunning historical architecture, a culture of amazing food and wine, the epitome of style and the great fashion houses. In essence, la Dolce Vita! And it didn’t disappoint.
When
One week stay from 30 June – 7 July 2018
Who
Myself ( mamascoffee_diaries ) and youngest son
Our Accommodation
The Four Star Poiano Resort
A fabulous hotel, halfboard, Olympic sized swimming pool, fitness centre, pool bar/ restaurant/ cocktail bar and tennis courts.
Location
A short distance outside Garda town, situated on the hills with stunning views of Lake Garda.
Garda
Garda town-
a quaint, harbour town situated in a bay along Lake Garda, southeast of the lake. Here we strolled along the fabulous promenade, watching the boats, ducks and the locals having a morning swim! It’s a bustling little town but not over crowded or touristy.
We loved to sit along the pavement cafes sipping cappuccino and sampling different flavours of the amazing gelato on offer, it would’ve been rude not to!!
Venice
Without a doubt, the highlight of our stay! A fully guided coach tour and a 12 hour day trip.
No words or photos could explain the breathtaking experience of such a unique place. It really is the most distinctive, magical and totally Instagrammable city in Europe!
We arrived via a water taxi, a brief 20 minute trip from the mainland to Venice city.
We disembarked right in the heart of the city, close to Doge’s Palace; right into the hustle and bustle of the tourist hotspot.
Our tour proceeded to St Mark’s Square, the infamous largest square in Venice, a tourist Mecca, home to the spectacular St Marks Basilica Cathedral and the clocktower.
St Marks square or Piazza San Marco, is bustling with tourists, pigeons, designer shops and high end pavement cafes where you can pay a fortune to sit and be served by waiters in white tuxedos and serenaded by a small orchestra!
Gondola trip
A must do for anyone visiting the floating city! We took a 30 minute trip through the narrow canals, guided by our expert gondolier. Although there were dozens of gondolas in use, it was a very relaxing, peaceful experience and a most welcome relief from the intense heat of the sun.
We ended the ride by entering the busy Grand Canal, Venice’s ‘Main Street ‘ before returning to base.
I found the price very reasonable, €46 for one adult and child, well worth it for the experience, one of which we will never forget. Bucketlist well and truly ticked on this one!
After lunch, we headed to the world famous Grand canal and visited the must see Rialto Bridge, where a selfie was a must do!
Our tour was coming to a close and with some free time, we chose to chill in St Marks square with an Aperol spritz and gelato, before going to see the stunning Bridge of Sighs.
We left the city soon after, hotel bound with sore feet, but with wonderful memories and a welcome prosecco on our return!
Our holiday soon came to an end unfortunately, but we have definitely left a piece of our hearts in Italia 🇮🇹 and are planning a return already!
Mamas coffeediaries 