If the lake sees the ocean, it will want big waves! If the ocean sees the lake, it will want calm days that lasts for years!
Mehmet Murat ildan
I found this quote particularly appropriate for Malcesine – when we arrived I was expecting a calm lake with crystal clear waters. We were amazed at the amount of wind and the waves it created. You could probably surf in there if you wanted to!
Malcesine is a region on the North Eastern side of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. We stayed in a little cove that was quite sheltered, but as soon as we walked around to the main town on the first day, you had to stand back from the water’s edge to avoid being splashed!
Malcesine is quite a sleepy holiday town, mostly made up of Italian and Austrian retirees on romantic getaways. There isn’t a whole lot to do here, but it has one main draw card – absolutely breathtaking scenery. To put it bluntly, it’s bloody spectacular. We spent most of our time trekking to different vantage points to take it all in. It was a nice change of pace to practice photographing landscapes rather than buildings for a while.
Apparently they have an issue with trumpets…? 
There is a castle which, above all else, provides many more excellent viewing platforms. They were actually holding a number of wedding ceremonies in the castle grounds during our stay – not a bad backdrop!
On our last day, we ventured to the top of Monte Baldo with the help of the trusty cable car. We were almost blown away by an icy wind as soon as we stepped out – shorts were a rookie choice. As we walked across the ridge, we noticed a group of para-gliders setting up to launch off the top of the mountain. The first couple to take off were very brave, as they just disappeared into the clouds with no clue where they were going. Eventually the clouds cleared, and immediately we understood the appeal. What a stunning view, and what a thrilling experience!
By the time we came back down we were ready to thaw ourselves out and we found a gorgeous terrace just below the castle towers. As it turns out, we were sat beside one of the wedding parties…how good is love?!
We have adored Lake Garda for its aesthetics alone! It’s been great to have some down time here after working so hard the last couple of weeks…but maybe next time we’ll go somewhere further south, where there seems to be a younger crowd (and no objection to loud noises, or trumpets in particular).